What Happens from Server to Web Browser
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Internet Business -> subcategory Ecommerce.
What Happens from Server to Web Browser
Understanding the Journey from Server to Browser
Overview
When you explore the web by clicking links or entering addresses, you're making a request for specific documents online. This process involves the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which sends your request over the Internet to the relevant server. If everything goes smoothly, the server responds with the requested document, typically a web page filled with text and graphics.
How Does It Work?
HTTP is part of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite and works alongside a 'client', like your web browser, to connect to the server hosting the website. The server monitors incoming requests on TCP port 80.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) establishes a connection between your computer and the server, allowing data exchange. TCP ensures data accuracy by using timestamps and sequence numbers to organize transmitted data correctly.
Standard TCP Ports
Various TCP ports have specific uses. For instance, port 21 is often used for FTP (File Transfer Protocol), while port 80 is typically reserved for HTTP.
Request and Response
When your browser sends a request to the server using TCP port 80, it looks something like this:
```
GET /faq.html HTTP/1.1
Host: http://www.mywebsite.com
```
This example requests the 'faq.html' page from 'http://www.mywebsite.com'. Including the 'Host' ensures the server correctly identifies the site, especially if it’s hosted on a shared server. If the page exists, the server responds:
```
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 12 October 2005 22:38:34 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.27 (Unix) (Red-Hat/Linux)
Last-Modified: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 23:11:55 GMT
```
The 'HTTP/1.1 200 OK' indicates that the page is available. Other response codes include '404', which means the page is not found.
Data Transmission
The web page is transmitted as a series of TCP data packets, each with a header specifying its destination and sequence in the data stream. These packets can travel different routes to reach you, passing through routers that redirect them as needed. If a router is down, packets are rerouted.
As your browser receives the data, it sends acknowledgments back to the server to confirm successful receipt. If packets are missing or damaged, the server resends them. Thanks to the sequence numbers, the data is reassembled correctly, resulting in the web page displaying on your screen.
Keeping Connections Alive
To optimize performance, TCP connections can remain open for additional requests, allowing multiple pages to load quickly without reopening ports. Either the client or the server can close the connection whenever needed.
This seamless interaction between your browser and server ensures you enjoy a smooth web browsing experience.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: What Happens from Server to Web Browser.
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