What Is the Web and How It Works

When you open a website, something happens behind the scenes.

You type a URL or click a link, and a page appears almost instantly. That page is not stored on your computer. It comes from somewhere else.

Here is the simple idea of what happens:

Your browser sends a request to a server. The server receives that request, processes it, and sends back a response. Your browser then displays that response as a web page.

In a simplified form:

browser → request → server → response → page

For example, when you open a product page, your browser asks the server for that product. The server finds the data and sends it back. Your browser shows it to you.

This process happens every time you use the internet, even if you don't notice it.

The key idea to understand here is simple:

There is always logic running somewhere behind the scenes. That hidden part is what we call the backend.