Before you build for the web, it helps to know — in plain language — what actually happens when you visit a site. You don't need anything technical here; just a clear picture. Once you have it, words like 'server', 'domain' and 'hosting' stop being mysterious, and everything you build afterwards makes more sense.
1The journey of a web page
When you type vidaara.org and press Enter, a quick conversation happens behind the scenes:
- Your browser asks DNS (the web's phone book) what numeric address belongs to
vidaara.org. - DNS replies with the IP address of the server.
- The browser asks that server for the page.
- The server sends back the HTML, CSS and images, and the browser assembles them into the page you see.
- Visiting a site is a conversation: browser → DNS → server → page.
- DNS turns a human address (vidaara.org) into a numeric IP address.
- The server sends back HTML, CSS and images; the browser assembles them.
2The words, in plain language
| Word | In plain English |
|---|---|
| Browser | The app you view websites in — Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. It requests pages and draws them. |
| Server | A computer, always on, that stores a website and sends it out when asked. "The site is hosted on a server." |
| Domain | The human-friendly address you type, like vidaara.org. You rent one from a registrar. |
| Hosting | Renting space on a server to keep your website's files. Your domain points to your hosting. |
| DNS | The Domain Name System — the web's phone book, matching domains to server IP addresses. |
Here's the encouraging part: the websites you're about to build are just HTML and CSS files. Put them on hosting, point a domain at them, and the whole journey above carries them to anyone in the world. You already understand the destination — now you'll learn to build what arrives.
- Browser = the app that views sites; Server = the always-on computer that stores and sends them.
- Domain = the address you type; Hosting = the space on a server holding your files.
- DNS = the phone book matching domains to server addresses.
- A website is just HTML/CSS files on hosting, reached via a domain.
★ Practical: trace the journey
No code this time — just check your understanding by explaining each step in your own words:
- In one sentence, what does the browser ask DNS for?
- What does the server send back to the browser?
- Explain the difference between a domain and hosting.
- Name the browser you're using right now and one other.
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