01
Your Device
192.168.1.25
Your phone, laptop or computer has an IP address on your local network. This identifies the device inside your home network.
Cyber Basics • Lesson 01
How does the internet
actually work?
You use the internet every day, but a lot happens between typing a website address and seeing the page appear. Follow a request from your device to a web server and discover what IP addresses, routers, DNS, ports and HTTPS are actually doing behind the scenes.
Follow the journey
You type a website address. What happens next?
Imagine opening your browser and visiting cybercumbria.co.uk. Your request passes through several systems before this page can appear.
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02
Your Router
NAT • Gateway
Your router connects your private home network to the internet. NAT allows many devices in your home to share one public IP address.
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03
DNS
cybercumbria.co.uk → IP
Computers communicate using IP addresses. DNS translates the human-friendly website name into the address of the server you need to contact.
04
The Internet
Routers • Networks • ISPs
Your traffic crosses multiple networks and routers. Each one helps move the packets closer to their destination.
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05
Web Server
TCP 443 • HTTPS
The destination server receives the connection. HTTPS normally uses TCP port 443 and encrypts the data travelling between your browser and the server.
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06
The Response
HTML • CSS • JavaScript
The server sends the website data back. Your browser interprets those files and turns them into the page you're looking at.
A real example
There's information hiding in a simple web address.
Even a normal-looking URL tells your browser several important things.
HTTPS
The protocol tells the browser how it should communicate with the server. HTTPS provides an encrypted connection.
cybercumbria.co.uk
The domain name is the human-readable address. DNS is used to discover which IP address currently hosts it.
/cyber-basics.html
The path tells the server which resource or page your browser is requesting.
Go deeper
The building blocks
Understanding these core technologies makes networking, cybersecurity and online privacy much easier to understand.
IP Addresses
Private vs public addresses, IPv4, IPv6 and how devices are identified across networks.
Explore IP Addresses →DNS
Learn how domain names are translated into IP addresses, how DNS resolvers work, and why DNS matters for security.
Explore DNS →Ports
Learn how ports direct network traffic to the right service and why they matter for security.
Explore Ports →Routers & NAT
How your home network communicates with the wider internet while using private addresses internally.
Explore Routers & NAT →HTTP & HTTPS
Understand web requests, TLS encryption, certificates and how HTTPS protects your connection.
Explore HTTP & HTTPS →Network Packets
How information is broken into smaller pieces and transported across networks before being reconstructed at its destination.
Explore Network Packets →