VelsTech Networking

How the internet works, how to put your own services online, and how to run things at home – a learning path from the basics to self-hosting.

Networking underpins everything tech: how an IP address gets your data to the right machine, how DNS turns a name you can remember into a routable address, how your router lets many devices share one connection, and how port forwarding and domain records let you serve your own software to the world. Whether you want to understand how the internet works, put a site online, or self-host your own cloud, these guides walk you through it step by step without assuming you have a networking degree.

Start here

Understand the internet

New to this? Follow the guided path →

How does the internet actually work?

IP addresses, DNS, and routing – the basics that make the internet tick.

Setting up a domain

Buy a domain, configure DNS, and point it at GitHub Pages, a VPS, or a home server.

Run your own services

Self-hosting

Self-hosting 101

From a media server to a personal cloud – what you can run on a Raspberry Pi or old laptop.

Networking tutorials

Step-by-step guides for getting services online and keeping them running.

Browse tutorials →

Free tools

Crunch your own numbers

CIDR / Subnet Calculator

Network address, usable host range, broadcast, and masks from an IP and prefix.

Open calculator →

URL Encoder / Decoder

Percent-encode and decode URL components with UTF-8 support.

Coming soon

On the roadmap

Routers & Wi-Fi explained

What your router actually does and how to make your network faster.

Port forwarding guide

How to reach services on your home network from outside.

Home lab starter pack

Cheap hardware and first projects for a home server.