How are Websites Accessed

Today, we will be learning about how you can access your favorite websites. Have you ever wondered how websites such as YouTube or Facebook, among others, are accessed? If you think like that, you must be someone like me who thinks a lot about tech. So, now the question is, how is this done? The truth is that several protocols are being used at that particular point, but one major protocol that stands out is the DNS (Domain Name System) protocol.

Now that we know the name, the next thing, as always, is a definition. The Domain Name System is a system that maps a name to an IP address for accessing web pages, to put it in simple terms. To put it in more technical terms, it is a naming system for computers, services, and any other resource online/the internet.

Note that this is not the only protocol that helps you connect and access web pages; there are others like the TCP protocol for reliable connection, HTTP/HTTPS, SSL, and several others. The major protocol that is widely used, and many people don't know they use, is the DNS protocol. Now, imagine this: for every website that you know, you have to know the IP address to access it. Now, imagine if it was an IPv6; would you want to surf the internet? No, I don't think so. That is the reason why the DNS protocol is here for you. It takes the IP address of the websites and then gives it a name, such as google.com.

So, what happens after you type the name in the search engine? The name given to the website will be decomposed to an IP address, and then that IP address will now be the new destination IP address. So, after getting a destination IP address, the GET message, which will be sent in the form of a packet over the internet, will be sent through the default gateway of your router, which will now send it to the destination, which can be located anywhere in the world.

In conclusion, one major thing I would like to add is that all websites exist on servers, which can be anywhere in the world. I also want to put into perspective that IP addresses can't be memorized, so hence the need for DNS. So now you know the importance of this system. I hope you learned something, and I hope you will research more on this topic. Thank you.