Learn You the Web

(for Real This Time)

Once upon a time, the web was just a polite question and an honest answer. A browser asked for a page, a server replied, and that was the whole miracle. The web you use today is still built on that same exchange—it just wears a lot more armor. This book explains how that armor came to be, what purpose it serves, and how you can use it wisely, so hosting and protecting your own corner of the web becomes something you understand, not something you avoid.

Chapters

1. Asking for a Page — The web begins when one computer politely asks another for something.
2. Getting an Answer — Responses have structure: status, headers, and the content you asked for.
3. The Place That Answers — What a web server is, and where the pages live.
4. Speaking Clearly — HTTP as the shared language that makes it all work.
5. Standing at the Door — Reverse proxies, and why you might want one.
6. Locks, Keys, and Quiet Conversations — HTTPS, TLS, and keeping conversations private.
7. When Things Get Busy — Load, reliability, and scaling without mysticism.
8. Running Your Own Corner — Ownership, responsibility, and the joy of hosting.