api: YAML JSON TOON Database
version: 1.0.0
format: yaml
dataset:
  id: 2859
  slug: network-topologies
  title: Network Topologies
  description: Common physical and logical network layouts.
  summary: The classic ways to wire a network, from bus and ring to star and mesh, with the trade-offs of each, plus point-to-point, hub-and-spoke, spine-leaf and daisy-chain layouts that appear in modern WANs and data centers.
  use_when:
    - You are comparing physical or logical layouts for a design or an exam answer.
    - You need the failure characteristics of a layout in one line.
  caveats:
    - "Physical and logical topology can differ: a switched Ethernet network is wired as a star but behaves as a shared segment for broadcast purposes."
    - Bus and ring layouts are mostly historical for LANs; modern wired networks are switched stars or spine-leaf fabrics.
  related:
    - osi-model-layers
    - routing-protocols
  entry_count: 10
  fields:
    - section: data
      field: topology
      type: string
      example: Bus
    - section: data
      field: description
      type: string
      example: All devices share a single central cable.
    - section: data
      field: pros_cons
      type: string
      example: Cheap but hard to troubleshoot.
  category: Networking
  category_slug: networking
  tags: networking,topology,architecture
  view_count: 44
  created_at: 1793403093
  updated_at: 1793403093
data:
  - topology: Bus
    description: All devices share a single central cable.
    pros_cons: Cheap but hard to troubleshoot.
  - topology: Star
    description: All devices connect to a central hub or switch.
    pros_cons: Easy to manage; central point of failure.
  - topology: Ring
    description: Devices connect in a circular fashion.
    pros_cons: Predictable performance; single break can disrupt.
  - topology: Mesh
    description: Devices connect to many other devices.
    pros_cons: High redundancy; expensive.
  - topology: Tree
    description: Hierarchical star topology.
    pros_cons: Scalable; root failure affects branches.
  - topology: Hybrid
    description: Combination of two or more topologies.
    pros_cons: Flexible but complex.
  - topology: Point-to-Point
    description: A dedicated link between exactly two nodes.
    pros_cons: Simple and predictable; does not scale to many nodes.
  - topology: Hub-and-Spoke
    description: Branch sites connect to a central site rather than to each other.
    pros_cons: Few links and central control; the hub is a bottleneck and single point of failure.
  - topology: Spine-Leaf
    description: Every leaf switch connects to every spine switch in a data-center fabric.
    pros_cons: Predictable, low-latency paths and easy horizontal scaling; needs many cables and ports.
  - topology: Daisy Chain
    description: Devices are connected one after another in a line.
    pros_cons: Minimal cabling; a failure in the middle splits the chain.