How a website works: from the address you type to the page on your screen

The short answer: when you type an address, the browser asks DNS which server belongs to that name, connects to that server, and the server sends back the page. In practice a website is four pieces: the domain (the name), DNS (the list that says where the server is), hosting (the server holding the files) and the SSL certificate (the padlock). Each can sit in a different place.

The six steps, in order

1 You type the address into the browser, for example yourcompany.com.
2 The browser asks DNS. The domain’s DNS, served by its nameservers, answers with the IP address of the server where the site lives. See What nameservers are.
3 It connects to the server that has that IP address.
4 They agree on a secure connection. Over https, the server presents the SSL certificate and the connection becomes encrypted: that is the padlock. See What an SSL certificate is.
5 The server builds the page. On a simple site it hands over a file; on WordPress it runs PHP code and asks the database what to show.
6 The browser draws the page. It receives the HTML, the CSS, the images and the scripts, asking the server for each file it needs, and shows the result.

The pieces, and where each one is managed

Piece What it is Where you manage it
Domain The name of the site, which someone registered for a period and which renews. Wherever you registered it. With us, in My MozOut. See Domain registration.
DNS The list of records that says where the site is and where the e-mail is. In the DNS zone, at the service answering for the domain’s nameservers.
Hosting The server holding the site files and the database. In the account’s cPanel, from My MozOut.
SSL certificate What gives you https and the padlock. Normally issued automatically by the account. See SSL certificates.
E-mail It is separate: it follows the DNS MX records, not the site. In the account’s cPanel or in the e-mail plan.

When something fails, which step is it

What you see Step Where to read
“Server IP address could not be found” or DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN 2, DNS DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN
The page hangs and ends in a timeout 3, the server Your site is down: what to check first
A certificate warning or “Not secure” 4, the secure connection No padlock on your site
Error 500, 403 or 404 5, the page Website errors explained
The page opens, but slowly or broken 6, the drawing Measuring your site speed
When the site does not open, ask “which step is failing?” before touching anything. Very often the problem is DNS, not hosting, and touching the hosting fixes nothing. The difference between the two is in Domain vs web hosting.

Have a site that does not open and want help finding which step fails? Tell us the address and what you see on screen.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Domain vs web hosting: what is the difference?

Nameservers: what they are and which ones to use with us

What is an SSL certificate and why does it matter?

Hosting words for beginners

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