Web Development Fundamentals Pt. 1

Flashcards for reviewing web development lecture notes.

Client

Internet connected device + browser.

Server

Computer that stores websites.

TCP / IP

Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol.

DNS

Domain Name Servers.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator.

Domain Names

The human-readable names you type into the browser (e.g., google.com), mapped to IP addresses.

Top Level Domain (TLD)

The last segment of a domain name (e.g., .com, .ca, .org).

Domain Registrar

A company that sells domain names.

WHOIS Privacy

Protection that hides your name, address, email, and phone number associated with the domain.

Web Hosting

A service that provides server space for your website files.

Shared Hosting

Multiple websites share the same server and resources.

Dedicated Hosting

A single server is dedicated to one website.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting

A physical server is divided into virtual servers, each with its own dedicated resources.

HTTPS

A secure version of HTTP that encrypts data transmitted between the server and the browser.

Let's Encrypt

A service that generates free and auto-renewing TLS/SSL Certificates.

.htaccess file

A configuration file used on web servers running Apache software. Used to force HTTPS.

What is "the web"?

The web is a network of connected servers

How do we start accessing a website?

By typing a URL into a browser

What happens after we enter a URL in the browser?

The DNS translates the URL into the IP address of the correct server

What does the browser do after the DNS resolves the IP address?

It sends an HTTP request to the server asking for the website and its files

How does the server respond to the browser’s request?

The server sends the requested data using TCP/IP

What does the browser do with the data it receives?

It renders the website based on the received data and files

what do Central Domain Name Servers contain?

tables of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses

what is the third level subdomain in developer.mozilla.org

developer

what is the second level subdomain in developer.mozilla.org

mozilla

what is the top level domain in developer.mozilla.org

.org

Are some TLDs are restricted?

True

What personal information is publicly associated with a domain by default?

Your name, address, email, and phone number are publicly associated with the domain unless privacy settings are enabled

What is the first step in pointing a domain to a server

Purchase a domain name from a domain registrar

After buying a domain what’s the next step to hosting it?

choose a web host and sign up for a hosting plan

What does updating DNS settings involve

logging into your domain registrar’s account and updating DNS setting to point to your web host’s nameservers

How long can DNS propagation take when pointing a domain

up to 48 hours

How do you verify that your domain is sucessfully pointing to your server

visit your website to check if it’s resolving correctly

In addition to a domain, what else do you also need to put your files online and serve files to your users.

a web hosting account

common types of web hosting

Shared Hosting, Dedicated Hosting, Virtual Private Servers

why do you need HTTPS

for security as it encrypts data between the server and the browser.