What Happens When You Type https://www.google.com into Your Browser?

Have you ever wondered what happens when you type google.com into your browser and press Enter? Behind the scenes, a complex series of steps are performed to deliver the web page to your screen. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the requirements that make this possible.

1. DNS Request

   The first thing your browser does when you type a URL into the address bar is to send a DNS (Domain Name System) request to a DNS server. DNS servers are responsible for translating human-readable domain names (like google.com) into IP addresses that computers can understand. This process is called DNS resolution. The DNS server then responds with the IP address of the server that hosts the website you requested.

2. TCP/IP

   Once your browser has the IP address of the server, it uses TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) to establish a connection with the server. TCP is responsible for breaking the data into packets, while IP is responsible for addressing and routing the packets to their destination.

3. Firewall

   Before the connection is established, it goes through a firewall. The firewall acts as a barrier between your computer and the server, blocking any potentially harmful traffic. If the firewall determines that the traffic is safe, it allows the connection to be established.

4. HTTPS/SSL

   Once the connection is established, your browser and the server exchange cryptographic keys to establish a secure connection using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). This encryption ensures that the data exchanged between your browser and the server is secure and cannot be intercepted by third parties.

5. Load Balancer

   If the website you requested is a large website that receives a lot of traffic, it is likely hosted on multiple servers. A load balancer is responsible for distributing the incoming requests across multiple servers to ensure that no single server is overwhelmed with traffic.

6. Web Server

   The web server is responsible for serving the web page that you requested. It retrieves the page from its storage location, generates the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript required to display the page, and sends it back to your browser.

7. Application Server

   In some cases, the web page may require dynamic content, such as database queries, user authentication, or complex business logic. If this is the case, the web server passes the request to an application server, which generates the dynamic content and sends it back to the web server to be served to the user.

8. Database

   If the website requires access to a database, the application server retrieves the required data from the database and generates the content that is sent back to the web server for serving to the user.

Each requirement plays a crucial role in delivering the web page to your browser. Let's take a closer look at the importance of each requirement:

DNS Request - Without a DNS request, your browser would not know which server to connect to.

TCP/IP - Without TCP/IP, the packets of data would not be properly transmitted and received, resulting in a failed connection.

Firewall - Without a firewall, your computer could be vulnerable to potential security threats.

HTTPS/SSL - Without HTTPS/SSL encryption, the data exchanged between your browser and the server could be intercepted by third parties.

Load Balancer - Without a load balancer, a heavily trafficked website could experience slowdowns or even crashes.

Web Server - Without a web server, the content of the website could not be served to the user.

Application Server - Without an application server, dynamic content such as user authentication and database queries could not be generated.

Database - Without a database, websites that require data storage and retrieval would not function.

It is also important to note that there can be potential challenges that arise when any of these requirements fail. For example, if the DNS server is down, your browser won't be able to resolve the domain name into an IP address. Similarly, if the firewall blocks the connection, you won't be able to establish a connection to the server.

In conclusion, typing google.com into your browser triggers a series of requirements that work together to deliver the web page to your screen. From the DNS request to the database, each requirement plays an important role in ensuring that the web page is properly served. By understanding these requirements, you can gain a better understanding of the complex process that happens behind the scenes every time you use the internet.