Trace a Web Page Load From the Address Bar to Rendered Pixels

You type a web address into the browser's address bar and press Enter. Explain what happens, step by step, until the page appears on screen. ```hint Follow one request Trace a single request from the moment you press Enter: which systems it passes through to reach the server, what comes back, and what the browser still has to do with it before you see anything. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - How deep should I go: a product-level walkthrough, or protocol details such as handshakes and caching headers? - Should I assume a first visit to an HTTPS site, or a site I visited recently that may already be cached? - Should the answer cover what runs on the server side behind the domain, or stop at the network boundary? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - How the browser interprets the typed text and prepares the request, including the choice between a web address and a search - Turning the domain name into a server address, and opening a secure connection - The request and the response, including what may answer it on the server side, redirects and caching - How the browser turns the response into a rendered page and fetches the rest of its resources - Where the time goes and what can fail, tied to what a product team could improve ### Follow-up Questions - On a slow mobile network, where does most of the delay come from, and what would you change to make the page appear sooner? - What is different on a second visit to the same page? - How would you explain this to a non-technical stakeholder in one minute?