What happens behind the scenes when type "https://www.google.com" in your browser and hit Enter?

The internet has become an integral part of our lives, and browsing the web has become second nature to most of us. But have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when you type "https://www.google.com" in your browser and press Enter? Let's take a closer look at the journey your request takes before you see the Google search page.

1. DNS Request: When you type "https://www.google.com" in your browser, the first step is for your computer to resolve the domain name "www.google.com" to an IP address. This process is known as a DNS (Domain Name System) request. Your computer sends a request to a DNS server to resolve the domain name into an IP address, which is a unique numerical identifier assigned to each website on the internet.

2. TCP/IP: Once the DNS server resolves the domain name to an IP address, your computer establishes a TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) connection with the web server associated with that IP address. TCP/IP is the set of protocols used for transmitting data over the internet.

3. Firewall: Before your request reaches the web server, it may pass through a firewall. A firewall acts as a barrier to protect the server from unauthorized access and potential security threats. It filters incoming and outgoing network traffic based on a set of predefined rules to ensure the security of the server.

4. HTTPS/SSL: If you typed "https://www.google.com" in your browser, you are using the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol, which encrypts the data transmitted between your computer and the web server. This encryption ensures that the data exchanged between your computer and the web server is secure and cannot be intercepted or tampered with by malicious actors. HTTPS uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols for encryption.

5. Load-balancer: Google.com is a high-traffic website, and to handle the load, it may use load-balancers. Load balancers distribute incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure efficient handling of requests and prevent overloading of a single server. This helps in maintaining the availability and reliability of the website.

6. Web Server: Once your request reaches the web server, it processes the request and generates a response. The web server is responsible for serving web pages and other web content to clients, such as your browser, over the internet. In the case of Google.com, the web server may generate the search results page in response to your query.

7. Application Server: Some websites, like Google.com, may use application servers to handle more complex tasks, such as processing search queries, storing user preferences, and managing user sessions. The application server works in conjunction with the web server to handle these tasks and generate dynamic content for the web pages.

8. Database: Websites often store data, such as user profiles, search results, and other information, in databases. The application server communicates with the database to retrieve and store data as needed. In the case of Google.com, the search results are likely retrieved from a vast database containing indexed web pages.

Once the web server and application server have processed your request and generated the appropriate response, it is sent back to your computer through the same series of steps in reverse. The response may include the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that make up the web page, which are then rendered by your browser to display the Google search page on your screen.

In conclusion, when you type "https://www.google.com" in your browser and press Enter, a series of complex steps occur behind the scenes involving DNS requests, TCP/IP connections, firewalls, HTTPS/SSL encryption, load-balancers, web servers, application servers, and databases.