How does the communication between a browser and a web server take place?

Question

Can anyone explain how the communication takes place between the browser and web server? I want to learn how

• GET, POST verbs (among others)
• cookies

Answer 1

It depends on the web server, but if you're wondering what it looks like from the client side, just install Live Headers and Firebug for firefox. With the net tab in firebug and live headers open, it should be clear exactly how the two interact.

For a more in-depth look at the actual data going back and forth, use wireshark.