How websites work on the Internet

How do websites work on the Internet? In today’s world, websites have become an integral part of our lives. They are the platforms through which we get information, communicate, shop, and much more. However, how exactly do websites work on the Internet? This process includes several basic elements such as client, server, domain name, IP address and HTTP/HTTPS protocol.

Let’s consider how websites work on the Internet

1. Client and server

When you open a website in a browser, you act as a customer. A client is a device (computer, smartphone, etc.) that sends a request to receive a web page from the server. A server is a powerful computer that stores all the files, databases, images and other elements that make up a website.

2. Domain name and IP address

To open a site, we usually enter its domain name in the browser, for example, www(dot)example(dot)com. However, computers don’t “understand” domain names the way we do. They use IP addresses to find the server that hosts the site. The Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for converting a domain name into an IP address. It’s like a phone book that helps you find the right phone number by name.

3. HTTP/HTTPS protocol

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and its more secure version HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) are protocols that define the rules for exchanging data between a client and a server. When you type a URL in your browser and press Enter, your browser sends a request via HTTP/HTTPS to the server where the site is hosted. The server processes this request and sends a response that contains the HTML code, images, CSS styles, and other resources needed to display the page.

4. Web page rendering

After receiving a response from the server, the browser begins to “render” or display the web page. It interprets HTML code, loads associated CSS files for styling, JavaScript for functionality, images, and other multimedia elements. During the rendering process, the browser may contact other servers to download additional resources, such as fonts or scripts.

5. Feedback and interaction

Websites today are interactive, and users can interact with them, for example by filling out forms, clicking buttons, or entering data into a search bar. These actions also create requests to the server, which are processed and return the corresponding changes to the page, often without completely reloading it (thanks to AJAX technologies).

6. Хмарні технології та CDN

With the development of technology, websites are becoming more and more complex, and cloud services and content delivery networks (CDN) are used to improve their performance. Clouds allow website resources to be distributed around the world, and CDN speeds up content loading by placing it on servers closest to the user.

Conclusion

The operation of websites on the Internet is a complex process that includes the interaction of many components, from client devices to servers, from DNS to data exchange protocols. Thanks to this coordinated mechanism, users can quickly and seamlessly access information from anywhere in the world.

This process, although it seems complicated, allows us to easily use all the possibilities offered by modern websites.