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What the Web Actually Is

The web isn't magic - it's two programs talking. This guide builds the mental model everything else in Web Fundamentals depends on: browsers and servers, URLs and DNS, and the three languages (HTML, CSS, JS) that make a page.

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  1. The Client-Server Model A browser is a program that asks for things; a server is a program that answers. This phase walks the full request/response cycle and shows you how to watch it happen live in DevTools.
  2. URLs, DNS, and HTTP, Together A URL is a structured address, DNS turns its hostname into an IP address, and HTTP is the actual message format underneath. This phase connects all three into one picture.
  3. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: Three Jobs, Three Languages Every web page separates three concerns into three languages: HTML for structure, CSS for presentation, JavaScript for behavior. This phase shows all three on one page so you know exactly what each one is for.