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Chapter 1 · How the Web Works

HTTP and browsers

A browser is a document reader with networking skills. When you open a page, it asks another computer for files, interprets the reply, and turns those files into something you can read and use.

Beginner · Lesson 1 of 6 in this chapter

A request starts the conversation

HTTP is the set of rules browsers and web servers use to exchange messages. A request says which resource is wanted and adds useful context, such as the accepted language or whether an older copy is already cached.

A response carries the result

The server replies with a status, headers, and usually a body. The status explains the broad outcome, the headers describe the response, and the body contains the HTML, image, JSON, or other resource the browser requested.

A familiar example

Opening a recipe page

  1. You enter the page address and the browser sends an HTTP request.
  2. The server replies with HTML and references to styles, scripts, and images.
  3. The browser requests those extra files and combines them into the page you see.

What to remember

  • HTTP is a request-and-response conversation.
  • One visible page usually needs several resource requests.
  • Status and headers explain how the browser should handle the response.