How does a browser and the internet work? What principles is the internet built on?

The Internet is a global network connecting numerous computers and servers that exchange data using standard protocols.

How a browser works:

• The user enters a URL or clicks a link.
• The browser converts the URL into an IP address via DNS.
• A TCP connection is established with the server using the IP and port (usually 80 for HTTP or 443 for HTTPS).
• An HTTP request is sent.
• The server responds with an HTTP response containing content (HTML, CSS, JS, etc.).
• The browser renders the page, loading additional resources.

Principles of how the Internet works:

• IP (Internet Protocol) — addressing and routing of packets.
• TCP/UDP — transport protocols for data transfer.
• DNS (Domain Name System) — converting domain names into IP addresses.
• HTTP/HTTPS — application layer protocols for transmitting web pages.

The Internet is based on a distributed network principle with packet routing, where data is broken into packets that can take different paths and are reassembled on the recipient's side.