Do you ever wonder how websites work? You’re not alone. The world of technology can be confusing, but understanding the basics will help you, as a product owner, to work and collaborate better with the team.

Websites or Applications are complex systems made up of 2 parts:

• Frontend: it takes care of the user interface, or what the user can see and interact on the browser or the app
• Backend: it handles the logic, data storage, and communication with other database or apps.

The Frontend

The frontend, also called the client-side, is the part of a website that’s visible and interactive to users. It’s what you see and interact with when you visit a website.

The frontend is built using:

• HTML is used to create the structure and content of a webpage
• CSS is used to style the webpage
• JavaScript is used to add interactivity to the webpage.

When a user visits a website, their web browser sends a request to the website’s server for the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files that make up the website. The server responds by sending these files back to the user’s web browser, which renders the website on the user’s screen.

The frontend communicates with the backend of the website using HTTP requests. For example, when a user fills out a form on a website and submits it, the frontend sends an HTTP post request to the backend, which processes the form data and returns a response. The frontend then updates the webpage based on the response from the backend.

The Backend

The backend, also called the server-side, is the part of a website that runs on the website’s server and isn’t visible to users. It handles:

• The website’s logic
• Data storage
• Communication with other servers and databases.

The backend is built using server-side programming languages such as PHP, Ruby, Python, or Node.js. These languages enable developers to build complex applications that can handle data processing, user authentication, and more.

When a user sends an HTTP request to a website, the backend receives the request and processes it. The backend interacts with the website’s database to fetch or update data, and it might communicate with other APIs or services to perform more complex tasks.

Once the backend has finished processing the request, it sends an HTTP response back to the frontend. The response contains data in a format such as HTML, JSON or XML that the frontend can use to update the web page, or a HTTP status code to inform the frontend of an error, such as a 404 error.

Conclusion

Websites are complex systems made up of frontend and backend components that work together to provide the user with an interactive experience. The frontend is built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and communicates with the backend using HTTP requests and responses. The backend is built using server-side programming languages and interacts with the website’s database and other services to perform complex logic and return data to the frontend.

Knowing how websites work at a technical level is key to building fast, secure, and reliable web applications.

‍