Technology
How does the internet work?
The internet works by breaking your data into small packets, routing them across a global network of interconnected computers, and reassembling them at the destination. Shared protocols (mainly TCP/IP) let any device talk to any other.
See it in motion.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson that shows exactly how the internet works.
Step by step
- 1Your request is split into packets, each labeled with source and destination IP addresses.
- 2Routers pass packets hop by hop toward the destination, choosing efficient paths.
- 3DNS first translates a name like knowit.guru into the server's IP address.
- 4The destination reassembles the packets and sends a response back the same way.
Frequently asked questions
- What happens when I visit a website?
- Your device asks DNS for the site's IP, opens a connection to that server, requests the page, and the server sends back the files your browser renders.
- What are packets?
- Small chunks your data is split into for travel. Splitting data lets the network route around congestion and recover from errors efficiently.
- What is TCP/IP?
- The core set of rules for the internet: IP handles addressing and routing, while TCP ensures packets arrive complete and in order.