BASICS OF INFRASTRUCTURE (PART 1)

BY: IFESEGUN IFENOWO

Website infrastructure refers to the underlying technology and architecture that supports the?functioning of a website. It includes the hardware, software, network and server components that?works together to deliver the website's content and provide a smooth user experience. The term is?crucial in website creation and in understanding how to create a website.

What makes up the infrastructure of a website?

The Infrastructure of a website comprises several parts that works together to ensure its?functionality, performance and security. Let's dissect 5?components of a Website Infrastructure.

Web Servers

Web servers are often referred to as the foundation of website infrastructure. They're responsible?for receiving and processing requests from users' browsers and delivering the website's content in return. Popular web servers include Apache, NGINX and Microsoft IIS.

A web server is software and hardware that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and other?protocols to respond to client requests made over the World Wide Web. The main job of a web?server is to display website content through storing, processing and delivering webpage to users. Besides HTTP, web servers also support SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and FTP (File?Transfer Protocol), used for email, file transfer and storage.

Web server hardware is connected to the internet and allows data to be exchanged with other?connected devices, while web server software controls how a user accesses hosted files. The web?server process is an example of the client/server model. All computers that host websites must?have web server software. Web servers are used in web hosting, or the hosting of data for websites?and web-based applications -- or web applications.

How do web servers work?

Web server software is accessed through the domain names of websites and ensures the delivery?of the site's content to the requesting user. The software side is also comprised of several?components, with at least an HTTP server. The HTTP server is able to understand HTTP and?URLs. As hardware, a web server is a computer that stores web server software and other files related to?a website, such as HTML documents, images and JavaScript files.

When a web browser, like Google Chrome or Firefox, needs a file that's hosted on a web server, the browser will request the?file by HTTP. When the request is received by the web server, the HTTP server will accept the request, find the?content and send it back to the browser through HTTP. More specifically, when a browser requests?a page from a web server, the process will follow a series of steps. First, a person will specify a?URL in a web browser's address bar.

The web browser will then obtain the IP address of the domain?name -- either translating the URL through DNS (Domain Name System) or by searching in its cache. This will bring the browser to a web server. The browser will then request the specific file?from the web server by an HTTP request. The web server will respond, sending the browser the?requested page, again, through HTTP. If the requested page does not exist or if something goes?wrong, the web server will respond with an error message. The browser will then be able to display?the webpage.

Multiple domains also can be hosted on one web server. Web servers often come as part of a larger package of internet- and intranet-related programs that?are used for:

• Sending and receiving emails.
• Downloading requests for File Transfer Protocol (FTP) files
• Building and publishing webpage.

Many basic web servers will also support server-side scripting, which is used to employ scripts on?a web server that can customize the response to the client. Server-side scripting runs on the server?machine and typically has a broad feature set, which includes database access. The server-side?scripting process will also use Active Server Pages (ASP), Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) and other?scripting languages. This process also allows HTML documents to be created dynamically.

Hosting

Websites require hosting, which is the service that provides the necessary infrastructure to store?and serve the website's files. Hosting services and options include shared hosting (multiple?websites hosted on the same server), virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated servers, cloud hosting?and managed web hosting services. When a hosting provider allocates space on a web server for a website to store its files, they are?hosting a website.

Web hosting makes the files that comprise a website (code, images, etc.)?available for viewing online. Every website you’ve ever visited is hosted on a server. The amount of space allocated on a server?to a website depends on the type of hosting. The main types of hosting are shared, dedicated, VPS?and reseller. They are differentiated by the kind of technology used for the server, the level of management?provided and the additional services on offer. In a nutshell, web hosting is the process of renting?or buying space to house a website on the World Wide Web. Website content such as HTML, CSS,?and images has to be housed on a server to be viewable online.

Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

A CDN is a network of servers distributed across various geographical locations. It helps optimize?website performance by caching and delivering content from the server closest to the user,?reducing latency and improving page load times.

A content delivery network (CDN) is a geographically distributed group of servers that caches?content close to end users. A CDN allows for the quick transfer of assets needed for loading?Internet content, including HTML pages, JavaScript files, stylesheets, images, and videos.

A content delivery network (CDN) is a group of geographically distributed servers that speed up?the delivery of web content by bringing it closer to where users are. CDNs rely on a process called “caching” that temporarily stores copies of files in data centers across the globe, allowing you to?access internet content from a server near you.

Content delivered from a server closest to you reduces page load times and results in a faster, high performance web experience. By caching content like web pages, images, and video in servers?near your physical location, CDN allow you to do things like watch a movie, download software,?check your bank balance, post on social media, or make purchases without having to wait for?content to load. You could think of a CDN like an ATM. If your money were only available from one bank in town, you’d have to make a time consuming trip and stand in a long line every time?you wanted to withdraw cash. However, with a cash machine on practically every corner, you have?fast and easy access to your money any time you need it.

Domain Name Systems (DNS)

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the phonebook of the Internet. Humans access information?online through domain names, like nytimes.com or espn.com. Web browsers interact?through Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

The domain name system translates domain names (e.g., example.com) into IP addresses that?computers understand. It maps domain names to the IP address of the web server hosting the website, allowing users to access the site by typing the domain name into their browsers. It's?essential to making the internet work.

Web browsers interact through Internet Protocol (IP)?addresses. DNS translates domain names to IP addresses so browsers can load Internet resources. Each device connected to the Internet has a unique IP address which other machines use to find?the device. DNS servers eliminate the need for humans to memorize IP addresses such as?192.168.1.1 (in IPv4), or more complex newer alphanumeric IP addresses such as?2400:cb00:2048:1::c629:d7a2 (in IPv6).

How does DNS works?

The process of DNS resolution involves converting a hostname (such as www.example.com) into?a computer-friendly IP address (such as 192.168.1.1). An IP address is given to each device on the?Internet, and that address is necessary to find the appropriate Internet device - like a street address?is used to find a particular home. When a user wants to load a webpage, a translation must occur?between what a user types into their web browser (example.com) and the machine-friendly address?necessary to locate the example.com webpage. In order to understand the process behind the DNS resolution, it’s important to learn about the?different hardware components a DNS query must pass between. For the web browser, the DNS?occurs "behind the scenes" and requires no interaction from the user’s computer apart from?the initial request.