What Happens When You Search Google.com on Your Browser?

Do you ever wonder what happens behind the scenes when you type google.com into your browser and press enter?

It may seem like a breeze because you reach the google homepage almost immediately (well unless your network is slow), but there are at least six things that happen before you get to see that homepage.

Let me break down the process to you in simple terms.

Step 1: Finding Google’s Address (DNS Lookup)

When you type google.com into your browser’s address bar, your computer needs to find out where Google lives on the internet. This is referred to as DNS Lookup. DNS stands for Domain Name System, and it works like the internet’s address book, which is similar to looking up a person’s phone number in a phone book. To look up the google address;

• Your computer first checks it’s cache (saved data) to see if it already knows Google’s IP address from a recent visit. If it’s been to Google recently, it can skip the next steps and use the stored information.
• · If you have not visited that address recently, it sends a request to a DNS server (a server that helps with finding websites) to look up Google’s IP address. This server looks for the IP Address associated with google.com (e.g., 142.250.72.14) and sends the IP address to your computer.

Step 2: Establishing a Connection with Google Server (TCP Connection or TCP Handshake)

Now that your computer knows where Google is (Google’s IP Address), your browser needs to establish a connection with Google’s server. This step makes sure that your device and Google can talk to each other smoothly. This happens through a process called the TCP three-way handshake, ensuring that data can travel between your computer and Google.

• SYN (Synchronize): Your browser sends a message (SYN) to Google’s server to start a connection.
• SYN-ACK (Synchronize-Acknowledge): Google’s server responds with (SYN-ACK), indicating it’s ready to communicate.
• ACK (Acknowledge): Your browser confirms the connection is set with (ACK), and data can now be exchanged between your browser and Google’s server.

This SYN, SYN-ACK and ACK are referred to as Packets. This back-and-forth ensures your connection is stable and ready for data transfer.

TCP Handshake

Step 3: Keeping the Connection Private (SSL/TLS)

With the rise of security concerns, most websites, including Google, use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) rather than HTTP, for secure communication. This involves a SSL/TLS handshake, where encryption keys are between your browser and the server, making it harder for malicious third parties to eavesdrop on your internet activities. Establishing a TLS/SSL Handshake takes the steps below;

• Certificate Verification: Your browser checks Google’s SSL/TLS certificate to confirm that it’s connecting to the legitimate Google server.
• Encryption Key Exchange: The server and your browser agree on a secret code (encryption keys) that will protect the data being shared.

With this, your connection to Google is both secure and private.

4. Sending the HTTP Request

Now that a secure connection is established, your browser sends a HTTP GET request to Google’s server. This request is basically asking the server ‘Please send me your homepage’. This request includes your browser’s information; like the type of browser you’re using (chrome, firefox, edge, safari, etc.), supported languages, and any cookies stored from previous visits.

Step 5: Google Responds with the Data

Google’s server processes your request and sends back everything your computer needs to display its homepage — like pictures, text, and instructions on how the page layout should look. (If you are a technical literate, these are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and image files).

• Fast Response: Google has many servers around the world, so it finds the one closest to you to make the process faster.

Step 6: Rendering the Page in the Browser

Once your browser receives the HTTP response from Google’s server, it begins the process of rendering the page. This involves several steps:

• Building the Page: It reads the HTML code from Google’s database and creates a layout/page structure.
• Adding Extras: It fetches things like colors, images, and buttons from the CSS file.
• Giving it functionality: It runs small programs (scripts such as javascript code) from the background so that when you click or type, everything works smoothly. The scripts make the page interactive, such as enabling search suggestions as you type.

This process results in the fully-rendered Google search page displayed on your screen. However, sometimes a page might not render or load properly because of issues like slow internet, server timeout, browser incompatibility, or coding errors.

Rendered webpage vs incomplete rendering

Step 7: Displaying Google.com and User Interaction

Finally, Google’s homepage appears on your screen, you can interact with the search bar, type in your query, and hit the search button. Each time you interact with the page, like typing a search, some of these processes repeat to ensure everything works quickly.

Key Takeaways

To sum it up, here’s a quick overview of the journey when you search google.com

• DNS resolution translates google.com into an IP address
• TCP Handshake is a simple back-and-forth that confirms your computer and Google servers can talk.
• An SSL/TLS handshake secures the communication, makes sure no one can eavesdrop on your browsing.
• HTTP GET Request and Server Response enables your browser to request and receive the data needed to render the google homepage.
• Rendering allows you to see Google’s homepage and interact with it.

I do hope I have explained this as simply as possible. Remember, this process applies to every webpage you visit, not just google.com. Next time you browse, you’ll know the hidden journey happening behind the scenes to bring the page to you!