Hooray for the sockets interface
In 1983, BSD 4.2 introduced sockets, treating network communication like file I/O. This simplification sped UNIX adoption of shared protocols and services, marking a key turning point in modern networking.
Category:
Tech matters
Secure by default: How ‘HSTS-Enforced’ could finally close the web’s oldest backdoor
Guest Post: The current web still relies on a legacy assumption that website should be accessible over unencrypted HTTP unless it explicitly signals otherwise. HSTS-Enforced builds on top of HSTS by inverting its security model.
The delicate art of cryptographic maintenance: When small certs break big chains
Around mid-2026, we began receiving user complaints about certificate validation failures. The failure wasn’t a single bug, but the collision of optimization and slow distribution.
[Podcast] DNS query duplication
Why does APNIC Labs experimental systems see almost all DNS queries twice or more?
APNIC 62 workshops build practical skills for modern network operations
APNIC 62 features three hands-on workshops that help network professionals automate operations, strengthen security, and deploy next-generation routing technologies.
IPv6 address planning: From ‘bit conservation’ to ‘elegant alignment’
Guest Post: When planning IPv6 addressing schemes, many engineers still carry over habits from the IPv4 era. The instinct is to conserve every possible bit and to compress region, service, and network type information into the smallest space that meets current needs. While this approach once made sense, it is poorly suited to IPv6.
Rethinking non‑access stratum timers for LEO satellite constellations in 5G and beyond
Guest Post: AstroTimer starts from a simple but important question: Can we compute NAS timers directly from LEO‑specific conditions, such as path length, link variability, and NF load, using a closed‑form, low‑cost model?
Who’s running all those tiny RPKI servers?
Guest Post: Small RPKI publication servers comprise a quiet but important part of the Internet’s trust infrastructure. Understanding who operates these servers, and why, helps reveal both strengths and gaps in today’s routing security.
Data synchronization
Distributed systems depend on synchronization, but every approach has tradeoffs. From full copies to delta updates, how do you choose the right method?
Life on the Internet adoption curve
The technology adoption curve has not changed, our position on it has. As the Internet and BGP move into later stages of adoption, rapid growth is giving way to saturation, changing how we plan, invest, and operate.