What happens when you enter a domain name (e.g., google.com) into a browser?

Flow of Request for https://www.google.com

1. DNS Resolution:

   • Browser initiates DNS resolution to translate "www.google.com" to an IP address. Resolved IP address is returned.

2. TCP/IP Connection:

   • Browser establishes a TCP/IP connection with the web server's IP address on port 443 (HTTPS).

3. HTTPS/SSL Encryption:

   • Data between browser and server is encrypted via HTTPS/SSL. SSL handshake ensures secure communication.

4. Firewall Inspection:

   • Encrypted traffic passes through a firewall for security policy checks and threat protection.

5. Load Balancer:

   • Connection is routed through a load balancer for traffic distribution across multiple web servers.

6. Web Server:

   • Load balancer forwards the connection to a web server hosting the Google website. Web server handles HTTP requests and connections.

7. Application Server:

   • Web server delivers the request to an application server, which processes the request and generates a response. Application server may execute server-side scripts and interact with a database.

8. Database:

   • Application server may request data from a database for information required in the response.

9. Web Server (Response):

   • Application server returns the response to the web server.

10. Load Balancer (Response):

    • Load balancer receives the response, typically a dynamic one from the application server.

11. TCP/IP (Response):

    • Load balancer routes the response back through the TCP/IP stack.

12. Firewall (Response):

    • The firewall inspects the incoming response for security compliance.

13. Browser (Response):

    • The firewall returns the response to your browser, which decrypts and renders the content, allowing you to interact with the Google website.