How TCP, TLS, and HTTP Work Together: The Sequence Explained Simply

A lot of developers know that TCP establishes a connection and HTTP is used to send and receive data. But how do they work together, and in what sequence?

Let's make this clear.

When a user opens a website in the browser, the browser first looks up the domain using DNS to find the servers IP address.

Then, for HTTPS over TCP, a connection is established using TCP's three way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK).

Next, TLS secures the connection. The browser verifies the server's certificate to check its identity and establishes encryption keys. Then, data shared between them is encrypted using those keys and secures information over internet

Finally, HTTP is used to send requests to the server and receive responses.

In simple terms: DNS finds the server, TCP establishes the connection, TLS secures it, and HTTP handles the communication.