Learn How to Code
  • Welcome
  • Foundations
    • Introduction
      • Becoming a web developer
      • Motivation and mindset
      • Join a supportive community
      • How does the web work?
    • Requirements
      • Prerequisites
      • Text editors
      • Command line basics
      • Setting up Git
      • Setting up Node
    • Git
      • Git basics
      • Project: Practicing Git
    • Frontend
      • HTML and CSS
      • Developer Tools
      • Project: Create a web page
    • JavaScript
      • Strings and Conditionals
      • Using Developer Tools
      • Functions
      • Problem solving
      • Project: Rock paper scissors
      • Writing clean code
      • Arrays and Loops
      • The DOM
      • Project: Etch-A-Sketch
      • Objects and More Arrays
      • Project: Calculator
    • Backend
      • Frameworks
    • Next steps
  • Deep dives
    • Computer Science
      • Pseudocode and algorithms
      • Recursion and algorithms
        • Project: Fibs and sorting
        • More on algorithms
        • Big O
        • Project: Practicing Big O
      • Data structures
        • Maps, Stacks and Queues
        • Project: Stacks and Queues
        • Nodes, Linked Lists and Trees
        • Project: Linked Lists
        • Project: Trees
        • Next steps
    • Databases
      • Databases and SQL
      • Project: SQL Zoo
    • Design / UX
      • Fonts and typography
      • Grids
      • Project: Teardown
      • Responsive design
      • Project: Mobile friendly
      • CSS frameworks
      • Project: Bootstrapping
    • HTML / CSS
      • HTML Basics
        • Linking
        • Images and media
        • Project: Embedding media
        • HTML5
        • Tables
        • Lists
        • Forms
        • Project: Make a form
      • CSS Basics
        • Box model
        • Floats and positioning
        • Flexbox
        • Grids
        • Project: Breaking news
        • Best practices
        • Backgrounds and gradients
        • Project: One more thing
        • CSS3
        • Preprocessors
        • Project: Your own framework
      • Next steps
    • JavaScript
      • Refresher
      • Organization
      • Objects and constructors
      • Project: Library
      • Factory functions and module patterns
      • Project: Tic Tac Toe
      • Classes
      • ES6 Modules
      • Project: Restaurant
      • Object Oriented Programming
      • Project: Todo list
      • Linting
      • Menus and sliders
      • Forms
      • ES6 features
      • JSON
      • Callbacks and promises
      • Using APIs
      • Async and Await
      • Project: Weather
      • Testing
      • Project: Testing 1-2-3
      • Advanced Testing
      • Project: Battleship
      • Backends
      • Project: Where's Waldo?
      • Project: All-Star
      • Next steps
    • NodeJS
      • Project: Going to school
      • Project: Passing the test
      • Express
        • Templates and middleware
        • CRUD and MVC
        • Project: Message board
        • Routes
        • Displaying data
        • Forms and deployment
        • Project: Inventory
      • Authentication
      • Security
      • Project: Clubhouse
      • APIs
      • Securing an API
      • Project: Blog
      • Testing
      • Testing with a database
      • Project: Social network
    • React
      • Props and State
      • Render lists and handle inputs
      • Project: CV
      • Lifecycle methods
      • Hooks
      • Project: Memory card
      • Router
      • Project: Shopping cart
      • Advanced concepts
    • Ruby
      • Installation
      • Data types
      • Variables
      • Input and Output
      • Conditionals
      • Loops
      • Arrays
      • Hashes
      • Methods
      • Enumerables
      • More enumerables
      • Nested collections
      • Blocks
      • Pattern matching
      • Debugging
      • Project: Caesar cipher
      • Project: Substrings
      • Project: Stock picker
      • Project: Bubble sort
      • Object oriented programming
      • Project: Tic Tac Toe
      • Project: Mastermind
      • Serialization
      • Project: Event manager
      • Project: Hangman
      • Computer Science
        • Recursion
        • Project: Merge Sort
        • Data structures and algorithms
        • Project: Linked Lists
        • Project: Binary Search Trees
        • Project: Knight Travails
      • Testing
      • RSpec
      • Project: Four in a row
      • Git
      • Project: Open Source
      • Project: Chess
      • Next steps
    • Ruby on Rails
      • Using Heroku
      • Installing Rails
      • Basics
        • Routing
        • Controllers
        • Views
        • Asset pipeline
        • Deployment
        • Project: Blog
      • Active Record
        • Project: Upvote
      • Forms
        • Cookies, sessions, and authentication
        • Project: Password
      • Advanced forms and Active Record
        • Associations
        • Project: Private Events
        • Callbacks
        • Menus, helpers and nested forms
        • Project: Ticket agent
      • APIs
        • External APIs
        • Project: Animals
        • Project: Photo widget
      • Mailers
        • Project: Confirmation
      • Advanced topics
        • Action Cable
      • Project: Social network
      • Next steps
  • Getting hired
    • Preparing to find a job
      • Plan a strategy
      • What companies want
      • Get yourself together
      • How to prepare
      • Project: Make your website
    • Applying and interviewing
      • Qualifying leads
      • Project: Make your resume
      • Applying for jobs
      • Preparing for an interview
      • Handling an offer
      • Final words
  • Maintained by
    • wbnns
  • License
    • CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 © 2022
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On this page
  • The minute details
  • Learning outcomes
  • Assignment
  • Additional resources
  1. Foundations
  2. Introduction

How does the web work?

Before you can understand how to program the web, you need a more rigorous understanding of the web itself than you likely have now.

The minute details

These concepts provide a more holistic understanding of the ecosystem in which you will be working and will enable you to talk intelligently with other developers about your work.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:

Describe what the internet is.

  • The internet is a worldwide network of linked computers. Each of these computers can communicate with each other in a specific format.

Describe what packets are and how they are used to transfer data.

  • Packets are the information of the internet. Packets are sent from the sender to the receiver in a specific format that contains all the information needed to communicate.

Understand the differences between a web page, web server, web browser and search engine.

  • A web page is the page you look at in your browser.

  • A web server is the computer that has the code for how the webpage should look and act.

  • A web browser is a program on a computer that displays web pages.

  • A search engine is a web server that searches all other web servers for information. A user can then pull up the web page on their web browser and search for a site.

Briefly explain what a client is.

  • A client is a computer or internet device that requests information from a server.

Briefly explain what a server is.

  • A server is a computer that receives requests (as packets) from the client and responds with the appropriate data.

Explain what IP addresses are.

  • IP addresses are numerical identifications that specify a destination in a network.

Explain what DNS servers are.

  • DNS Servers are the "phone book" of the internet. They translate domain names into IP addresses.

In your own words, explain what happens when you run a search on google.com.

  • User sends request by clicking search button. Google receives the request, looks for the contents of the request in their databases, and sends back the result as a response.

Assignment

Additional resources

This section contains helpful links to other content. It isn't required, so consider it supplemental material for if you want to dive deeper into something.

  • Some advice on reading: We recommend that you only review the immediate links posted in our curriculum. You can always go deeper on any subject if you wish, but be careful not to overload yourself on information!

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Last updated 4 years ago

Watch this for an overview of how the internet works.

Read this from Mozilla on "How does the Internet work?".

Watch .

Read up on the between a web page, a web server, and a search engine.

Watch this explaining what a web browser is. Then, find out what web browser you are using right .

Read about how one part of the web and or a DNS request in action.

Listen to (starts around 8:30) and of Security Now Podcast's How the web works series.

Watch .

Consider buying the book .

If you're in for a bit more reading, you can check out the online book at LaunchSchool. This book also touches on some topics covered later in the curriculum, such as developer tools and security. Additionally, you can learn about HTTP tools, which you may find helpful in the future.

BBC short
article
How the Internet Works in 5 Minutes
differences
Google short
now
interacts with another
read about
watch
Part 1
Part 2
A packet's journey
Tubes: Behind the Scenes at the Internet
Introduction to HTTP