The net is lots of computers.
Computers can chat.
Wires link them up.
Some can link with no wire.
Tap a page on a phone.
The phone asks a server.
A server has the pages.
It sends the page back.
Words to know
- server: gives pages
- wires: thin cords
Facts
Facts the Peabody Encyclopedia for kids
Real facts about everything, written for your grade.
Computers That Talk
The Internet: How does the internet work?
Read next
Sources
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Common_questions/Web_mechanics/How_does_the_Internet_work
- https://cyber.harvard.edu/digitaldemocracy/internetarchitecture.html
- https://cs50.harvard.edu/ap/2020/curriculum/understanding_technology/internet/notes/
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/How_the_Web_works
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110.txt
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/IP_Address
- https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/dns
- https://www.itu.int/160/vision/building-resilient-connectivity/
- https://blog.telegeography.com/2023-mythbusting-part-3
- https://textbooks.cs.ksu.edu/cis527/3-core-networking-services/14-email-protocols/index.html
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Router
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1180.txt
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/ISP
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Browser
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/DNS
- https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/what-2012-02-25-en
- https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/data-center/
- https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-centers
- https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/cloud-computing
- https://aws.amazon.com/what-is-cloud-computing/
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Packet
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9293.txt
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/TCP
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Common_questions/Web_mechanics/What_is_a_web_server
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1034.txt
- https://www.computerhistory.org/internethistory/1980s/
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc791.txt
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/IPv6
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4271.txt
- https://courses.ischool.berkeley.edu/i153/su11/internet
- https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/
- https://www.computerhistory.org/internethistory/1960s/
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc801.txt
- https://www.ietf.org/about/
- https://home.cern/science/computing/the-birth-of-the-web/short-history-web/
- https://www.w3.org/Help/#webinternet
- https://web30.web.cern.ch/web-history.html
- https://www.w3.org/History.html
- https://www.iana.org/about
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/HTTPS
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8446.txt
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/TLS
- https://www2.telegeography.com/submarine-cable-faqs-frequently-asked-questions
- https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/2025/11/17/gcr-2025-chapter-3/
- https://heise.de/-10277680
- https://www.itu.int/en/mediacentre/Pages/PR-2025-11-17-Facts-and-Figures.aspx
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Performance/Guides/Understanding_latency
- https://ar5iv.labs.arxiv.org/html/1811.10737
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Overview
- https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/data-centers-and-servers
- https://www.iscpc.org/information/learn-about-submarine-cables/glossary/
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8200.txt
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/TCP_handshake
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Security/Transport_Layer_Security
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Certificate_authority
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_exchange_point
- https://arxiv.org/abs/1307.5264
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/CDN
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_delivery_network
- https://blog.apnic.net/2019/12/13/keep-calm-and-carry-on-the-status-of-ipv4-address-allocation/
- https://www.ietf.org/about/introduction/
- https://www.marineinsight.com/guidelines/how-undersea-cables-are-laid-by-cable-ships/
- https://resources.telegeography.com/flashback-friday-submarine-cable-repair-in-the-1980s
- https://capacityglobal.com/news/much-faster-than-light/
- https://www.lightwaveonline.com/business/article/16648258/bookham-to-reincorporate-in-us
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