The Complete 2023 Web Development Bootcamp | 2- How Does the Internet Actually Work

Summary

In this lesson from the App Brewery, Angela explains how the Internet works in a simple, accessible way. The Internet is essentially a vast network of connected computers, with some serving as clients and others as servers. When you request a website, your request goes through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to a DNS server, which translates the website's domain name into an IP address. This IP address directs your request to the correct server, and the data is transmitted through fiber optic cables, including undersea ones, back to your browser. Angela also previews upcoming lessons on building websites and web apps.

Takeaways

• 💻 The Internet is not a cloud but a system of connected computers using wires to communicate.
• 🌍 Computers connected to the Internet globally can communicate via long wires, like one from London to Seattle.
• 📡 Special computers called servers stay online 24/7 to serve data to users, while users' devices are known as clients.
• 📚 A web server acts like a 24/7 library that provides users with files and data to access websites.
• 🧭 DNS (Domain Name System) servers act like a phonebook, converting website names into IP addresses.
• 📬 Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique IP address, like a postal code, for sending and receiving data.
• 🌐 After finding the IP address, the browser directly requests files from the website's server to load the page.
• 🌊 The continents are connected via massive undersea cables that transmit data through fiber optics using lasers.
• ⚡ Data travels at the speed of light, allowing us to access websites from anywhere in milliseconds.
• 🚀 The Internet relies on a complex network of wires, both above and below ground, to function globally.

Q & A

What is the Internet, according to the script?

The Internet is essentially a long piece of wire that connects different computers to each other across the world. It allows computers to communicate and transfer data.

What are servers and how do they function in the Internet?

Servers are special computers that are always online, ready to serve users with the data and files they request when accessing websites. They store and serve content to other computers (clients).

What is a client in terms of Internet usage?

A client is any computer or device that a user uses to access the Internet. It communicates with servers to request and receive data.

How is the Internet compared to a library in the script?

The Internet is likened to a giant library that is open 24/7. Users can access any data or files (like websites) by making requests to servers, much like checking out books.

What role does the ISP play when you type a website URL like Google.com?

When you type a website URL, your browser sends a message to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), which then forwards the request to a DNS server to find the correct IP address for the website.

What is a DNS server and how does it function?

A DNS server is like a phone book for the Internet. It translates domain names (like Google.com) into their corresponding IP addresses, which are necessary for locating websites on the Internet.

What is an IP address, and why is it important for accessing websites?

An IP address is a unique identifier for each computer connected to the Internet, similar to a postal code. It ensures that data is sent and received to the correct destination.

How can you find the IP address of a website like Google?

You can use a website lookup tool (such as 'Look up IO') to find the IP address of Google.com or any other website, and then use the IP address directly to access the site.

How are continents connected to the Internet?

Continents are connected by massive undersea cables that transmit data between them. These cables contain hundreds of fiber optic fibers and can transmit up to 400 gigabytes of data per second using lasers.

What makes the Internet so fast and efficient?

The Internet is fast and efficient because it uses fiber optic cables, which transmit data at the speed of light. This allows signals to travel across the world in milliseconds, giving users near-instant access to websites.

Outlines

00:00

💻 The Basics of How the Internet Works

In this section, Angela introduces the concept of the Internet, demystifying it as not a complex, intangible entity but as a simple system of wires connecting computers worldwide. These computers are divided into two types: servers, which are always online and ready to provide data, and clients, which are used by individuals to access the web. Servers are likened to libraries that store and serve information. When a user types a web address, such as Google.com, into their browser, the request travels through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to a DNS server, which matches domain names to their respective IP addresses, allowing the client to access the requested website.

05:05

🌐 Global Connectivity via Undersea Cables

This paragraph highlights the global infrastructure of the Internet, focusing on the undersea cables that connect continents. These cables, composed of fiber optics, can transmit massive amounts of data using laser technology. Angela provides an example of a cable in New Zealand and emphasizes how the Internet’s reach extends across oceans, making it possible to access websites worldwide in milliseconds. She also encourages users to explore submarinecablemap.com to see how these cables function. This section underlines the marvel of modern technology that makes the Internet both accessible and efficient.

🚀 Building Websites and Web Apps

Angela wraps up by emphasizing how the speed and connectivity of the Internet allow users to access websites in milliseconds. She teases the upcoming lessons, which will focus on building websites and web applications, encouraging students to understand how websites function as the foundation for creating their own digital projects.

Keywords

💡Internet

The Internet is described as a network of connected computers around the world, allowing them to communicate and share data through wires, including undersea cables. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a cloud but a vast infrastructure of wires connecting computers globally, as explained in the video.

💡Server

A server is a special type of computer that is always online and responsible for delivering data and files to users when they request access to websites. In the video, servers are compared to a library that serves users the files they need from websites like Google.

💡Client

A client refers to the user's computer that sends requests to servers to access data or websites on the Internet. The video mentions that any device a person uses to connect to the Internet, such as their computer, acts as a client.

💡ISP (Internet Service Provider)

An ISP is the company or service that provides users with access to the Internet, such as AT&T or Comcast. In the video, when a user requests to visit a website, this request is first sent to their ISP, which then forwards the request to a DNS server.

💡DNS (Domain Name System)

The DNS server is compared to a phone book in the video. It takes the domain name entered by the user (such as Google.com) and converts it into the corresponding IP address that can be used to access the website. This system ensures users can visit websites by name rather than needing to remember long strings of numbers.

💡IP Address

An IP address is like a postal code for computers, enabling them to be located on the Internet. Each computer connected to the Internet has a unique IP address, allowing data to be sent and received properly. The video emphasizes how crucial IP addresses are for communication between devices.

💡Web Browser

A web browser is a tool on the user's client (like a computer or phone) that sends requests to servers and displays web pages. In the video, when a user types Google.com into the browser, it starts the process of finding the IP address and retrieving the website data.

💡Undersea Cables

These are massive cables laid across the ocean floor that connect continents and allow the Internet to function globally. The video highlights these cables as an impressive technological achievement, transmitting data at high speeds using fiber optics.

💡Fiber Optic Cables

Fiber optic cables are used to transmit data as light signals over long distances. In the video, these are a key component of undersea cables, enabling high-speed data transmission, sometimes up to 400 gigabytes per second.

💡Data Transmission

Data transmission is the process of sending data across the Internet, from one computer to another. The video explains how this happens through electric signals and fiber optic technology, often covering vast distances within milliseconds.

Highlights

The Internet is simply a long piece of wire connecting computers across the world.

Servers are special computers that stay online 24/7 to provide the data and files needed for accessing websites.

Clients are computers that users use to access the Internet.

A web server is like a giant library that's always open, allowing you to retrieve data from websites anytime.

When you type a website URL, your browser contacts your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to begin the process of fetching the website.

The ISP forwards the request to a DNS server, which acts like a phone book, converting the website's domain name into an IP address.

An IP address serves as a postal code for your computer, allowing data to be sent and received over the Internet.

Once the DNS server provides the IP address, your browser can directly request the website's content from the appropriate server.

The Internet is made up of massive undersea cables that connect continents, enabling global communication.

These undersea cables use fiber optics and lasers to transmit data at up to 400 gigabytes per second.

A cross-section of these cables reveals hundreds of fiber optic fibers, demonstrating advanced technology and engineering.

Submarine cables are a vital part of the Internet infrastructure, enabling instant communication across oceans.

The Internet allows data to travel at the speed of light through underwater and above-ground cables, reaching its destination in milliseconds.

You can manually look up the IP address of a website and access it directly by using its numerical address.

Understanding how the Internet works is essential before diving into web development and building websites.

Transcripts

Hey, guys, It's Angela from the App Brewery.

And in this lesson, we're going to deep dive into how exactly does the Internet work?

So what exactly is the Internet?

A lot of people think it's a cloud, something that's hanging around in the sky.

It's super complex, super difficult to understand, but actually, that's not it at all.

The Internet is pretty simple.

All it is is just a long piece of wire.

And wire connects different computers to each other.

So you might have one computer that's in London and another one that's in Seattle, and they can talk

to each other and transfer data through this giant wire.

Now, some of these computers attached the Internet have a very special job.

They have to be online 24 seven, ready to serve you all the data and files that you are requesting

when you try to access a website.

And these are called servers.

And what they do is they serve you all the data and files you need to be able to access and interact

with certain websites.

So these computers are called servers, and any computer that a user would use to access the Internet

is called a client.

Now, you can imagine a web server as a giant library that's open 24 seven, and you can go in there

at any hour of the day and say, I want to see Google's home page or I want to see the latest posts

on TechCrunch and would be able to serve you with all the files and data you would need to be able to

view whatever website you want.

Now, as you can imagine, if there's a library that's big enough to house all of these websites, then

it's going to be pretty difficult to quickly locate the thing that you want out of this giant library.

Right.

So how is this problem solved on the Internet?

Well, let's say that you're sitting at home on your computer and you type in Google.com because you

want to head over to the main Google home page.

Well, what happens behind the scenes is that your browser will send that message to your ISP or your

Internet service provider.

So these are the people who you pay to be able to access the Internet.

If you live in the US, that will be AT&T or Comcast.

And if you're in the UK, that would be something like BT or TalkTalk.

Now the message that you're sending the ISP is I want to see Google.com and the ISP will then relay

that message to something called a DNS server, which stands for a domain name system server.

And a DNS server is essentially just a souped up phone book.

And what happens when you make that request through your browser is the DNS server will look up in its

database to find the exact IP address of that website that you're trying to access.

And every single computer that's connected to the Internet has an IP address.

It's kind of like a postal code for your computer so that when people need to send and receive files

on the Internet, each computer can be located and contacted using their unique IP address.

And once the DNS server finds that IP address, it will send it back to your browser through the ISP,

over the internet.

Then you can make a direct request to that address.

And what lives at that IP address is, of course the Google servers, and they'll be able to send you

back all the files and data you need to be able to view the Google home page.

Now you can try this for yourself to look up the IP address of the Google home page, head over to this

website and look up IO and type in Google.com and they should show you the exact IP address of the Google

servers that you can access.

So if you copy it and paste it into a new tab, then you'll be able to replicate that process and see

the Google home page show up.

So to summarize, the Internet is just a bunch of wires that connects up different computers, but it's

just on a much bigger scale connecting up all the computers in the world.

But what about the oceans?

I hear you ask.

Well, that's one of the coolest things.

There are these massive undersea cables connecting all the continents on Earth.

And if you head over to submarine cable map dot com, you can see all of these cables and see the ones

that connect you up to the Internet.

And these undersea cables are massive, consisting of hundreds of fiber optic fibers, each of them

using lasers to transmit up to 400 gigabytes of data per second.

This is a cross section of one of the cables that runs in New Zealand.

It's an absolute marvel of modern technology, and it looks really beautiful, don't you think?

And to think that every single time we load up a web page or click on a button on a website, behind

the scenes was sending signals that navigates all of this crazy underwater and above water wires.

And all I need is just an IP address.

And through tiny electric signals, traveling at the speed of light through the oceans and halfway around

the world.

In a matter of milliseconds, I get to view my favorite websites, and that is how awesome the Internet

is.

And we're going to be taking it to build our own websites and web apps.

And to be able to do that, we first have to understand how exactly do websites work.

So for all of that and more, I'll see you on the next lesson.