💻 Computers and the 🌐 internet are full of technical words, or "jargons," that can sound confusing. Let’s break them down with simple explanations and everyday examples so even a 👧🧒 10-12-year-old can understand them!
Layer 1: Basics of Communication
1. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
📬 Imagine you are sending a ✉️ letter to a friend. HTTP is like the mailman 🚶 who delivers your letter (a web request) to the 🌍 website and brings back the reply (the webpage). It’s a protocol 📜, or set of rules, that helps 🖥️ computers talk to each other over the internet.
2. Stateless Protocol
HTTP is a stateless protocol. This means it doesn’t remember anything about you between requests. For example, if you ask a 🌐 website for a page, it delivers it and forgets you. It’s like going to a 🏬 shop, buying something, and the shopkeeper forgets you as soon as you leave.
3. Protocols
Protocols are like languages 🗣️ that computers use to communicate. Just like people use English or Hindi to talk, 🖥️ computers use protocols like HTTP, FTP, and TCP/IP.
4. Session
A session is like a conversation 💬 between you and a website. While HTTP doesn’t remember you, websites create sessions to keep track of what you’re doing. For example, when you log into a 🎮 game and play for an hour, that’s a session.
Layer 2: Data Transfer and Organization
5. HTTP Headers
Headers are like the address and details written on an ✉️ envelope. They provide extra information, like:
Client Information: Details about the 🖥️ device or 🌐 browser making the request.
Date and Time: When the request was made.
Cookies 🍪: Small pieces of data stored by the website to remember things like your preferences or login status.
6. Request-Response Model
The internet works like a question-and-answer game 🎲. You (the user) make a request (“Show me this webpage”), and the 🌐 website sends back a response (“Here’s the page”). This is called the request-response model.
Types of Requests:
GET 📨: Asking for data, like a webpage or 📷 image.
POST 📤: Sending data, like a form or login information.
Response Codes:
200 ✅: Success, the page is available.
404 ❌: Page not found.
500 ⚠️: Server error.
7. HTTP/2
HTTP/2 is a newer, faster version of HTTP. It brings features like:
Compression 📦: Reducing the size of data to speed things up.
Multiplexing 🔀: Sending multiple requests at the same time without waiting for one to finish.
Encryption 🔒: Ensuring data is secure while being sent.
Imagine the mailman 🚶 delivering multiple letters 📄📄 at once (multiplexing) in smaller envelopes (compression) while keeping them in a locked bag 🔐 (encryption).
Layer 3: Identifying and Connecting Devices
8. User Agent
The user agent is like your internet representative 🕵️. It tells 🌐 websites what kind of 🖥️ device and browser you are using. For example, it might say, “I’m a Chrome browser on an iPhone 📱.”
9. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)
TCP ensures that messages sent over the internet arrive safely and in the correct order. It’s like a 🧑🏫 teacher checking that everyone’s 📄 homework is complete and in the right order.
10. FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP is like a delivery truck 🚛 for files. It helps you send or receive files 📂 between your 🖥️ computer and another. For example, uploading photos 🖼️ to a server uses FTP.
11. IP (Internet Protocol)
An IP address is like your 🖥️ computer’s home 🏠 address. Just like you need an address to send a letter ✉️, computers need IP addresses to send and receive data.
12. URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
A URL is like a street 🛣️ address for a webpage. For example, "https://www.example.com" is the address you type in to visit a website.
13. DNS (Domain Name System)
DNS is like a 📖 phonebook for the internet. It translates a 🌐 website’s name (like www.google.com) into its IP address so your 🖥️ computer can find it.
Layer 4: Data Structure and Optimization
14. Header and Payload
When data is sent over the internet, it’s like a package 📦.
Header 🏷️: The label on the package, explaining who it’s for and what’s inside.
Payload 🎁: The actual item inside the package (like a toy or book).
15. Cache
Cache is like a 🎒 backpack where your 🖥️ computer saves things it might need later. For example, when you visit a 🌐 website, your computer saves some data so the site loads faster the next time.
Simple Scenario to Tie It All Together
Imagine you’re hungry 🍕 and want to order pizza online. Here’s how these jargons fit in:
You type the pizza website’s URL into your 🌐 browser. DNS finds the website’s IP address for you.
Your browser sends an HTTP request 📬 to the website’s server.
The server looks at the headers 🏷️ to see what kind of request it is and what device you’re using (user agent 🕵️).
The server sends back a response with the menu 📝 (the payload 🎁).
- The response code is 200 ✅ (success).
You select a 🍕 pizza and place an order. This creates a session 💬 to keep track of your order.
The 🌐 website uses TCP 📜 to ensure your order details reach the server correctly.
The server might save some data in your cache 🎒 to make the website load faster next time.
By understanding these jargons and how they work in simple scenarios, you’ll see how the 🌐 internet works behind the scenes. It’s not so complicated after all, right? 😄