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How the Web Works: Misconceptions

≈ 30 min
0/5 practice checks

Misconceptions

Test common incorrect explanations against definitions, conservation rules and evidence.

This extension applies that lens specifically to How the Web Works.

The web is a conversation

Every time you open a website, two computers have a short, polite conversation using rules called HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

  • The client is your device's browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge...). It asks for pages.
  • The server is a powerful computer, always on, that stores the website and sends it when asked.

The browser sends an HTTP request ('please give me this page'); the server sends back an HTTP response (the page's text, images and code).

Names, numbers and the DNS phone book

You type a friendly name like www.gov.za, but computers on the internet find each other using IP addresses (numbers such as 41.76.108.4).

The DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet's phone book: it translates the name into the matching IP address so your request can be delivered. Steps to load a page:

  1. You type a URL (web address) and press Enter.
  2. DNS looks up the name and returns the server's IP address.
  3. Your browser sends an HTTP request to that address.
  4. The server responds with the page (often HTML).
  5. Your browser renders the HTML into the page you see.
python

Runs in your browser. Charts (matplotlib) are not supported — use print-based output.

Status codes

Every response carries a status code telling the browser how it went. A few you will meet:

  • 200 OK - here is your page.
  • 404 Not Found - no page at that address.
  • 500 - the server hit an error.

The simulation above returns 200 OK for a real page and 404 Not Found for a missing one, exactly like a real server.

Coding: Text Programming Foundations — Misconceptions: You type www.education.gov.za and press Enter. What must happen first before your browser can contact the web server?

Coding: Text Programming Foundations — Misconceptions: In the client-server model of the web, what name do we give the program (like Chrome or Firefox) that sends requests and displays pages for the user? (One word.)

Coding: Text Programming Foundations — Misconceptions: A browser and a web server talk using HTTP. Which pairing correctly matches who sends what?

Name the original topic being extended by this misconceptions lesson.

Which statement is the best evidence-led starting point for How the Web Works: Misconceptions?