This article is about ‘explaining the internet simply.’ It describes this using an example of how the internet works. It’s explained in an easy and straightforward manner. If you don’t understand a word, I’ve made sure that all difficult words are linked to a page that describes the word.

The internet was created to disseminate information more rapidly. This information is stored on servers, which can be envisioned as larger and faster PCs. I will demonstrate how the internet works using this example.

Right now, you’re at home, using an electronic device. You want to access my website through a Google search. You’re connected to the router/modem/DNS via WLAN or LAN. In most cases, the router usually incorporates the modem and DNS functionalities.

Instead of typing www.google.ch, you could use the IP address 80.86.80.169. Of course, in daily life, it’s not practical to remember these numbers for various websites on the internet. That’s where DNS servers come in (DNS stands for Domain Name System). They convert the name into an IP address.

Since you’ve paid your provider’s bill, your connection will be directed via WAN or fiber optics to your provider’s nearest server. Your request to the Google server is accepted and forwarded from various server rooms. After numerous redirects, you eventually reach the Google server shown on the diagram under ‘Server Room‘. The Google server receives your request and promptly sends you a response. In response, you get the Google page with the search term ‘hilver’. This response is again accepted and forwarded through different server rooms.

Now, you see my website at the top of the page. You click on it. Just like last time, you make a request to the DNS, and it finds the IP address. The response is relayed and reaches the hilver.ch server. After a few milliseconds, you receive a response from the hilver.ch server. And just like that, you’re on my homepage.

Based on this example, you now know that the internet consists of servers and a vast number of cables. If you want to know where your request travels through the internet, you can watch this video.

I hope I was able to help you with this question.