Computer networks allow for communication and sharing of resources between connected computers and devices. There are several types of computer networks including local area networks (LANs) that connect devices within a small geographic area like a home or office, metropolitan area networks (MANs) that span a city or campus, and wide area networks (WANs) that connect across cities, countries, or globally. Common network topologies include bus, ring, tree, and star configurations that determine how devices are physically connected to each other within a network.