Simple yet contains a lot of information.
I’m shocked at how often this one question is asked in technical interviews everywhere (Amazon, Microsoft, Google & FAANG+ companies). What happens when you type a URL into your browser? Here’s how I would answer it: 1. Browser parses the URL - The browser identifies the components: scheme (https), domain (example. com), and path (/hello-world). 2. DNS lookup - The browser checks its cache or queries a DNS resolver (ISP or public DNS like Google’s 8.8.8.8) to translate the domain name into an IP address. - If not cached, the resolver performs a recursive DNS lookup, contacting root, TLD, and authoritative name servers. 3. Establishing a connection - A TCP connection is initiated between the browser and the server at the resolved IP address. - If the URL uses HTTPS, a TLS handshake is performed to encrypt the connection. 4. Sending the HTTP request - The browser sends an HTTP request with details like method (GET/POST), headers (e.g., User-Agent), and optional body data. - Example: GET /hello-world HTTP/1.1. 5. Server processes the request - The server identifies the resource from the request path and processes it. - For dynamic content, the server might query a database, run application logic, and generate the response on the fly. 6. Returning the response - The server responds with: - Status Line: Indicates success or failure (e.g., 200 OK, 404 Not Found). - Headers: Metadata like Content-Type (e.g., text/html) and caching instructions. - Body: The requested content (e.g., HTML, JSON, or image data). 7. Browser renders the content - The browser parses the HTML and makes additional requests for linked resources (e.g., CSS, JS, images). - Resources are rendered progressively, and JavaScript is executed to enhance interactivity. 8. Caching and Optimization - Browsers cache resources based on headers like Cache-Control. - CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) and edge servers may serve static content to reduce latency. Key Points for additional benefit: - Mention DNS caching at various layers (browser, OS, ISP). - Highlight the TLS handshake and its role in securing HTTPS connections. - Discuss CDNs and how they improve performance. - Touch on asynchronous resource loading (e.g., defer or async for scripts). - Bring up response codes and their significance (e.g., '200', '301', '503'). References for answer in the comments below.
Engineering Leader @ Amazon || Ex-JP Morgan || Technologist || Keynote Speaker || Author
1wThanks for reposting Sourav, really appreciate that!