Explain the sequence of actions when processing an incoming HTTP request by the server

When a server receives an incoming HTTP request, the following sequence of actions occurs:

1. Request reception: The server listens on a port and accepts a TCP connection through which the HTTP request arrives.
2. Request parsing: The server parses the HTTP headers, method (GET, POST, etc.), URL, and request body.
3. Routing: Based on the URL and method, it determines which handler (controller, middleware) should process the request.
4. Request processing: The application logic is executed — data retrieval, business logic invocation, database interaction.
5. Response formation: An HTTP response is created with the appropriate status, headers, and body (e.g., HTML, JSON).
6. Sending the response: The response is sent to the client over the open connection.
7. Closing the connection: Depending on the settings, the connection is either closed or kept alive for subsequent requests (keep-alive).

In C# with ASP.NET Core, this process is managed by the built-in Kestrel web server and middleware pipeline, where each middleware can handle or pass the request further.