Life of a Web Browser’s Request.

Life of a Web Request is a simple course for a visitor. Just type the URL in a web browser and enter. The web browser will display the page instantly, but do you know that there are several computers involved in this process? Even though it is a very complex process, still is lives for few seconds.

Before starting story of life of a Web Browser’s Request, I would like to introduce casting of this story and their description/responsibility. Than flow of request.

  1. Web Browser = Browser.png
  2. URL =
  3. Internet – Life
  4. DHCP = The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automates the assignment of IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateway, and other IP parameters. Protocol is a set of rules or procedures for transmitting data between electronic devices, such as computers.
  5. IP = IP (Internet Protocol) address is your system domain name or socket address of specific system like
  6. IP Lease Time = The lease time is the period of time that the IP address allocated to you.
  7. Client = A client is a small computer that accesses a server through a network.
  8. Server = A server machine is a large-capacity computer that can store a wide variety of files such as application and data files. There are various types of servers, such as; application server, file server, web server, database server, print server, proxy server, game server, standalone server, etc.
  9. HTTPS = Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that allows the secure exchange of files on the World Wide Web. HTTPS is Secure HTTP.
  10. TCP = If source IP address is address of your home and destination IP address is address of your friends’ home. Then the road connecting to your home and your friends’ home on which you will walk is TCP (Transmission Control Protocol is connection over which packets are sent from Server to Client or vice-versa).
  11. Packets = A packet is simply a bunch of bits which travel together over some medium. The medium could be radio waves, wires, optical fibers, or any other medium that can carry digital signals.
  12. Port = A number used by a particular software to identify its data coming from internet. Each software like, Skype, chrome, YouTube has its own port number and that’s how Skype or YouTube knows which internet data is for itself.
  13. ISP = The easiest way to think of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is as a local telephone company.
  14. DNS = DNS means “Domain Name System”. Basically it’s the system that translates a domain name ( into an IP address ( which is the unique identifier of some piece of hardware on a network.
  15. Resolver = Library of IP addresses
  16. Socket = “IP address and Port ” together is called “Socket”.
  17. DNS Cache = A DNS cache (sometimes called a DNS resolver cache) is a temporary database, maintained by a computer’s operating system, that contains records of all the recent visits and attempted visits to websites and other internet domains.
  18. Recursive DNS Server = Recursive DNS, is a key component to quickly connecting customers to their desired websites by querying other DNS servers..
  19. Iterative DNS Server = Iterative DNS server are ones in which a DNS server is queried and returns an answer without querying other DNS servers.
  20. Root Server = Root server system maintains master list of all top-level domain names (such as com, net, org,and individual country codes) and made available to all routers.
  21. TLD Server = The TLD servers serve the top-level domain, DIRECTLY BELOW THE “.”. So, for example, “.in” is the Indian country domain.
  22. Authoritative = The authoritative DNS server is the final holder of the IP of the domain you are looking for.
  23. knowledge-junction Network = A network is defined as a group of two or more computer systems linked together.
  24. Local DNS = Local DNS would host own definition of Hostname & IP which computer or computers in some network would use. In Windows, local DNS can be edited in Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
  25. Load Balancer = Load balancing is a core networking solution responsible for distributing incoming HTTP requests across multiple servers.
  26. Web Farm = Single site hosted on multiple IIS Server
  27. Web Server IIS = A web server is a system that delivers content or services to end users over the internet. Internet Information Server (IIS) is web servers from Microsoft that is used to host and provide Internet-based services to ASP.NET and ASP Web applications.
  28. Windows Cluster = A Windows cluster is a group of independent computer systems that work together as a unified computing resource.
  29. SQL Cluster = A SQL Server cluster is a collection of two or more physical servers which referred to as “node’’.
  30. SAN = A storage area network is a type of local area network (LAN) designed to handle large data transfers and bulk storage of digital information.


Please scroll up and down to associate cast and to understand the role of Cast in Flow Diagram.

PriceDataFlowFig 1.0 Life of a Web Browser’s Request.

Please feel free to comment and ask questions. In my next article I will write on Web Server IIS.

Thanks for reading 🙂




2 comments on “Life of a Web Browser’s Request.”
  1. Subash says:

    Nice Manas!! A good read and an article worth of bookmarked!!

    1. Thanks Subash, We have started this series for Azure.Many more post will comes on Azure certification.

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