How the Web Works
Most web courses teach you to write code without explaining what happens when someone visits your site. This one does both. You'll build pages with HTML and CSS, then follow a request from browser to database — understanding domains, hosting, security, architecture, and why some sites feel instant while others drag.
What you'll learn
Course outline
Free — start now
What Happens When You Type a URL?
The complete journey a request makes — before you see a single pixel
HTML: The Structure of Every Webpage
The skeleton — what elements are, how they nest, and why every site uses the same pattern
CSS: Making It Look Good
Colours, fonts, spacing, and layout — the clothing that goes on top of HTML
Full course — $69 one-time
Domain Names: How the Internet Finds Your Site
From radartrek.com to a server IP — and everything in between
Hosting: Where Your Website Actually Lives
Shared, VPS, cloud, serverless — what each means and when to use it
HTTP, APIs, and How Data Moves
The language browsers and servers speak — requests, responses, status codes
Databases: Where All the Data Lives
How your HTML connects to a database — static pages vs dynamic applications
Security: HTTPS, Certificates, and What the Padlock Means
What encrypts your traffic, who issues certificates, and the basics every builder needs
Tech Stack Architecture: How Everything Connects
CDN, load balancer, app server, database — the full picture and what each layer does
Performance and Latency: Why Some Sites Feel Instant
Where time is lost, how CDNs help, and the metrics that actually matter
Build and Deploy: Your First Complete Website
Domain, host, HTML, CSS, SSL — built and live in one lesson
Get the complete course
11 lessons covering HTML, CSS, domains, hosting, databases, HTTPS, architecture, and latency. Ends with a live website on your custom domain.
Written by the RadarTrek editorial team · Reviewed June 2026
About this course
Every time you type a URL and press Enter, a complex sequence of events happens in milliseconds — DNS lookups, TCP connections, TLS handshakes, HTTP requests, server responses, and browser rendering. Understanding how the web works is the foundation that makes every other web development skill click. This web fundamentals course explains the internet from the ground up: DNS, HTTP, HTTPS, browsers, servers, APIs, caching, and latency — without assuming any prior technical knowledge.
Whether you are new to web development, a designer working with developers, a product manager making technical decisions, or a non-technical founder evaluating architecture choices, this course gives you the vocabulary and mental models to participate confidently in technical conversations. After completing this course you will understand what happens behind the scenes of every web request, how CDNs make sites fast, why HTTPS matters, and how APIs connect the services that power modern applications.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who works with the web and wants to understand it more deeply: beginning developers building their first mental model, designers who want to understand why their assets load slowly, product managers making technical decisions, marketers who want to understand site speed and SEO fundamentals, and non-technical founders learning how their product actually works. No prior coding experience is required.
What is DNS and why does it matter?
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet's phone book — it translates human-readable domain names (example.com) into IP addresses that computers use to route traffic. When you buy a domain and point it to a server, you are creating DNS records. DNS propagation, TTL, and caching all affect how quickly changes take effect. Understanding DNS is essential for anyone deploying websites, configuring email, or troubleshooting why a site is not loading.
What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?
HTTP is the protocol that defines how browsers and servers communicate. HTTPS is HTTP with TLS encryption, meaning data transmitted between browser and server is encrypted and cannot be read by third parties. HTTPS is now mandatory for all production websites — browsers show warnings on HTTP sites, Google ranks HTTPS sites higher in search results, and many browser APIs only work over HTTPS.
What is an API and how does it work?
An API is a defined way for one piece of software to talk to another. Web APIs communicate over HTTP — your browser or server sends a request to an API endpoint (a URL), and the API returns data, usually in JSON format. Weather apps fetch data from weather APIs. Payment forms send data to Stripe's API. Social login uses OAuth APIs. Understanding APIs is fundamental to modern web development because nearly every application integrates multiple external services.
How does a CDN make websites faster?
A CDN is a globally distributed network of servers that stores copies of your static files close to users around the world. Instead of a user in Singapore loading your images from a server in New York, they load from a CDN node in Singapore. CDNs also absorb traffic spikes and protect against DDoS attacks. Next.js, Vercel, and Cloudflare all use CDN infrastructure to deliver fast global performance.