Step 1 of 5
You ask for the website
You enter a domain name or tap a link. Your browser now knows the name you want—but not yet which computer has the website.
Like: writing a friend's name on an envelope before you know their street address.
The internet, without the fog
How does a website get from code to your screen?
Follow one tiny request through domains, DNS, HTTPS, hosting, and Git. No magic words left unexplained.
Start the journeyHello, world!
01 · Follow the request
You type an address. Then what?
Tap each stop. Think of it like sending a letter—with an address book, a secure envelope, and a very fast delivery service.
02 · Read a web address
A URL is a set of directions
Choose a part of this address to see its job.
Protocol
The rules for the connection. HTTPS means the conversation is encrypted.
Domain
The memorable name people type, like example.com. You rent the right to use it from a registrar.
Subdomain
A named branch, like blog.example.com. It can point to a completely different website or service.
TLD
The ending: .com, .org, or .dev. TLD means “top-level domain.”
DNS
The internet's address book. It translates a domain into an IP address computers can use.
Try it · DNS lookup
Names for humans.
Numbers for machines.
DNS records are instructions. An A record points a name to an IPv4 address. A CNAME points one name to another name.
DNS RESOLVER
› Ready for a domain...
03 · Ship your work
From your laptop to the world
A deployment is simply publishing a saved version of your code to a computer that stays online.
Write code
HTML gives structure, CSS adds style, and JavaScript adds behavior.
index.htmlgit push→
Save in Git
Git remembers versions. GitHub stores a shared copy called a repository.
github.com/you/sitedeploy→
Host it
A host puts those files on always-on servers connected to the internet.
server: 203.0.113.42visit→
Go live
DNS points your domain at the host. Anyone can now request the site.
https://your.siteGit is a time machine, not the website itself
A repository stores the recipe. A host runs or serves what the recipe creates. Some hosts watch GitHub and automatically redeploy every time you push.
✓
hellox7#Q!04 · The safety layer
HTTPS seals the conversation
Without encryption, someone between you and the host might read or change the data. HTTPS uses a certificate to prove the website's identity, then scrambles the traffic in transit.
✓Private in transit — outsiders can't easily read it
✓Untampered — changes can be detected
✓Verified — the certificate matches the domain
Important: The lock means the connection is secure. It does not promise that the person running the site is trustworthy.
Pocket glossary
The whole stack, in plain words
IP address+
A number that identifies a device or destination on a network.
Server+
A computer program—often on an always-on machine—that answers requests.
Hosting+
A service that keeps your website available on internet-connected servers.
Repository+
A project folder tracked by Git, including its history of saved changes.
Commit+
A named snapshot of changes in a Git repository.
Deployment+
A release of your website's code onto its host.
DNS record+
One instruction in DNS, such as where a domain should point.
SSL/TLS certificate+
A digital identity card used to start a secure HTTPS connection. TLS is the modern technology.
You made it