What Happens When You Type a URL in Your Browser?

When you type a URL in your browser, such as https://www.google.com, a series of events takes place in order to retrieve the web page. These events can be broken down into the following steps:

1. DNS request: The browser first sends a DNS request to a DNS server to resolve the domain name to an IP address. The DNS server is responsible for storing and translating domain names into IP addresses.
2. TCP/IP connection: Once the browser has the IP address of the website, it establishes a TCP/IP connection with the web server. TCP/IP is a set of protocols that govern how data is transmitted over the internet.
3. HTTPS/SSL handshake: If the website is using HTTPS, the browser and web server will then perform an HTTPS/SSL handshake. This is a process that ensures that the communication between the browser and web server is secure.
4. HTTP request: The browser then sends an HTTP request to the web server. The HTTP request specifies the web page that the browser wants to retrieve.
5. HTTP response: The web server then sends an HTTP response to the browser. The HTTP response contains the web page content, as well as other information such as the page’s title and the time it was last updated.
6. Rendering: The browser then renders the web page content, which means that it displays the page on your screen.

In addition to the above steps, there are a few other things that may happen when you type a URL in your browser. For example, a firewall may be used to block access to certain websites. And a load balancer may be used to distribute traffic across multiple web servers.

Here is a brief explanation of each of the terms mentioned above:

• DNS request: A DNS request is a query that is sent to a DNS server in order to resolve a domain name to an IP address.
• TCP/IP: TCP/IP is a set of protocols that govern how data is transmitted over the internet. TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
• Firewall: A firewall is a security device that is used to protect a network from unauthorized access.
• HTTPS/SSL: HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP that uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt the communication between the browser and web server.
• Load balancer: A load balancer is a device that is used to distribute traffic across multiple servers. This can help to improve performance and availability.
• Web server: A web server is a computer that is responsible for storing and delivering web pages.
• Application server: An application server is a computer that is responsible for running web applications.
• Database: A database is a collection of data that is organized in a way that makes it easy to retrieve and use.

I hope this blog post has helped you to understand what happens when you type a URL in your browser. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.