How the Web Works

Before you build for the web, it helps to know what the web actually is. You don't need a computer science degree, and you don't need to memorize anything. You just need a working mental model — a picture in your head of what happens when you type an address and a page appears.

This chapter builds that picture. Everything a vibe-coded app does, from a login form to a payment, is some version of the same simple dance: one computer asks, another computer answers. Once you can see that dance clearly, the rest of the book stops feeling like magic and starts feeling like plumbing.