docs: network overview concept page

[marc0olo]

Summary

• Foundational concepts/network-overview.md page explaining ICP's network architecture
• Covers subnets, nodes, consensus protocol (4-phase), boundary nodes, chain-key cryptography, and governance
• Uses @icp-sdk/core/agent (replacing superseded @dfinity/agent)
• Clarifies query call authenticity in request flow: responses are not threshold-signed
• Uses "icp-cli" naming convention in prose

Sync recommendation

informed by dfinity/portal — network-overview.mdx

[marc0olo]

Review: concepts/network-overview.md — Changes Requested

Cleanest of the four pages. Clear, developer-focused, well-scoped. One issue to fix:

1. Broken link: certified-variables.md

The link [certified variables](../reference/certified-variables.md) in the Boundary nodes section points to a file that doesn't exist. Same issue as PR #2.

Fix: Link to ../reference/ic-interface-spec.md with appropriate anchor text, or file a page proposal issue and link to the new stub.

2. Minor nit: hardcoded node counts

Subnets currently range from 13 to 40 nodes.

Accurate today but will date. Consider softening to "typically range from 13 to 40 nodes" or linking to the dashboard for current numbers.

✓ Verified

• All other internal links point to existing stubs
• No CLI commands to verify
• Content is accurate and well-scoped

[marc0olo]

Review: concepts/network-overview.md (round 2)

Must fix

• Broken link: ../reference/certified-variables.md — This file does not exist. The correct path is ../guides/backends/certified-variables.md. (Flagged in round 1, still unfixed.)

Suggestions

• Hardcoded subnet sizes — "Subnets currently range from 13 to 40 nodes" will date. Consider softening to "typically range from 13 to 40 nodes."
• Repeated finality claim — "1–2 seconds" appears in three places (Subnets, Consensus, How it all fits together). Consider one authoritative statement + references to reduce maintenance burden.
• Missing Learn Hub links — The stub's source material listed 5 Learn Hub articles. The page links to none. Consider adding at least one for readers who want protocol details (per linking rules: protocol internals → https://learn.internetcomputer.org).

Verified

• 6 of 7 internal links resolve (only certified-variables.md is broken)
• Four-phase consensus description is accurate
• No CLI commands to verify (none present)
• No dfx references, no .mdx/JSX
• Frontmatter complete and self-consistent
• Content brief fully covered (subnets, nodes, consensus, boundary nodes, latency, finality, replication)

[marc0olo]

Feedback addressed:

• Fixed broken link ../reference/certified-variables.md → ../guides/backends/certified-variables.md
• Softened hardcoded subnet sizes ("currently" → "typically")
• Reduced repeated "1–2 seconds" finality claims (kept first, replaced duplicates with back-references)
• Added Learn Hub link for protocol details

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Adds a foundational “Network Overview” concept page explaining ICP’s network architecture and how requests flow from clients to canisters, with emphasis on developer-relevant performance and replication properties.

Changes:

• Replaces placeholder content with an end-to-end explanation of subnets, nodes, consensus, and boundary nodes.
• Introduces sections on chain-key cryptography and governance, plus “what’s next” cross-links.

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[marc0olo]

Feedback addressed:

• Replaced @dfinity/agent with @icp-sdk/core/agent (superseded)
• Fixed query call wording in request flow: clarified responses are not threshold-signed, linked to certified variables
• Changed "icp CLI" to "icp-cli" in prose per naming convention