The five classic shapes you can wire a network into — and exactly why each one wins or loses in practice.

A topology is the arrangement/layout of how nodes (computers, devices) are connected to each other in a network. The choice of topology directly affects cost, reliability, and how a failure behaves.

All devices are connected to a single shared central cable (the "bus" / backbone). Every device taps into this one line to send and receive data.

Each device connects to exactly two neighbors, forming a closed loop. Data travels around the ring, hop by hop, until it reaches its destination.

Every device connects individually to one central device (a hub or switch). All communication passes through this central point.

A hierarchical structure: multiple star networks are connected together along a common bus backbone — essentially "stars hanging off a bus," forming a parent-child structure of hubs.

Every device is connected directly to every other device. Maximum redundancy — there are multiple paths between any two nodes.