How Internet works

When I was a child, I was curious about so many things, especially the internet. It can feel complex, but there's no need to worry. In this blog, we'll break it down in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Let's dive in!

What Is the Internet?

Imagine millions of computers all over the world linked together with long cables. Although we connect to the internet wirelessly with our devices, that's just the final step. The core of the internet is a physical network, with vast underwater and underground cables linking millions of computers globally. The Internet is really just a huge bunch of computers all connected to each other with cables.

That's pretty much what the internet is! This giant connection lets computers, big and small, talk to each other and share things like pictures, messages, and websites.

No single person owns the internet. It's a team effort, where everyone agrees to connect their computers in the same way.

The Two Main Players: Clients and Servers

To understand how this works, let's think about two types of computers:

1. Servers (The Big Libraries): These are powerful computers that store all the websites, videos, and games you see online. Think of a server like a huge library that’s open 24/7. It holds all the books (websites) and waits for someone to ask for one. Google, YouTube, and all your favorite sites live on servers.

2. Clients (Your Screen): This is you! Your phone, laptop, or gaming console is a client. A client is any device you use to ask for something from the internet. When you type a website into your search bar, your device is the client asking a library (a server) for a specific webpage.

So, when you want to watch a video, your phone (the client) sends a request over the internet to the video website's server. The server finds the video and sends it back to your phone.

How Information Travels via Internet

How does your request find the right server out of billions of computers? And how does the information get back to you? This is where it gets really clever. Think of it like sending a letter.

1. The Address (IP Address): Every device on the internet, your phone, a server, everything has its own special address. It's called an IP Address. This address is just a set of numbers, like a phone number or a house address for your computer. This makes sure information gets delivered to the right place.

2. The Address Book (DNS): It would be impossible to remember the number-address for every website. That’s why we have the DNS (Domain Name System). The DNS is the internet's giant address book. When you type in a name like youtube.com, the DNS looks it up and finds the right IP address for you. It’s just like looking up a friend’s name in your phone to find their number.

3. The Package (Packets): When a server sends you a webpage, it doesn’t send it as one big file. It breaks it into thousands of tiny little pieces called packets. Think of it like taking a photo, cutting it into tiny puzzle pieces, and putting each piece in a tiny envelope. Each packet has the address of where it’s going (your phone).

4. The Mail Carriers (Routers): These tiny packets of information travel across the internet with the help of routers. A router is like a mailman who looks at the address on each packet and points it in the right direction. Your packet might jump between many different routers to find the fastest way to get to you.

When all the little packets arrive at your phone, your browser puts them back together in the right order, like solving a puzzle. And just like that, the webpage pops up on your screen. This whole trip happens in less than a second!

Let's Recap the Journey

Imagine you want to see Youtube videos.

1. You type youtube.com into the search bar (You are the Client).

2. Your phone asks the DNS (the address book), "What's the number for YouTube?(IP Address)"

3. The DNS gives your phone the IP Address.

4. Your phone sends a request in tiny Packets to that address, asking for Youtube videos.

5. Routers (the mail carriers) guide these packets to the right YouTube Server (the library).

6. The server finds the videos and sends them to your phone in more tiny packets.

7. Your phone gets all the packets, puts them together, and you can watch the videos!

So, the internet isn't magic, it's just a very clever system of addresses and messages. The next time you're online, you’ll know about the amazing journey happening behind your screen. It's not so complicated after all

Conclusion

The internet might seem like magic, but it’s really just millions of computers talking to each other through cables, addresses, and clever systems. Servers store the stuff you love, and your device fetches it like a library visitor. Tiny data packets travel fast, guided by routers, to bring videos, games, and information to your screen. Next time you browse online, remember you’re part of this amazing worldwide network.

Note- More detailed blogs coming soon, Subscibe our news letter for that

A bit about me

Hi there! I’m Suprabhat, a curious mind who loves learning how things work and explaining them in simple ways. As a kid, I was fascinated by the internet and all its secrets. Now, I enjoy writing guides like this to help others understand our digital world. Thanks for reading, and keep exploring!

Social links

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3. GitHub

4. Peerlist