What happens when you type 'google.com' into a browser and press Enter?

You could go on for much longer if you also talk about hardware interrupts from the keyboard, and the handling of the WM_KEYDOWN window messages. That is, when you type "google.com" on the keyboard, where do those key presses go? How does the computer read and process them?

For every abstraction layer, there's always a deeper layer that you could explain in more detail. :)

You can answer this question for infinitely long -

keyboard and typing physics > brain signals to make you type > psychology about why you typed > your great grandfather's marriage and the quadrillion possibilities and detail since then that made you come to that interview > Infinite ∞ stuff about the creation of the universe. 😵😵😵😵

There is a Github repository that deals with that question and tries to be really specific.

As an addition, if you get into the google internal infrastructure, with their multi-layered DNS LB and service LB and front-end proxies you can talk for a few hours, at least :))

A good question indeed. I also realized that I lack in the TLS knowledge, I'll put it in the 1000 long TOREAD list.

I often ask this question to figure out which layer they have strength of technical knowledge.

If the interviewee talks about network layer longer than others, he probably have great skill on that layer.

The question is so incredibly broad and can be answered in so many (correct) ways that I can't see how it would be useful

The nonce attribute on a script tag is a CSP-related attribute:

developers.google.com/web/fundamen...

To use a nonce, give your script tag a nonce attribute. Its value must match one in the list of trusted sources. For example:

<script nonce=EDNnf03nceIOfn39fn3e9h3sdfa>
  //Some inline code I cant remove yet, but need to asap.
</script>

Now, add the nonce to your script-src directive appended to the nonce- keyword.

Content-Security-Policy: script-src 'nonce-EDNnf03nceIOfn39fn3e9h3sdfa'

Remember that nonces must be regenerated for every page request and they must be unguessable.

It does prevent unsafe script from being executed on the webpage if you have an XSS vulnerability. As the nonce must be present in the CSP header, even if you could inject a script tag it wouldn't be executed.

Also note that it does not always default to http and port 80: If your website is in a HSTS preload list. In the case of google.com, it isn't, but many big websites will.

If a website enforces HSTS, it will only default to HTTPS.

The tech equivalent of Subway's "How do you make a PB&J sandwich" interview test.

Both are obviously impossible to answer in full detail, so the question then becomes, what details do you choose to focus on?

Every time I see a breakdown of this question I am pleasantly surprised about where the author digs in vs skims over. I liked your approach here of writing out an answer off the top of your head and then digging in on what actually happens. I did my own take on this a while back, but I am afraid it came across waaaay more stiff :).

Can you try to explain me how to use SOLID in frontend with pure javascript?

And then I would ask "how do the neurons inside your brain react on your intention to google 'cat videos'?".

If you were not a developer, what would you like to be?

Don't forget about all the neat low level stuff that's happening even before you leave the LAN!

Everyone forgets the obvious. It will break the Internet. Please don't do it. That wireless black box atop Big Ben will be subjected to bad things.

Can you do an "explain to a 5 year old" what happens when you type google into a browser?!

Good article, just a little note: from an OSI Model point of view, HTTP is placed in the Application layer, not in the Presentation one.

So what did the interviewer say about your answer?

Great read, thanks for sharing this!

Hmm... and I thought you get to the google search. ;)

The First Few Milliseconds of an HTTPS Connection. moserware.com/2009/06/first-few-mi...

There is a whole github repo describing what happens in such detail that it will make happy any interviewer.