What Happens When You Type a URL

Lesson 1: What Happens When You Type a URL

The Everyday Action

Every day, you type something like:

www.example.com

and press Enter.

Within seconds, a webpage appears. It feels simple — but several invisible steps happen in order.

Step 1: Your Browser Prepares a Request

Your browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) is a client.

Its job is to:

• Ask for information
• Display the response

When you press Enter, the browser says:

“I want the webpage for this address.”

It doesn’t know where that page lives yet.

Step 2: Finding the Website’s Real Address

Computers don’t understand names like example.com. They understand numbers (IP addresses).

So your browser needs to translate the name into a number. This is done using DNS.

(We’ll explore DNS fully in Lesson 3.)

Step 3: Contacting the Server

Once the browser knows the IP address, it sends a message across the internet to a server.

A server is just a computer that:

• Is always online
• Stores websites
• Responds to requests

The message says:

“Please send me the webpage.”

Step 4: The Server Responds

The server:

• Receives the request
• Finds the webpage files
• Sends them back

These files include:

• Text
• Images
• Instructions for layout

Step 5: Your Browser Builds the Page

Your browser receives the files and:

• Reads the instructions
• Arranges text and images
• Displays the page you see

All of this usually happens in less than one second.

Key Idea to Remember

The internet works because of requests and responses.

Nothing is magically “loaded”. Everything is asked for and sent back.

Reflection Question

Think about this for a moment:

When a website doesn’t load, which step do you think might be failing — the request, the address, or the server?

(Write your answer in your own words.)

Lesson Summary

• Your browser is a client
• Websites live on servers
• The internet works through requests and responses
• Speed depends on how quickly these steps happen

➡️ Next Lesson: Client, Server & Requests