Beginner · 4h · lessons

How the Internet Works

From typing a web address to a page on your screen — demystified, one hop at a time.

Start course

What you'll learn

  • ✦Explain the difference between a client and a server, and who plays which role
  • ✦Describe what an IP address is and why every device on a network needs one
  • ✦Trace how DNS turns a name like example.com into an IP address
  • ✦Break a URL into its parts and say what each one does
  • ✦Walk through the HTTP request/response cycle and read common status codes
  • ✦Picture how data is split into packets and routed across many networks
  • ✦Explain what HTTPS and TLS protect, and why the padlock means something
  • ✦Describe, end to end, how a hosted website reaches a browser on the other side of the world
  • ✦Explain how cookies, caching, CDNs, and "the cloud" shape the web you use daily
  • ✦Spot phishing, use strong passwords with 2FA, and understand online tracking and privacy

Syllabus

Module 1
The big picture Free
Module 2
Names & addresses Locked
Module 3
Talking to servers Locked
Module 4
Delivery & trust Locked
Module 5
The modern web Locked
Module 6
Safety & privacy Locked