How the Internet Works in 5 Minutes

Check out my new book, How to Prepare for Everything: www.howtoprepare.com!
The internet is not a fuzzy cloud. The internet is a wire, actually buried in the ground. Computers connected directly to the internet are called "Servers," while the computers you and I use are "clients," because they are not connected directly to the internet, but through an Internet Service Provider. Routers shuttle packets of information across the internet, and transmit e-mail, pictures, and web pages.

[@yeayeayea7619]

Before watching: "Man this video is from 2009?!" After watching: "This video is a national treasure."

[@LookseeTry]

agreed

[@edoreemmanuel4250]

so true....

[@jhonattanfarias]

international

[@veljames9165]

I agree. The best explanations are from the early days.

[@JD-kf2ki]

LOL

[@yuwendridesilva6956]

Pro tip : Don't skip videos just by seeing its OLD... This was so simple and easy to understand

[@kayra_iydrss]

Waow

[@hamadpiping8943]

so simple to understand

[@paulofelipemagalhaesmartin6126]

Tha famous phrase: old but gold!

[@animeanime8907]

ok

[@SystemPhantom]

i’m usually more inclined to watch something if it’s old since it seems that newer videos are unnecessarily bloated up because of modern standards or something

[@percjsn]

Here from the Odin project, Great video. Wish everyone the best.

[@KissMyBalls]

Hi, how's your progress so far?

[@nsfwDEV]

@@KissMyBalls blud just work hard

[@krystalleigh6904]

Me too!

[@leonreine6241]

Same bro

[@LiverPrime1]

same lol, good luck everyone

[@TheInsinuate]

He really knows how to draw straight line

[@Bxrben_Dr1p]

Because he is VERY straight 😏

[@eneskarakas6864]

you made me laugh at 3 32 AM :D

[@glassbottle15]

@@eneskarakas6864 I'm laughing at 8:13 PM :D

[@immihla7526]

@@glassbottle15 laughed at 11:52

[@that1lizardjamie]

nice to see we're all tired and laughing. 11:20pm

[@MatthewRBenavides]

This is pretty timeless, no matter how complex the Internet may become. The basics are always there to show you the way everything works.

[@chenath9582]

i get your point but i am just gonna be that guy and say the internet never changed

[@AaronTitus]

Well, glad I could help.

[@bieldozap]

You are a legend.

[@moneebkhan3744]

bruv

[@adelooooo3901]

You are a GOD

[@HugoLee7]

@Faulty Juice lol

[@udincrswvr1592]

@@adelooooo3901 my God is Allah Swt.

[@Sagesfacts990]

I cannot realize that it's been done 14 years ago! This video is far better than what we see today! Thanks for the great teaching!

[@angeliamyers9827]

Completely agree

[@CoverBydAn]

When ppl couldnt rely on fancy graphics back then, they rely on being a great teacher! When ppl overuse fancy graphics today, they forget how to teach!

[@TheSkyHive]

The Odin Project sent me here.....so glad they did. Stay curious!

[@KissMyBalls]

Hi, How's your progress so far?

[@Felipe-rn1gf]

same

[@subarunatsuki1902]

Same :D

[@krystalleigh6904]

Me too

[@AaronTitus]

Yes, you're right. This video is aimed at introducing the concepts of servers, ISPs, clients, etc. You're correct that in any given network topology, a single device (or a group of devices) may fill several of these roles simultaneously.

[@seanandrews5329]

lol

[@LadyNicoMura]

Lol (?) :D

[@jacksonmowell3859]

Aaron does the internet travel under water using deep sea cables but does it also travel under ground on land or does it travel on electrical telephone wire? The deep sea under water caper or fiber optic cable have routers attached to them that guid the packet to the right IP and server?

[@augustobritosok]

Thank you Aaron!!!!!!!!!!!

[@bungkarno-bunghattatheunto1984]

Hi aron i see you are expert in this field you have telegram to contacr

[@chanukajayakody6010]

Who came from web development roadmap

[@LordKratos-fj6bn]

I did

[@jun7452]

I didn't

[@abdullahimohammedhussain3382]

I did

[@youssefragheb7645]

me

[@yuribezmenovstanaccount3120]

It's mind boggling how he explained a complex network of computers with so much simplicity. I really wish internet was known for stuffs like this, not for fake news, political propaganda, hate trends and all the other toxic things but for learning and making things easy.

[@dorinworkgmail4514]

You find what you're looking after.

[@vanity.exe69]

I completely agree, it's so fascinating

[@paullooweijun5087]

710 dislikes is from the employee who accidentally updating their fb profile and ended up in their boss computer screen😂😂😂

[@kvn_ngl]

LOL

[@kvn_ngl]

happened in some computer shop

[@tinyburger8784]

4 of them feel attacked, now they changed their mind

[@fortcastlevgn2368]

798 29/10/2019

[@Kasiarzynka]

Or people who actually know some shit about how computer networks and Internet work. Like I counted at least 3 or 4 mistakes: 1. The Internet is NOT a bus topology (long single thick line). God have mercy on us if that was the case because we'd need forever to reach anything since our data would have to travel across millions of routers. 2. A server is NOT defined by whether or not it's connected to the Internet directly, just like a PC is NOT defined by being connected to the Internet indirectly. Server is defined by its OS version, like in case of Windows, Linux etc. (e.g. Windows Server 2016 or Ubuntu Server). Or by its role in the computer network (like a DHCP or DNS or web server). 3. aol.com is NOT an ISP. AOL is perhaps. aol.com is a DNS name (not even a web server name unless it's redirected to it). But I get it it was probably a simplification. 4. IT IS NOT THE CASE THAT EVERY ROUTER THAT FORWARDS A DATA PACKET ADDS (OR REMOVES) A LAYER THE WAY IT WAS PRESENTED HERE! Each and every data packet sent by a PC or a server consists of seven layers (aka OSI model). Yes, layers are being removed and added again in order to access some information. Like routers will remove layers 1-3 (called decapsulation) in order to access layer 3 data which includes the target IP address, among other things. But they will then add back layers 3, 2 and 1 (in this order, it's called encapsulation). Generally speaking a data packet that doesn't consist of 7 layers is invalid (unless we're talking about some specific network protocols like ICMP but it's not a case). And they claim it would be a correct one. I get it, ok, this is simplified for sake of people who don't know a thing about computer networking or IT in general. But being simplified does not mean it can be simply incorrect and misleading. I'm sure the way the actual Internet actually works (a huge number of autonomous systems owned but different companies connected using BGP protocol) can be explained in a few minutes video and is definitely more interesting than this shit.

[@011azr]

This is so far the simplest, clearest and I guess, best way to teach how the internet works.

[@herpyderpy6702]

meh there is a lot of stuff missing on this. and things where not described correctly

[@RemixPicture]

herpy derpy Yes, a lot of things were missing, there's a reason why the Internet is a work of science, it's REALLY complex. However, this is the explanation you might consider giving to a kid that just want basic understanding until he/she is old enough to learn more.

[@randomactsofgaming845]

I disagree, if you really had no idea of how the internet works (which seems to be the target audience of this video) this video would lead you to believe that there is a single connection that "is" the internet and that is grossly incorrect. The internet is a web (hence world wide web or www) of networks that are all inter-connected (internet). To say that the internet is a "wire buried underground" is tantamount to saying that all of the United States water comes from a single pipe. Not to mention that he completely failed to discuss the different protocol layers in the OSI model that really define how the internet works. The video is very misleading and actually leaves its viewers not only not understanding how the internet works but actually thinking it works in a way that it doesn't.

[@bucknavich7925]

Damnatis Malus would you be able to recommend something you'd consider acceptable for complete beginners? thanks

[@randomactsofgaming845]

Buck Navich check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2bSlmlppbSbgqs it's a very basic level but much more informative and accurate than this video.

[@tvu111974]

Very very well put. Probably one of the best explanation of the internet.. not to mention, very creatively done. I really enjoyed it. It's really funny but a lot of geeky IT people can't seem to understand the simple process of how helpful illustrations are when it comes to explaining anything.. even the most complex topic. They just throw a lot of complex terminologies at you and try to dummy down their explanation as much as they (think) they can and think that that is enough to get the point across to the people they are explaining it to. When all fails, they just blame it on you for being stupid when they are actually the dumb ones for not being able to break the explanation properly to a simple understandable level by just simply using simple and clear illustrations.. now that's not only smart but also creative. Very nice job with this video.

[@lewisdeary2]

+tvu111974 no

[@ellioron]

+Lewis Deary yes :)

[@tseringchudruktsang6628]

+Lewis Deary BLUEMOON 💙

[@lanecurameng]

Hi Aaron! I agree with tvu111974. This is the best explanation of the internet I've heard. You really cleared up a lot of confusion. Thanks!

[@rogerhinkley3718]

tvu tvu 111974

[@mengvue6754]

I came here from the Odin Project.

[@NadidLinchestein]

Haha Me too!

[@HenryCasillas]

Still my favorite Internet explanation video. It’s always the seal of a Genius the ability to simplify a complex idea and make it look simple. A little over a decade late, but thank you for this video, Åaron Titus 👍

[@aomimezura11]

the wrapper analogy was very useful.

[@asmallguy6124]

trueee

[@romin_1122]

Do you use this account anymore 8 years later? :D

[@aomimezura11]

@@romin_1122 Nope. Never. Never ever.

[@romin_1122]

@@aomimezura11 xD

[@eneskarakas6864]

lmao after 8 years :D

[@OddOccultist]

Where are my odin project members at?

[@josephjaybarrera755]

here

[@aaronphillips402]

2023 check in. Why can't KZbinrs be this direct in our day and age? This old video is 10/10. PS hello fellow Aaron.

[@davidomar742]

this video is pure knowledge, not some scammer trying to sell you something. The way education should be

[@johnathanmachler1356]

I'm in an upper division ECE 4000 level course on computer networks and this is by far the most accurate depiction of how the Internet works conceptually that I've seen. I really appreciate that you went to the effort with the "wrapping" of the layers analogy as thats basically what occurs at the packet/bit vector level.

[@ganyrehs]

I just finished a Network Communications class and this video does a great job summing up what the internet is! It could've went into more depth of TCP and UDP but I'm glad it didn't. Short, simple, and sweet.

[@AaronTitus]

My pleasure. Glad to help.

[@DevGarden98]

14 years on and this video is still pure gold! Finest explanation I've heard by far since starting my Full-Stack Developer journey

[@Blackoutfor10days]

It's very rare to find this type of teachers 😊

[@annaclarepolttila6256]

Thank you Aaron so much for this clear concise explanation of the internet without talking down to a non- techie like me! This was so empowering! Terrific!

[@eshnd.]

This was added to the Odin Project, meaning it's one of the best resources to learn how to code on the entire internet. Good job.

[@hyunjushin3506]

Simple but clear. When it comes to how internet works, I've never found a more useful video than this. Thanks a lot!

[@Slaythatrunway]

Wow. Such a simple video, but so rich in explanation and concisely put. Love the illustrations. There is genius behind making the complex so simple like this. Thank you very much!

[@AaronTitus]

You're correct that the example network topology I chose to use for my illustration does not represent all possible network topologies.

[@tanishapowell7311]

Awesome job Aaron. I have never commented on a video. It was very informative, straight to the point, and used other examples to explain the content.Great stuff

[@majidslyteen6231]

I love that you're still thanked for this video 13 years later Thanks man

[@karthikbt7239]

I'm learning networking and this video clarified so many concepts within a short a period of time. It's better than most of the newer videos out there. Thank you!

[@romanmaininger6598]

omg, I'm 28 and used the internet basically all my life, and you just made me understand it in 5 minutes. Thank you!

[@thesadboxman]

This is a ridiculously good, simple explanation of the internet

[@zakenmaru8612]

I've been working with computers for 4 years but only recently did I delve deeper into the concepts. My knowledge of the internet has been near zero until watching this video. Thank you very much!

[@chinonso_e]

14 years later and this is still useful for me. Thank you.

[@blackamericanlesbianprofes4357]

I love the visual creativity of the video!! I am a kinesthetic/tactile learner first then a visual learner so this really helps me to understand; and I have been recently diagnosed with Dyslexia (mine is struggles with memory and comprehension). Thank you so much for posting. I have been provided this video through a coding training course I am taking right now. :)

[@e-man4639]

How do trees access the internet? they log in

[@Manas-co8wl]

log yourself out

[@sparshmecwan2962]

What is the device which sends the packets to the servers? The rooters

[@p3dr0_o7]

Omg its funny cus its dumb

[@justinwallace390]

Stupid, but you did get a grin out of me

[@Rhythm8503]

Oh dammit, a good one though, cringy but good.

[@aryansaeedi7618]

13 years ago. still enjoy watching it. this guy is a legend

[@gabiromilk]

Aaron, that was great! 15 years and still one of the best ways to explain how it works! Thank you for the amazing job!

[@late2school835]

I wish you would make more videos like this. Sure, everyone knows how to surf the web but the underlying architecture and how stuff works isn't understood by many

[@SamuelIkeda]

Thank you! Perfect explanation while still keeping it simple for newcomers. All while being done in a creative and engaging way.

[@shakraisman9773]

Thank you so much. This is the simplest examination I've ever came across. Thanks again . You're the best.

[@chuyanjiang16]

I love the simplicity and clarity of this video.

[@y9tw0t]

Wow, 10 years later and this is still an A-1 piece of content; it's aged well. Thanks for sharing 👌

[@AaronTitus]

Thanks for the compliment. Next time you have to give a speech on this, feel free to steal as much as you find helpful.

[@HarshalAhire.]

Thanks Aaron you teached my whole computer network subject in such a easy way & in 5 mins!

[@mindfulengineer]

Out of all the educational videos I've watched on YT, this was by far one of, if not the best presentations I've seen, especially in it's simplicity of dialogue and images. Thank you, and I'm sorry I didn't come across your channel earlier.

[@forsh2966]

Woah, I found this at 2021 :D

[@magicunicornbang_1232]

Same

[@slaydussy4331]

I literally did not find it. My teacher made me watch it lol

[@marchair]

Here via The Odin Project 2023! 👋

[@Malitubee]

This video is 15 years old and I’ve never heard such a clear and concise explanation !!!

[@D_mn]

I followed Cisco's IT Essentials course, and nothing made me understand packets and such in a better way then this video has. It's been a couple months since I took the course, and I'm currently just revisiting the topics to keep sharp but this is amazing. I specifically remember never understanding how packets worked in specific, and I think I learnt more from this video.

[@BAP3221]

Why are Aunt's always called Ruth?

[@KirkwoodDonavin]

+Bryan P Poor Aunt Ruth, so in the 'dark' out there.

[@darkpearl88]

+Bryan P LOL, you're actually right. when I was a kid there was this old lady who lived down the street. We'd knock on her back door and say "Aunt Ruth can we have some candy?" and she always gave us twizzlers. I don't think Ruth was her real name

[@bilrockstar80]

+darkpearl88 ur soo ruthless

[@samuelr.6046]

Why are old men called old man Jenkins.

[@pepehimovic3135]

This would mean there's always a Ruth in a family with multiple girls and she is single and or doesn't have kids...lol

[@arciela1358]

Awesome explanation. Thank you so much for sharing your talent. Now I understand the internet infrastructure.

[@Debjit_Adhikari]

Understanding how network works was too complicated. Thanks to you ❤ helped us explaining how easy it can be.

[@marihi8621]

Thank you!! Your explanation is noticably clearer than any other of other creators I've seen so far. Why? Because you use visuals very purposefully. Just enough for what you need and not more.

[@gojospeed8056]

Thanks code academy, very cool

[@marccomp]

It was released 10 years ago and still a phenomenal explanation about how the internet works.

[@ferminmata9142]

It's 2021 and I learned something today. Thank you for sharing this Aaron, hope life is treating you well these days.

[@ZzSlumberzZ]

I swear these old videos have a fine way with words and teaching.

[@gameburrito2502]

Odin Project Homies: Keep Going and Good Job

[@kennynuestro6145]

I'm about to sleep then suddenly this popped in my mind and can't sleep. Then I watched the video, now I can sleep.

[@rohays2613]

Lmao it's 2am literally same thing happen to me!

[@phongnguyentuan8219]

THIS IS AMAZING! Thank you so much. All those definitions are so clear to me now.

[@Nathan.Nguyen]

This video explained concepts that would've taken me hours to google, read and digest. Amazing stuff

[@TheAbabeed]

the best video to know how the Internet works

[@aahamatkhan9554]

MD.JHAENGR ALOM

[@airilyyy]

I felt enlightened after this video omg

[@user-qt1bq5bw6i]

This is wonderful thank you. It feels like I am wrapping all the life questions I had and I am getting brilliant answers. This is wonderful!

[@zytr0x108]

One of the best videos I found on the subject. Thanks!

[@DudethatGross]

"the internet is simply a wire!" 😂

[@akumenon]

How do I stop the internet from chopping my baby up?

[@ShaneRob93]

Akash Menon You can't, the Internet is ruthless and has no soul.

[@palashdeb4586]

+Akash Menon hahaha

[@GianfrancoFronzi]

+Shane Robinson YOU'RE describing the non human part of the Internet . because most internet people are quite civil . many times i've had arguments in comments when months later my opposition debater responds back to me to clarify the topic or give in , or to enlighten some more . If we can transmit in light speed , there's still a social code , a reason for being here . If we can't stay within social code , the internet would be a disaster . i'm quite proud of getting the opportunity of actually seeing it , and of the marvelous work of it's creators and technicians . remember I had to play with rabbit ears to get one more black and white channel , because we only had one , the CBC . Bravo fellow humans , let's go where nobody has gone before .

[@mastaflea]

Skynet don't give a damn!

[@brotherricksafety]

Send your baby by UPS . (mark it fragile)

[@veljames9165]

This is the best quick explanation I have seen. Thank you for sharing...Well done!!!

[@maximus13234]

Thank You Aaron Sharing This is Greatly Appreciated!

[@KabzieMusic]

Who else is here from The Odin Project?

[@blessingsminga986]

Yes!! The Odin Project

[@asamah.1]

yessir

[@thymo5305]

I have a test tomorrow, my teacher tried to explain it several times to me (45 mins of work), you explained it all to me in less then 5 minutes (cause right now i understand all those details my teacher tried to explain me, just explain me the basics... jeeez), thanks!!

[@keniawoniyi8486]

Thank you very much for this video. Absolutely simple and brilliant.

[@SamraiCast]

overthewire? Well done if you got as far as 14

[@Qumi725]

Thanks! Though getting past 12 was an accomplishment in it's own right. lol

[@nickn9040]

Honestly had to really get help once I got to 11 and then 12 as well. Might try replaying those.

[@hyronharrison8127]

Unhex, decompress, decompress, decompress, decompress

[@daravortey9911]

Sya ,,,

[@vaprin2019]

overthewire gang has arrived

[@jonathanmejdahl6692]

Such complicated information told in such an easily understanded language. Good work buddy.

[@ranganathannandakumar4463]

The simplest yet most effective video on how internet works, Amazing!!

[@Iambecome]

Now THIS is how you teach. Bravo sir, brilliant.

[@davidrush4386]

WHo's here from the Odin Project??

[@elijahsambian]

The Odin project, best of luck to us

[@dbrown429]

Amazing! I have been studying web development for a year but still didn't understand the entire process. Thanks so much!

[@ririyan5960]

love love love the explanation. the way you deliver it is easy to digest. thank you very much. ive been clicking many videos before this one and i got confused. this video is way looot better, finally a very clear explanation enlighten my cloudy mind. thank you

[@8o8inSquares]

I wonder how to connect directly to the internet... And be the self ISP...

[@mouldys.5799]

U have to own some of the internet.

[@ChurchOfTheWorld]

8o8inSquares that was my question too . Bypass the controllers and fees

[@reddragonflyxx657]

World Church ISPs still pay other ISPs in most cases (look up peering agreements). The wire analogy really breaks down really quickly. In reality it's a bunch of routers reading the IP address and deciding whether to send the packet to a device (computer or router) on the network segment it manages or to a higher layer router. Eventually (after only a few hops) the highest layer router gets it and uses routing tables (generated via BGP) to send it to another ISP. There is no magical internet, it's just a bunch of networks running the Internet Protocol which decided to peer (connect) with one another out of convenience. Who runs the individual networks? Companies, ISPs, Universities, Governments, and other institutions large enough to make a peering agreement worthwhile.

[@larrybaker8012]

Louis Hulsey Doesn't have to be a public address

[@zzhakaishin1922]

Leased lines

[@tc5290]

So essentially, the internet is simply a "transportation" line and not a big box. So information I seek online is actually retrieved from a specific server with that information? Wow, cloud computing is indeed a confusing term

[@tc5290]

+Ano Nymous South Park. It was a big machine which made sense, thus I searched online to confirm and found this lol

[@beeflat2896]

Before I started taking classes in cybersecurity my idea of the internet was a "big box" as well. But in reality you're just accessing a company or organization's physical servers that are held in a building.

[@larrybaker8012]

TurtleShroom Literally RAID, not unlike Linux distros all over the world😎

[@kevintemido]

Very simple to understand! Thank you

[@cilver2008]

Thanks. This is incredibly well explained. I will definitely look up for more of your videos

[@quicksense]

thx odin project

[@IainFletcher1]

The definition of sever here is well off, it's not "a special computer connected directly to the Internet" it's any internet connected machine running web server software. My MacBook could be a server if I wanted it to. The idea of being "directly connected" or "indirected connected" introduces a serious misunderstanding also, as well as the already spotted IP address errors. Otherwise good stuff.

[@adityanaidu9660]

Now this is how we explain....so amazing & simple. Thanks @aaron for your efforts....

[@annulidaramola7764]

Brilliant!!! timeless and simply well done. This has been so helpful!

[@davidjd123]

if teleportation was a thing would we be sent like packets too?

[@kabilr1820]

Watching this video in 2021. This is a masterpiece and a precious gem.

[@tvd1826]

Incredibly helpful explanation..thank you!

[@BO35SP]

Explicação objetiva e clara. Brilhante!

[@InfoLunix]

If you're here from The Odin Project, congrats! Keep going!

[@chokoumagic]

Looks like I'm in a technological gap to see this video in December 2019

[@mahmoudk528]

the best simplified explanation i couldnt belive that i get alot of information in these little 5 min thanks alotttt

[@xoxocamb]

This was easy to understand. Thank you!

[@suprememe620]

Remember 2.5" drive bays? I don't 😂

[@timmywashere1164]

My dad set up a dual 5.5 inch drive setup on my mom's computer back in the day. He named them *her name*'s Dual Floppys