HTTPS and TLS Explained Without the Handshake Diagrams
What the padlock actually guarantees, what happens in the handshake, why certificates cost money, and what your browser is warning about.
Category
Technical
Tutorials and explainers on how the internet, DNS, HTTPS and developer tooling actually work underneath the applications we use.
Most technical explanations are written for people who already understand the thing being explained, which makes them useless as explanations. This section is written the other way round: start from the observable behaviour, introduce one new concept at a time, and show the command or the packet that proves it.
The topics here form a deliberate order. The internet overview gives you the map. DNS explains how a name becomes an address. HTTPS explains what happens after you make contact. Version control and the terminal are the two tools you will use every single day once you start. Each guide stands alone, but reading them in order is the fastest route to a model that keeps working.
How these guides are written
- Every command is shown with the output that matters, so you can tell whether yours worked.
- Concepts are introduced once. If a term appears that has not been explained, it is either explained inline or linked to a guide that covers it.
- Nothing here assumes a specific operating system unless the text says so.
Start here
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Core Web Vitals Explained for People Who Ship Pages
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Library
All Technical guides
Newest first.
All Technical guides
Git and Version Control for People Who Have Avoided It
The mental model first, then the eight commands you actually use daily, and how to undo things without fear.
What Happens When You Press Enter
The full lifecycle of a page load — DNS, TCP, TLS, request, response, parse, render — and where the time actually goes.
DNS Explained: How a Name Becomes an Address
Recursion, the root servers, record types, caching and TTL, plus the four DNS problems that cause the outages you have actually experienced.
How the Internet Actually Works
Packets, addresses, routes and the physical layer, explained from observable behaviour rather than from a protocol diagram.
Resources
Technical resources
Services referenced by the guides above, with what each one is actually for.
Technical resources
GitHub
Hosted Git repositories with pull requests, issue tracking and free private repositories for personal accounts.
The place to put a version-controlled project even when the only collaborator is you.
Free for public and private repos
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Other categories
Topics that overlap with this one.
Other categories
Financial
How financial products, services and terminology actually work, and the questions to ask before you commit your money.
Background Check
How background checks and people-search tools work, what information they can return, and how to use them responsibly.
Resumes & CV
How to write, format and send a resume or CV that survives automated screening and still reads well to a hiring manager.
Technology
Consumer technology, AI tools, account security, cloud storage and digital productivity — explained by what changes for you, not by the spec sheet.