Strip down a Website example, a.k.a. Reverse Engineering skill UNLOCKED

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 🧠 How a Website Really Works — Broken Down Simply

When you open a website like www.example.com, a lot goes on under the hood — but let’s strip it down to the core parts so you see exactly how it runs from top to bottom.

📍 Step 1: You Type a Website into Your Browser

When you type a URL (like https://frizasecurity.com) into your browser and hit Enter, the first thing that happens is:

✅ The browser needs to find the website's IP address.

Think of the domain name (like frizasecurity.com) as a contact name in your phone, and the IP address as the phone number. Your browser asks a DNS server (Domain Name System) to find the number behind that name.

  • You type the name → Browser says: “What’s the IP address for this?”

  • DNS responds: “Here it is: 123.456.789.10.”

💡 DNS = like the internet’s phone book.


🔄 Step 2: Your Device Talks to the Server

Now that your browser knows the IP address, it sends a request to the web server that hosts the site.

Think of the server as the place where all the site’s code, images, and data live — it’s like a warehouse.

Your browser sends a GET request:

“Hey server, can I GET the homepage of frizasecurity.com?”

The server responds with:

“Sure, here’s the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images you need.”


💻 Step 3: Your Browser Builds the Website

Once your browser receives the files, it goes to work:

  1. HTML – The skeleton
    Tells the browser what goes where: headings, paragraphs, images, links.

  2. CSS – The skin & style
    Controls the fonts, colors, layout, spacing, and animations.

  3. JavaScript – The brains & muscle
    Adds interactivity: buttons, dropdowns, live chat, login forms, etc.

Your browser takes all these parts and renders them visually — turning code into something you can see and use.

💬 It’s like your browser is a chef. The server sends raw ingredients, and the browser cooks the final dish for you.


🔗 Step 4: What Happens Behind the Scenes (Optional Server-Side)

Some sites are static — the files don’t change. Others are dynamic, meaning they talk to a database and generate content on-the-fly.

Example:

  • You log into your dashboard.

  • The site checks your credentials.

  • It pulls your personalized data from a database.

  • It builds the page upon your request.

This all happens using server-side languages like PHP, Python, Node.js, or Ruby, and the server sends a custom HTML page back to your browser.





🔐 Step 5: Security, Cookies & Headers

There’s a whole security process in the background:

  • HTTPS encrypts the data between you and the server.

  • Cookies store things like login status or preferences. (Cookies are like a gym membership card that helps websites remember who you are and what you like, so you don’t have to repeat yourself every time you visit.)

  • Headers tell the browser how to behave (e.g., what content type to expect, cache rules, etc.)

You can inspect these in your browser under Developer Tools > Network Tab. That’s where raw requests and responses live.

🔍 Real hackers and bug bounty hunters analyze these layers to find vulnerabilities.

🔁 Bonus: APIs Power Interactive Websites

Many modern websites use APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). These are like tiny messengers that let your browser fetch data without reloading the page.

Example:

  • You scroll Instagram.

  • It uses an API to load more posts.

  • JavaScript grabs the new posts and adds them to the page without starting over.

APIs = cleaner, faster user experience.


🧱 Summary: Website Parts or Think LEGO Set ;)

  • Browser – Your window into the web

  • DNS – Finds the server’s address

  • Server – Sends the files (HTML, CSS, JS)

  • Browser – Assembles the page

  • APIs/DB – Serve real-time or custom data

  • Security – Wraps it all in protection



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