Wanting to understand Http in-depth

Question

I am a fairly experienced (mid-level) developer that has spent quite a bit of time working on the backend of many web-based projects. Rarely getting into the ui/display aspects. However, I am now a lead on a project that is in the process of taking an api to a service architecture using an asp.net mvc rest architecture. I have not problem doing this and have written many of these services already. however, I find myself wondering about the parts "hidden" by IIS/WAS and MVC.

What I am hoping to find is a good tutorial that explains what happens from the point a web page (or webservice) is requested to the point it is received by the web page or application takes over. I want to know how IIS (or any other webserver) knows what to do with a request. (One thought was a tutorial for developing your own webserver.)

I realize this is probably a large subject that I don't necessarily need to know all of to be an "expert" web developer. However, it certainly can't hurt and I also am experienced enough to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

If you are developing a RESTful web service and want to learn more about HTTP I strongly suggest reading RESTful Web Services Cookbook: Solutions for Improving Scalability and Simplicity.

Answer 2

I have already made an HTTP web server using Java only, able to run Java application at server side. I used the HTTP 1.1 specification. But you may find easier to start with a tutorial about HTTP before reading the specification.

Answer 3

I would recommend you to download and install Fiddler. Then run it and look at all the traffic that's being exchanged over the wire. It will allow you to see the actual HTTP requests and responses and their exact contents. This will allow you to gather deeper understanding at what happens at the lower network levels which is extremely useful to know when developing a web application.