This blog explains how websites work in a beginner-friendly way. From domains, DNS, hosting, and servers to browsers, frontend, backend, and rendering, you’ll learn the full journey of a webpage request. Perfect for students, developers, and curious readers wanting a clear and practical understanding of modern website mechanics. 

Every time you browse the internet—whether you open Facebook, search Google, or visit a personal blog like stha-anil.com.np—your device performs a series of complex processes within milliseconds. Although using websites feels simple, the internal mechanisms powering them are fascinating. Understanding how websites work provides a strong foundation for anyone interested in web development, networking, computer science, or digital technology in general.

This guide explains, in a very beginner-friendly way, how a website works from the moment you type a URL to the moment the page appears on your screen. No technical background required—just curiosity.

1. What Exactly Is a Website?
A website is a collection of files, pages, and resources that are stored on a special computer called a web server. These files include:

• HTML → the structure (like the skeleton)
• CSS → the design (colors, layout, fonts)
• JavaScript → the interactivity (clicks, forms, animations)
• Images, videos, sound, fonts, icons

When these elements come together, they form a web page. Multiple web pages link together to create a website.

Example

A website like YouTube has thousands of pages:

• Homepage
• Search results
• Video pages
• Channel pages

Each page is built using code and data stored on servers.

2. The Role of Domains and Hosting
To understand how websites work, you must understand two essential components:

a) Domain Name
A domain name is the human-friendly address of a website, such as:

• google.com
• stha-anil.com.np
• wikipedia.org

We use domain names because remembering numbers would be difficult. Imagine saying:
"Visit my site at 142.251.42.78."
Not very practical.

b) Web Hosting

Hosting is the place where the website files physically live.
You can think of it this way:

• Domain = Home address
• Hosting = The house

When someone enters your domain name, the internet directs them to the hosting server where your website files are stored.

3. What Happens When You Type a Website Address?
This is the most important part of understanding how a website works. Let’s walk through the entire process step-by-step using a real example:
You type:
https://stha-anil.com.np

Step 1: Browser Looks for the Server Location
Your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) needs to find the server’s IP address.
To do that, it asks the DNS (Domain Name System).

Step 2: DNS Converts Domain into an IP Address
DNS acts as the internet’s phonebook.
When your browser asks for "stha-anil.com.np," DNS replies with the corresponding IP, something like:

172.67.220.41

Now your browser knows exactly where the website lives.

Step 3: Browser Sends a Request to the Server
Using the IP address, the browser contacts the hosting server using HTTP or HTTPS protocols and says:
“Please give me the homepage of this website.”

Step 4: Server Sends the Required Files
The server responds by sending:

• index.html
• style.css
• script.js
• images, fonts, icons
• data from the database (if it’s a dynamic website)

Step 5: Browser Assembles Everything

Your browser then:

• Reads the HTML
• Loads and applies the CSS
• Executes the JavaScript
• Displays the web page on your screen

All of this happens in milliseconds.

4. Frontend vs Backend: How Websites Are Built

Websites generally have two sides:

Frontend (Client-Side)
This is everything you see and interact with in the browser.

Examples:

• Buttons
• Text
• Images
• Animations
• Navigation bars

Technologies used:

• HTML (structure)
• CSS (design)
• JavaScript (interactivity)

Frontend runs in your browser.

Backend (Server-Side)
This is everything that happens behind the scenes.

Examples:

• User authentication
• Databases
• Storing information
• Processing payments
• Managing content
• APIs

Technologies used:

• PHP, Node.js, Python, Java, Ruby
• MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB (databases)

Backend runs on the server.

5. How Browsers Render a Web Page
Once the browser receives HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from the server, it begins the rendering pipeline:

Step 1: Construct the DOM
HTML is converted into a Document Object Model (DOM).
Every tag becomes a node.

Step 2: Construct the CSSOM
CSS rules are turned into another structure called the CSS Object Model.

Step 3: Combine DOM + CSSOM = Render Tree
The browser decides:

• What to show
• Where to place each element
• What colors and fonts to apply

Step 4: Layout
The browser calculates positions, sizes, spacing, and alignment.

Step 5: Painting
Finally, pixels are drawn on the screen.

This entire process repeats every time you scroll, click a button, fill a form, or interact with the page.

6. Static vs Dynamic Websites

There are two major types:

Static Websites

• Built with only HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Simple, fast, secure
• No database
• Content doesn’t change automatically

Good for:

• Portfolios
• Informational pages
• Small blogs

Dynamic Websites

• Connected to backend + database
• Content changes automatically
• More interactive

Examples:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Online stores
• Banking systems

Dynamic websites allow:

• User accounts
• Storing data
• Real-time updates
• Personalization

7. Databases: How Websites Store Information

Dynamic websites rely on databases.
A database is like a digital filing cabinet where information is stored in a structured way.

Websites store:

• Usernames
• Passwords
• Posts
• Comments
• Product details
• Orders
• Messages

Popular databases include:

• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB
• SQLite

Whenever you click something on a dynamic site, the backend fetches data from the database and displays it on the browser.

8. APIs: How Websites Communicate With Each Other
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) allow different systems to exchange data.

Examples:

• Google Maps API on a travel site
• Weather API on a dashboard
• Payment API for e-commerce

APIs are like messengers that help websites talk to other websites or servers.

9. Why Website Speed Varies

A website may load fast or slow depending on many factors:

• Hosting server speed
• Distance between user and server
• Size of images
• Amount of JavaScript
• Browser caching
• Use of CDN
• Database performance
• Network connection

Fast websites follow best practices such as:

• Compressing images
• Using cache
• Having optimized code
• Minimizing scripts
• Using lazy loading
• Using a CDN

Google also prefers faster websites for SEO ranking.

10. Security in Websites

Modern websites use HTTPS, which encrypts communication between your browser and the server.

Why HTTPS is important?

• Protects passwords
• Prevents data theft
• Builds trust
• Boosts SEO

Websites also use firewalls, validation, encryption, and secure coding techniques to prevent attacks.

11. The Journey of a Web Page (Complete Summary)

Here’s the full process simplified:

1. You type a URL
2. Browser asks DNS for IP
3. DNS returns the server’s IP
4. Browser sends HTTP/HTTPS request
5. Server processes the request
6. Server sends back files
7. Browser renders the page
8. You see the website

This all happens in less than one second.

Conclusion

Websites may look simple, but behind every page lies an incredible system of servers, databases, code, internet protocols, and browsers working together. Understanding these fundamentals helps you become a better developer, solve technical problems faster, and build more efficient projects. Whether you're just starting your web development journey or simply curious, knowing how websites work gives you a deeper appreciation of the digital world around you.