Servers on a network diagram

Machines that run something for other machines.

13 objects in this group, each named in plain English with the technical terms kept as searchable aliases. 13 of them carry attack notes, and every one of those ships beside the defences that reduce it. Each has an entry of its own.

Server
host · machine
A computer that runs something for other computers.
Server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Web server
HTTP server · website
The computer that sends your website to anybody who visits it.
Web server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Application server
backend · business logic tier
Runs the working parts of an application, behind the website.
Application server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Database
DB · SQL server · data store
Stores the organised information an application depends on.
Database: what it is and how it is attacked →
Mail server
email server · Exchange · SMTP
Sends, receives and stores the organisation's email.
Mail server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Name server
DNS · domain name server
Translates names like example.com into network addresses.
Name server: what it is and how it is attacked →
File server
SMB server · network share
Holds shared documents everyone can reach over the network.
File server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Virtual machine host
hypervisor · ESXi · Hyper-V
One physical server pretending to be many.
Virtual machine host: what it is and how it is attacked →
Jump host
bastion · jump box · hardened admin host
The single controlled machine administrators go through to reach sensitive systems.
Jump host: what it is and how it is attacked →
Backup server
backup · Veeam · backup controller
Makes and manages the spare copies of your data that let you recover after something goes wrong.
Backup server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Update server
WSUS · patch server · software distribution
Distributes software updates to every machine.
Update server: what it is and how it is attacked →
Build pipeline
CI/CD · Jenkins · GitHub Actions
The automated production line that turns written code into the software the business actually runs.
Build pipeline: what it is and how it is attacked →
Phone system
VoIP · PBX · telephony server
Runs the organisation's telephone calls over the network.
Phone system: what it is and how it is attacked →

The other groups

Network6The paths traffic travels along.
Wireless and radio11The parts of the network that travel through the air, and how far they reach.
Cloud and subscribed services12Things that only exist because somebody else runs the platform underneath them.
Security and edge11The things that sit in front of something else and check what is trying to reach it.
Storage4Where data sits still.
Endpoints and devices8The things people and processes touch directly.
Identity6Who something claims to be, and what proves it.
People and organisations4The humans and the entities they belong to.
Places3Physical locations and regions.
Process flow7Shapes for describing a procedure rather than a network.
Threats15The adversary and the things they bring.

Draw it rather than read it

Every object above is in the editor. Press N, type a few letters of the plain name or the acronym, and it is placed and connected to whatever was selected. Nothing is uploaded, because the page is served with a Content Security Policy that forbids the browser from making any outbound request at all.

Open the diagram maker

The catalogue behind this page is published as open data under CC BY 4.0, last reviewed 30 August 2026. Every attack note describes a mechanism and contains no procedure. Corrections are welcome.