How the Internet Works

Request-Response Cycle

The fundamental pattern of how the web works.

Definition

The fundamental pattern of how the web works. A client sends a request to a server, the server processes it, and the server sends back a response. Every webpage load, every API call, every form submission follows this pattern.

Example

You click 'Submit' on a form (request). The server saves your data to a database and sends back a confirmation page (response). This round trip is one request-response cycle.

More terms in How the Internet Works

URL Domain Name DNS HTTP Request Server Client Frontend Backend IP Address

See it in context Learn how Request-Response Cycle fits into the bigger picture of how software actually works.

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