What happens when you type google.com in your browser and press Enter ?

Have you ever wondered what happens when you open your browser and type google.com? This article is here to help you understand the whole process behind it.

an image showing a user typing google.com on their browser

In this article, we will get to focus on the key elements like DNS request, TCP/IP, Firewalls, HTTPS/SSL, Load Balancers, Web Servers, Application Servers and Databases. But before that lets get to know what all the fancy terms above mean.

• DNS (Domain Name System)
  This is a hostname for the IP address translation service. This allows you to interact with devices on the internet without having to remember long number sequence.
• A DNS request,(Domain Name System request)
  This is a process by which a device (such as a computer or smartphone) seeks to find the IP address associated with a specific domain name. The DNS serves as a decentralized system that translates human-readable domain names (like www.example.com) into numerical IP addresses (such as 123.456.7.8) that machines use to identify each other on a network.
• TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
  This is a protocol that allows computers to communicate with one another and transfer data across long distances.
• Firewalls
  A firewall is a network security device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic, deciding whether to allow or block specific traffic based on a set of security rules. It acts as a barrier between secured internal networks and untrusted external networks, such as the internet.
• HTTPS(Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)
  This is a protocol that secures communication and data transfer between a user’s web browser and a website. It is the secure version of HTTP, which is the primary protocol used to send data between a web browser and a websit. HTTPS encrypts data to ensure that it cannot be compromised or stolen by an unauthorized party, such as a hacker or cybercriminal.
• SSL(Secure Sockets Layer)
  This is an encryption-based Internet security protocol that provides a secure communication over the Internet. SSL encrypts the link between a web server and a browser, ensuring that all data passed between them remains private and free from attack.
• Load Balancer
  A load balancer is a device or service that distributes network traffic across resources, such as servers, to support an application. It acts as a “traffic cop” sitting in front of servers and routing client requests to the most appropriate server based on a set of algorithmsLoad balancers can distribute client requests or network load efficiently across multiple servers, ensuring high availability and reliability by sending requests only to servers that are online.
• Web Servers
  These are computer program or hardware that serves requested web pages to users over the internet. It processes the network requests of users and serves them with files that create web pages, using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to exchange data between the server and the client’s web browser.
• Application Server
  An application server is a server that hosts applications or software that delivers a business application through a communication protocol. It is a modern form of platform middleware that acts as a host or container for the user’s business logic, residing between the operating system, external resources, and the users’ applications.

an image showing an application server

Database
A database is an organized collection of structured information or data, typically stored electronically in a computer system. It is usually controlled by a database management system (DBMS). The data and the DBMS, along with the applications associated with them, are referred to as a database system. Databases are used for storing, maintaining, and accessing any sort of data, such as sales transactions, customer data, financials, and product information.

an image showing a database

Now that we have known what all the “fancy” names mean, lets see the process behind typing google.com on our browsers and pressing enter/ search button;

1. Browser cache
   When you enter ‘google.com’ (or any URL) into your browser, the first step it takes is to search its cache for a previously saved version of the webpage you’re requesting. If a cached copy exists and is deemed current, the browser will retrieve the page from the cache rather than initiating a new network request.
2. DNS (Domain Name System) Request
   Your browser sends a request to the DNS server to translate the domain name “google.com” into an IP address.
3. DNS Response
   The DNS server returns the IP address of the server that “google.com” points to.
4. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) Connection Your browser establishes a reliable connection between your machine and Google’s server using TCP/IP.
5. Load Balancer
   A load balancer distributes incoming network traffic across several servers to ensure no single server is overloaded.
6. Application Server
   The load balancer forwards the request to one of the web servers in the Google server network.
7. Web Server
   The web server sends the request to the application server, which handles the request and produces the search results.
8. Database
   If necessary, the application server may need to make a request to a database to retrieve the necessary data.
9. HTTPS/SSL
   The communication between your browser and Google’s server is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL to ensure data integrity and security.
10. Displaying the webpage
    The browser receives the search results and displays the Google search page.

conclusion

When you type “google.com” in your web browser and press enter, several rapid processes occur. First, your computer sends a request to the DNS (Domain Name System) server to translate the domain name “google.com” into an IP address. Once the IP address is obtained, your browser establishes a connection with the server using TCP/IP. The request is then sent to a web server, which may be distributed and load balanced across multiple servers. The web server processes the request and may interact with an application server and a database to generate the search results. The communication between your browser and the server is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL to ensure data security. Finally, the search results are sent back to your browser and displayed on the screen.

image showing what happens when you type google.com and press enter