Putting It All Together

Now you know a tremendous amount about the Internet. You know that when you type a URL into a browser, the following steps occur:
  • The browser breaks the URL into three parts:
    1. The protocol ("http")
    2. The server name ("www.howstuffworks.com")
    3. The file name ("web-server.htm")

  • The browser communicates with a name server to translate the server name, "www.howstuffworks.com," into an IP address, which it uses to connect to that server machine.

  • The browser then forms a connection to the Web server at that IP address on port 80.

  • Following the HTTP protocol, the browser sends a GET request to the server, asking for the file "http://www.howstuffworks.com/web-server.htm." (Note that cookies may be sent from browser to server with the GET request -- see How Internet Cookies Work for details.)

  • The server sends the HTML text for the Web page to the browser. (Cookies may also be sent from server to browser in the header for the page.)

  • The browser reads the HTML tags and formats the page onto your screen.