The Web Dev Curriculum
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00How the Web Works/Lesson 1 of 4

What happens when you visit a website

Before writing a single line of code

⏱ 1 min read

You type "google.com" and press Enter. Here is what happens, in order:

  1. Your browser asks a DNS server, "what is the IP address for google.com?"
  2. DNS replies with something like "142.250.80.46"
  3. Your browser sends a REQUEST to that address
  4. Google's server sends back a RESPONSE — a bundle of files
  5. Your browser reads those files and paints the screen

The web is, at its core, computers requesting and serving files. Everything else is layered on top of that one idea.