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How the Web Works, HTTP
Request/Response Cycle
Learning Goals
Define the ‘Vocabulary’ of the web
Describe the Request/Response Cycle at a high level
Describe the parts of a URL
Explain Verb/Path combinations
Describe the 5 common HTTP verbs
Asynchronous Lesson Instructions
1. Read this lesson plan and jot down any questions or uncertainties
2. Watch this video about the HTTP Request/Response cycle
3. Fill out this Exit Ticket
Vocabulary
Client
Server
URL
URI
User
Request
Response
HTTP
Verb
Path
What is the Internet?
The internet, which for most people is the web…how does that work?
The basis of all web interactions is someone asking for information, and receiving
information. In order to ask for and receive any information, we need two players -
the asker and the producer. In basic web interactions, the ‘asker’ is a client and the
‘producer’ is a server. Clients send Requests to Servers asking for some kind of
information. Upon receiving a Request, Servers send Responses back to the Client.
The Internet is the network between devices that allows clients and servers to
exchange this information. HTTP is a set of rules for how this exchange of
information happens. Clients and Servers adhere to these rules to ensure that they
understand each other’s Requests and Responses.
In the web development world, a client is a web browser, not an individual person.
The person using the browser is referred to as a user.
Penpal Analogy
Okay, that was a lot of information. Let’s break all of this down with a metaphor:
Imagine you’re writing to a penpal. The process would look something like this:
1. Write a letter
2. Specify your penpal’s address
3. Drop the letter in your mailbox
4. The letter goes through the postal system and arrives at your penpal’s
mailbox
Your penpal then goes through a very similar set of steps:
1. Read your letter and write a response
2. Specify your address
3. Drop their letter in their mailbox
4. The letter goes through the postal system and arrives at your mailbox
In this analogy:
You are the Client
Your penpal is the Server
Your letter is the Request
Your penpal’s letter is the Response
The postal system, the thing responsible for ensuring your letters are
delivered, is The Internet
HTTP is the language you write in so that your penpal can understand you. You may
write in English because you know you both understand English. If you wrote a
letter in Spanish and your penpal only spoke English, they might write you a letter
back saying “Please write to me in English”.
Metaphor aside, let’s run through the protocol as executed by computers:
1. You open your browser, the Client, and type in a web address like
http://turing.edu and hit enter.
2. The browser takes this address and builds an HTTP Request. It addresses it to
the Server located at http://turing.edu .
3. The Request is handed off to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) (like
CenturyLink or Comcast) and they send it through the Internet, mostly a series
of wires and fiber optic cables, to the Server
4. The Server reads the Request. It knows how to read it because it is formatted
as an HTTP Request.
5. The Server generates an HTTP Response to that Request.
6. The server hands the Response off to their ISP and it goes through the
internet to arrive at your computer.
7. Your browser reads the Response. It knows how to read it because it is
formatted as an HTTP Response.
8. Your browser displays the data on your machine.
That’s the HTTP Request/Response cycle. At its core, it is a bunch of formatting rules
that Clients and Servers use to talk to each other. You can read more on the
wikipedia page or the IETF specification.
The Request and Response Cycle
As we start to build out web applications, it is important to be able to visualize the
way information flows through the system; typically called the Request/Response
Cycle.
First a user gives a client a URL, the client builds a request for information (or
resources) to be generated by a server. When the server receives that request, it
uses the information included in the request to build a response that contains the
requested information. Once built, that response is sent back to the client in the
requested format, to be rendered to the user.
It is our job as web developers to build out and maintain servers that can
successfully build responses based on standardized requests that will be received.
But, what does a standard request look like? We need to know that before we can
start building servers that will respond successfully.
The standard, or protocol we use is HTTP.
HTTP Requests and Responses
The HyperText Transfer Protocol gives us rules about how messages should be sent
around the Internet. The system that initiates a connection sends a “request”, and
the system the answers sends a “response”.
HTTP Request
When a “client” (like a web browser) retrieves information, it sends a payload of
data to a server as a “request”. This request has many parts, but for now we are
going to focus on the verb and path.
Verb and Path
Every request needs to be able to tell a server what information is requested and
how that information is being requested. The what is the path (also know as a URI),
indicating what resource this request is referencing.
Examples of a path:
/tasks
/tasks/4
/items/6/reviews
The how is the verb, indicating what actions the server should take regarding the
requested resource. While the path can vary greatly based on the application, the
verbs follow common patterns. There are 5 common HTTP verbs:
GET - retrieve some information to be READ by the client/user
POST - CREATE a new resource with information contained in the request
PUT - UPDATE an entire resource with information contained in the request
PATCH - UPDATE a part of a resource with information contained in the
request
DELETE - DESTROY a resource, typically indicating that it is removed from the
database
With these 5 verbs, we send requests that allow us to perform all CRUD functions
(create, read, update, destroy) for resources in a database!
Checks for Understanding
Describe the HTTP request/response cycle. Use each of the following terms:
User
Client
Server
Request
Response
HTTP
What is a path?
What is a verb?
What are the 5 common http verbs and what do they do?
