Network congestion refers to a situation where excessive data traffic overwhelms network resources, leading to decreased performance. This can result from an influx of users, insufficient bandwidth, or limited infrastructure capacity. When congestion occurs, users may experience slower response times, increased latency, or even dropped connections. Understanding and addressing congestion is essential to maintaining network reliability, ensuring efficient data flow, and providing a satisfactory user experience. Network management strategies can help mitigate congestion through better resource allocation and monitoring.