How the Internet Works, Basic Concepts and Terminology

This Article Includes;

• Internet
• How the Internet Works
• What is World Wide Web
• Where is Internet
• Basic Concepts and Terminology

Internet

Before we learn what the Internet is, we need to understand what a Network is. For example, if your computer and mobile device in your home are connected to a modem that provides internet, it creates a small Network in your home. In the same situation, the neighbor also creates a network environment in his own home. Computer, mobile device and even the refrigerator connects to the Internet with other devices, creating a network inside the neighbor’s house. When we look at it from a wider perspective and multiply the examples, there is a small Network inside every house in the whole neighborhood. The situation in which these Networks communicate, connect and interact with each other also creates the Internet. The internet is notable for its decentralization. No one owns the internet or controls who can connect to it.

Briefly;

“Internet is network of the networks

The Internet was a communication network that emerged with the goal of making a communication network that could withstand the Nuclear Attack in 60s America. Nowadays, it has turned into a different network for the purposes of anyone from anywhere in the world such as accessing information, chatting with friends, surfing the Internet. There are 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide. That’s 62% of the world’s total population.

How the Internet Works?

The Internet works by connecting devices and computer systems together, provided they use a standard protocol. These protocols define how information can be exchanged and data can be transferred securely between devices that interact/exchange information with each other.

The Internet is basically a global network of interconnected routers responsible for routing traffic between different devices and systems. When it sends data over the Internet, it turns into small packets that go from your device to the router. The router examines the data and sends it to the next router. This process continues until the data reaches the final destination.

What is World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a popular way of posting information on the Internet. The Web was created in 1991 by Timothy Berners-Lee, a computer programmer at the CERN.

The World Wide Web offered a more powerful and user-friendly interface than other internet applications. The web supported hyperlinks, which allowed users to browse from one document to another with a single click.

Over time, the web has become more and more complex, supporting images, audio, video and interactive content. In the mid-1990s, companies such as Yahoo and Amazon.com began to build profitable web-based businesses. In the 2000s, full-featured web-based applications such as Yahoo Maps and Google Docs were created.

In 1994, Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to become the official standards body for the web. He is currently the director of the W3C and continues to oversee the development of web standards. However, the web is an open platform and the W3C cannot force anyone to adopt its recommendations. In practice, the organizations with the most influence on the web are Microsoft, Google, Apple and Mozilla, the companies that manufacture the leading web browsers. Any technology adopted by these four becomes de facto web standards.

The web has become so popular that many people now consider it synonymous with the internet itself. But technically the web is just one of many internet applications. Other applications include email and BitTorrent.

Where is the internet?

The “Internet” is not a place, but rather a network of billions of computers and other devices around the world interconnected. This network uses standard protocols for communication and data exchange and communicates over many different physical networks and subnets around the world. The Internet operates over wireless links, satellite links, fiber optic cables, copper cables and other communication infrastructures.

The internet has three basic parts:

• The last mile: “Last mile” is a term used by internet service providers and refers to the last connection of subscribers to their homes or workplaces. This connection is usually made using cabling and equipment provided by telecommunications companies. Last mile connection is important for internet providers because internet service is offered to end users over this link. Therefore, last mile connection quality is important to the quality and speed of internet service. The connection to the last mile is usually provided using ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), cable or fiber optic technologies. Among them, fiber optic technology is considered the fastest and most reliable internet connection, while ADSL and cable connections are more widely used and more cost-effective.
• Data centers are rooms full of servers that store user data and host online apps and content. Some are owned by large companies such as Google and Facebook. Others are commercial facilities that provide service to many smaller websites. Data centers have very fast internet connections, allowing them to serve many users simultaneously. Data centers can be located anywhere in the world, but they are often located in remote areas where land and electricity are cheap. For example, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have all constructed vast data centers in Iowa.
• The backbone consists of long-distance networks — mostly on fiber optic cables — that carry data between data centers and consumers. The “backbone” is the largest and strongest part of the Internet’s infrastructure network. This network consists of a series of high-capacity fiber optic cables that enable high-speed data communication between large companies, universities, research institutions and internet service providers around the world. Backbone carries the vast majority of data packets that carry internet traffic. Therefore, it is one of the main components of the internet and ensures that the internet works quickly, reliably and effectively.

The backbone network covers large areas between countries and continents and is often interconnected by undersea cables that carry international internet traffic. There are data centers and internet service providers at many points in this network. Most of the backbone is controlled by major internet service providers and these companies manage most of the internet traffic.

Basic Concepts and Terminology

To understand the Internet, we must be familiar with some terminology and simple concepts. Here are some terminology and simple concepts:

These terminology and concepts are;

Packets, Router, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, TCP, IP, LAN, WAN, Internal and External IP, Client and Server, DNS, Host and Hosting, HTTP and HTTPS.

Packet:

A small unit of data that is transmitted over the internet.

Router:

A device that directs packets of data between different networks.

Ethernet:

Ethernet is a standard wired networking technology for computer networks. This technology offers many different speeds and connection types for data transmission. Ethernet technology is used by many computer networks, internet service providers, businesses, and home networks. Ethernet is also used for LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network) connections.

Wi-Fi:

Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology. Wireless network technology enables devices such as computers, phones, tablets to connect to the internet or other devices wirelessly. Wi-Fi uses radio waves to enable devices to connect to each other wirelessly. This technology uses a specific frequency band to transfer wireless data between devices. Wi-Fi technology is widely used so that users can connect to the internet wirelessly and exchange data between various devices.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol):

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is one of the internet protocols and provides reliable data transmission in communication on the internet. TCP ensures that the sent data is split into packets and these packets are then forwarded to the destination over the network. These packages are resent in case they are lost or damaged. In this way, problems such as data loss or data corruption are minimized and data transfer is made secure.

TCP initiates communication with the three-way handshake protocol and establishes the connection. During data transmission, it uses flow control and error correction methods to ensure that each packet reaches the other party.

TCP is one of the internet’s most widely used protocols and is used for web pages, email, file transfer, and many other applications.

In 1973, software engineers Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn began work on the next generation of networking standards for the ARPANET. These standards, known as TCP/IP, became the foundation of the modern internet. ARPANET switched to using TCP/IP on January 1, 1983.

IP (Internet Protocol):

A unique identifier assigned to each device on a network, used to route data to the correct destination. An ICANN department known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority is responsible for distributing IP addresses to ensure that two different organizations don’t use the same address.

LAN (Local Area Network):

A Local Area Network (LAN) is a computer network in which computers, devices, and other network components within a specific geographic area or structure are interconnected. A LAN is often deployed in an area such as a building, office, school, campus, or industrial facility.

LAN allows devices connected to the network to easily access shared resources, such as printers, servers, or access to the Internet. In addition, file sharing, e-mail and other data transmission over LAN can also be performed.

A LAN includes many protocols and technologies that allow networked devices to communicate with each other quickly and securely. These protocols include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, TCP/IP, and others.

LANs are typically managed by a network administrator and provide security, access control, and other network services. LANs are used by small businesses, schools, hospitals and many other organizations.

WAN (Wide Area Network):

A WAN (Wide Area Network) is a computer network in which computers, devices, and network components located in a wide geographical area are interconnected. A WAN is a network where multiple LANs are interconnected and devices in different locations communicate with each other.

A WAN provides connectivity, usually through a private or public telecommunications network. The Internet is the largest example of WAN worldwide. WAN is used by many different organizations such as companies, government agencies, educational institutions and other large organizations.

WAN allows remote devices to communicate with each other and transfer data. WANs generally have a slower connection speed and require more attention to security issues.

Internal and External IP:

Internal IP (Internal Protocol) is a private IP address used for devices on a network to communicate with each other. Internal IP addresses are assigned by a network router and can only be accessed by devices within the network. Also, internal IP addresses are in specific address ranges such as 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. Internal IP addresses are used in homes, offices or any LAN network.

External IP (External Protocol) is the IP address used in a network connected to the Internet. This IP address is assigned by the internet service provider (ISP) and can be accessed over the internet. External IP addresses are used in homes, offices or any WAN network. The external IP address ensures devices are properly targeted and allows devices on an internet-connected network to communicate with other devices.

In summary, the internal IP addresses are used for communication between devices within the network, while the external IP address is accessible over the internet and ensures accurate targeting of devices on the internet.

Client and Server:

Client is a term used to access services on a network or internet. This term is usually used for a computer or other device. A client can request a service or resource from the server by connecting to a server. For example, the web browser is considered a client and by connecting to a website, it requests the web page from the server.

Server is a term used to provide services on a network or internet. A server may provide various services, such as hosting a website, providing e-mail service, sharing files or providing other services. A server is usually a device or a system consisting of a set of devices and is constantly working to respond to requests.

DNS (Domain Name Server):

DNS (Domain Name Server) is a system that converts the IP addresses of devices on the internet into easily remembered domain names. For example, Google.com is a human-readable Domain Name.

DNS is a service that provides mapping between IP addresses and domain names.

For example, when you want to access a website, your web browser sends a DNS query containing the website’s domain name. In response to this query, the DNS server returns a response containing the IP address of the website. The web browser then opens the website by connecting to the website’s IP address.

DNS has a hierarchical structure and includes various DNS server types. At the top level are the root DNS servers and they have the knowledge of all internet domains. DNS servers can be of different types, such as public DNS servers accessible to all internet users, or private organizations’ own DNS servers.

Host and Hosting:

Host is the name of a computer or other network device. A host is a device that has a unique address on a network. The host name is used when communicating with other devices on the network.

Hosting is the process of providing server resources for websites or other internet services. Hosting is necessary for a website to connect to the internet and make it accessible. Hosting services include services such as hosting, maintenance, security and backup of servers. Hosting service is the process of making a server resource available to others. This service is offered by many hosting providers and has a variety of plans and pricing options.

HTTP and HTTPS:

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) and HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) are two protocols used to transfer web pages on the internet.

HTTP is The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used to transfer data between a client (such as a web browser) and a server (such as a website).

HTTPS is an encrypted version of HTTP that is used to provide secure communication between a client and server.

HTTP is used for data transfer between a web browser and a web server. The HTTP protocol enables the transfer of web pages, content such as text, images, videos to browsers. However, HTTP cannot provide security because data is transmitted in clear text.

HTTPS is a secure version of the HTTP protocol. HTTPS provides encrypted transfer of data on websites. This prevents third parties from monitoring internet traffic or stealing data. The HTTPS protocol is used in transactions that require security, such as payment transactions on websites, collection of personal information.

HTTPS is implemented using a protocol called SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security). The Secure Sockets Layer and Transport Layer Security protocols are used to provide secure communication over the internet. This protocol provides encryption and authentication of data on websites. SSL/TLS also manages digital certificates that verify a website is trustworthy.

As a result, HTTP is used for the transfer of information of web pages on the internet, while HTTPS is a secure version of the HTTP protocol and provides encrypted transfer of data on websites.

Conclusion

• The internet is a global network of interconnected computers that uses a standard set of communication protocols to exchange data.
• The internet is notable for its decentralization. No one owns the internet or controls who can connect to it.
• The Internet is basically a global network of interconnected routers responsible for routing traffic between different devices and systems
• The internet works by connecting devices and computer systems together using standardized protocols, such as IP and TCP.
• The “Internet” is not a place, but rather a network of billions of computers and other devices around the world interconnected.
• The internet has three basic parts; The Last Mile, Data Centers and the Backbone.
• Basic concepts and terminology that you need to familiarize yourself with include packets, routers, IP addresses, domain names, DNS, HTTP, HTTPS, and SSL/TLS.
• Protocols play a critical role in enabling communication and data exchange over the internet, allowing devices and systems from different manufacturers and vendors to communicate seamlessly.