Networking Overview
Last Updated: October 26, 2023
This document provides a comprehensive overview of the networking capabilities within our platform. Understanding these concepts is crucial for building robust and scalable applications that communicate effectively.
Core Concepts
1. Network Layers
Our networking model adheres to a layered architecture, conceptually similar to the OSI model, but optimized for our specific environment. We abstract much of the complexity, but understanding the fundamental roles of different layers can be beneficial:
- Transport Layer: Handles end-to-end communication. We primarily use TCP for reliable, ordered delivery and UDP for faster, connectionless communication.
- Internet Layer: Manages addressing and routing. Our internal IP addressing scheme and routing protocols ensure efficient data transfer across our distributed systems.
- Application Layer: Where your application logic interacts with the network. This includes protocols like HTTP/HTTPS, gRPC, and custom protocols.
2. Sockets and Endpoints
Communication happens through sockets, which are endpoints for sending and receiving data. A socket is defined by an IP address and a port number. When you establish a connection or send data, you specify the destination endpoint.
3. Protocols
We support a wide range of protocols to accommodate diverse application needs:
- HTTP/HTTPS: The standard for web communication. Use this for RESTful APIs and general web services.
- gRPC: A high-performance, open-source universal RPC framework. Ideal for microservices communication.
- WebSockets: Enables full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection. Suitable for real-time applications.
Common Networking Tasks
Making HTTP Requests
To interact with web services or our internal APIs, you can leverage the built-in HTTP client. Here's a simplified example:
import platform.networking as net
try:
response = net.http.get("https://api.example.com/data")
if response.status_code == 200:
data = response.json()
print("Successfully retrieved data:", data)
else:
print(f"Request failed with status code: {response.status_code}")
except net.exceptions.NetworkError as e:
print(f"A network error occurred: {e}")
Establishing TCP Connections
For lower-level communication or persistent connections, you can establish direct TCP sockets:
import platform.networking as net
address = "192.168.1.100"
port = 12345
try:
client_socket = net.tcp.connect(address, port)
print(f"Connected to {address}:{port}")
client_socket.send(b"Hello, server!")
received_data = client_socket.receive(1024)
print(f"Received: {received_data.decode()}")
client_socket.close()
except net.exceptions.ConnectionRefusedError:
print("Connection refused by the server.")
except net.exceptions.NetworkTimeoutError:
print("Connection timed out.")
except Exception as e:
print(f"An unexpected error occurred: {e}")
Security Considerations
Network security is paramount. Always ensure:
- Use HTTPS: For all external communication where sensitive data is involved.
- Encryption: For internal communication, consider encrypting sensitive data even over internal networks.
- Authentication and Authorization: Properly authenticate and authorize all network requests.