# unidirectional network

> network device that permits data flow in only one direction

**Wikidata**: [Q7884848](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7884848)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidirectional_network)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/unidirectional-network

## Summary
A unidirectional network is a networking hardware device that permits data flow in only one direction. It is used in network security to prevent information leakage by enforcing one-way transfer between networks or systems.

## Key Facts
- A unidirectional network is defined as a network device that permits data flow in only one direction. (Wikidata description)
- It is a subclass of networking hardware, the class of devices that mediate data in a computer network. (Part of / Parent)
- Primary documented use: network security for prevention, with the specific qualifier "information leakage" (use: network security, {'value': 'prevention', 'qualifiers': {'P12913': 'information leakage'}}).
- Common aliases include: unidirectional gateway, data diode, porta de entrada unidirecional, diodo de dados.
- Wikipedia title: "Unidirectional network" and it has Wikipedia pages in five languages: de, en, fa, pt, ru.
- Wikidata freebase identifier: /m/025wd86.
- Microsoft Academic (discontinued) identifier: 2779661626.
- Wikidata sitelink_count for this entity: 5.
- Related concept: network security — policies and practices to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of computer networks and network-accessible resources (related class).

## FAQs
### Q: What does a unidirectional network do?
A: It allows data to travel only one way between two points or networks, preventing any return traffic or two-way communication. This enforces one-way data transfer by design.

### Q: How is a unidirectional network used in security?
A: It is used in network security for prevention, specifically to reduce or prevent information leakage by isolating the receiving environment from sending systems. Its one-way enforcement is the primary mechanism for that prevention.

### Q: Is a unidirectional network the same as a data diode?
A: Yes. "Data diode" and "unidirectional gateway" are listed aliases for unidirectional network and refer to the same category of device.

## Why It Matters
Unidirectional networks matter because they provide a distinct and enforceable mechanism for separating systems while allowing required data transfers. By physically or logically restricting traffic flow to a single direction, they address the specific security concern of information leakage and reduce the attack surface that arises from two-way connections. In contexts where sensitive networks must receive data (for monitoring, updates, or telemetry) but must not expose internal resources to external probing or exfiltration, a unidirectional device enables necessary data flow without permitting return communication. That focused prevention role makes the unidirectional network a clear tool within broader network security practices, which aim to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of networked resources. Because the concept is categorized under networking hardware and has documented identifiers and multilingual Wikipedia coverage, it is a recognized and established element in network architecture and security discussions.

## Notable For
- Enforcing strictly one-way data flow as its defining technical trait.
- Explicit use-case: prevention of information leakage within network security.
- Known by multiple common aliases, including "data diode" and "unidirectional gateway."
- Classified as networking hardware and documented across multiple language Wikipedias (de, en, fa, pt, ru).
- Linked to structured identifiers: freebase id /m/025wd86 and Microsoft Academic id 2779661626 (discontinued).

## Body
### Definition
- A unidirectional network is a networking device that permits data flow in only one direction.
- The Wikidata description for the entity states: "network device that permits data flow in only one direction."

### Classification
- Subclass of: networking hardware — devices that mediate data in a computer network.
- Related class: network security — policies and practices to prevent and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of computer networks and network-accessible resources.

### Primary use and security role
- Use property: network security.
- Use qualifier: prevention.
- Specific prevention target (qualifier P12913): information leakage.
- The device's one-way nature is the mechanism used to achieve prevention of information leakage.

### Aliases and naming
- Recorded aliases: unidirectional gateway; data diode; porta de entrada unidirecional; diodo de dados.
- English Wikipedia title: "Unidirectional network."
- Available Wikipedia languages for the title: German (de), English (en), Persian/Farsi (fa), Portuguese (pt), Russian (ru).

### Identifiers and metadata
- Freebase ID: /m/025wd86.
- Microsoft Academic ID (discontinued): 2779661626.
- Wikidata sitelink_count for this entity: 5.
- Parent class (networking hardware) sitelink_count: 35.
- Related class (network security) sitelink_count: 36.

### References (structured source fields)
- Wikidata description: "network device that permits data flow in only one direction."
- Structured property: use → network security; qualifiers → prevention; P12913 → information leakage.
- Aliases: unidirectional gateway, data diode, porta de entrada unidirecional, diodo de dados.
- Identifiers: freebase /m/025wd86; microsoft_academic_id_(discontinued) 2779661626.