What Happens When You Type a URL in Your Browser? Step-by-Step Explained

Have you ever wondered what actually happens after you type a website address and press Enter?

In just a few seconds, your browser performs several technical operations involving DNS, IP addresses, network connections, security protocols, web servers, HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This article explains the complete process in simple language.

Table of Contents

1. What Happens When You Enter a URL?
2. Step 1: The Browser Reads the URL
3. Step 2: DNS Finds the Server
4. Step 3: Your Browser Gets an IP Address
5. Step 4: A Connection Is Established
6. Step 5: HTTPS Secures the Connection
7. Step 6: The Browser Sends an HTTP Request
8. Step 7: The Web Server Processes the Request
9. Step 8: The Server Sends a Response
10. Step 9: The Browser Builds the Web Page
11. Step 10: JavaScript Makes the Page Interactive
12. Complete Process at a Glance
13. What If Something Goes Wrong?
14. Frequently Asked Questions

Difference between HTTP and HTTPS

Parameter	HTTP	HTTPS
Acronym for	Hypertext Transfer Protocol	Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
Description	It is the request response based application protocol in client-server model & is designed to work within the framework of Internet Protocol Suit.	It is a Secured version of HTTP to allow secure transactions. E.g. Net banking. It wraps the entire communication within SSL, thus, encryption starts before any data is sent.
Ports Used	This Protocol works on TCP/IP Port No. 80 or 8080	This Protocol Uses TCP/IP Port No.443 for data communication.
Encryption	This Protocol is a stateless protocol and do not uses any encryption method.	HTTPS uses long term public and secret keys to exchange a short term session key to encrypt data flow between client and server.