TCP/IP Illustrated
by W. Richard Stevens, Kevin R. Fall, Gary R. Wright · first published 1993
69% recommend30% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Deep, foundational explanation of how TCP/IP works, with packet-level detail and C code from a real stack implementation. Suits software developers, SREs and systems engineers who want to understand networking.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A detailed guide to the design and operation of protocols and applications in the TCP/IP suite.
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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I guess I grew up in a different time: * The C Programming Language by Dennis Kernighan and Brian Ritchie * Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Peter Van Linden * TCP/IP Illustrated Volume I: The Protocols by W. Richard Stevens * The UNIX System by S.R.Bourne * The Algorithm Design Manual by Steve S. Skiena
on “The Programming Books That Meant The Most To Me” ↗TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols by W. Richard Stevens [0] [0] https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Vol-Addison-Wesley-Pr...
on “Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?” ↗…http://www.amazon.com/Design-Operating-System-Prentice-Hall-... 36- http://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Netwo... 37- http://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Volume-Addison-Wesley-... 38- http://www.amazon.com/TCP-IP-Illustrated-Vol-Implementation/... 39- http://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Vol-Transactions-Proto... 40- http://www.amazon.com/User-Interface-Design-Programmers-Spol... 41- http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interfaces-Jenifer-Tidwell/d...…
on “I’m writing my own OS” ↗…great 1000+ pages books with lots of code. Though reading them is much more effort than reading a self-help book: http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Environment-Addison-Wesley... http://www.amazon.com/TCP-IP-Illustrated-Implementation-Vol/... http://www.amazon.com/Physically-Based-Rendering-Second-Edit...
on “Best development book I've read, has no code in it” ↗I think there are better (more correctly written) guides to network programming, i.e., UNIX Network Programming (old, but the newest volume: The Sockets Networking API - was written in 2003), and TCP/IP Illustrated (also most recently updated with a 2nd edition in 2011) by the late, great W. Richard Stevens - despite his sole work being horribly out of date, with later volumes being worked on by Bill Fenner and…
on “Beej's Guide to Network Programming (2012)” ↗The late Richard W. Stevens wrote the classic texts. TCP/IP illustrated and Unix Network Programming. I have old editions and haven't seen recent ones. There's murmourings that the updated editions are not as good, the writers emplyed to updated them don't have Steven's…
on “Understand a little about TCP (2015)” ↗Have you seen Richard W. Stevens book TCP/IP Illustrated? Specifically volume 2 'the Implementation', which is, I think what you're looking for (albeit slightly dated).
on “Let's code a TCP/IP stack (2016)” ↗…https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449314287/ SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321992474/ The Art of SQL: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596008945/ Networking: TCP/IP Illustrated: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0201633469/wrichards... (updates on author's site at http://www.kohala.com/start/tcpipiv1.html) The TCP/IP Guide: https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Guide-Comprehensive-Illustrated-P...…
on “My £4 a month server can handle 4.2M requests a day” ↗I loved Stevens' books: TCP/IP illustrated Unix network programming Advanced Programming in the unix environment
on “Which programming book you just couldn’t stop reading from start to end?” ↗All the books by W. Richard Stevens[1], especially the TCP/IP Illustrated Volumes. No one covers theory with actual illustration and real world examples like Stevens does in his books. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Richard_Stevens
on “Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?” ↗1) The Art of Unix Programming 2) TCP/IP Illustrated 3) 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know
on “Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?” ↗Technically not programming. TCP/IP Illustrated by W richard Stevens is a classic that explains, in great detail, how networking works.
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗TCP/IP Illustrated: https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Protocols-Addison-Wes...
on “Ask HN: Best books or online courses to learn networking?” ↗…most falter. It takes a few years to "master" (if we ever do). Here I would recommend "Understanding and Using C Pointers", Richard Reese. [2] If you are interested in networking, any of the classic "TCP/IP Illustrated Vols I/II/III", W. Richard Stevens, [3] contain a ton of C code to implement components of TCP/IP. If you are interested in Graphics, then "Graphics Gems", Andrew Glassner [4] is a good source. "An…
on “Ask HN: How do I learn C properly?” ↗For me, that book was W. Richard Stevens's TCP/IP Illustrated, volumes 1 & 2 particularly.
on “How Do Routers Work, Really?” ↗