What books should I read to understand how the internet works?

Start with Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach. It begins with familiar applications and works down through the networking layers, which makes it a useful way to connect websites to the systems underneath them.

As you read, focus on the client-server model, DNS, HTTP, and TCP/IP. Those concepts give you a foundation for understanding what happens when a browser opens a website.

TCP/IP Illustrated is a good pick if you want to go deeper into networking protocols. Just know that it's a networking-focused book, not a guide to building websites or cloud applications.

For the software systems side, look at Designing Data-Intensive Applications. It covers a different set of questions about how applications handle and distribute data, so think of it as a companion rather than an introduction to TCP/IP.

For algorithms, try Grokking Algorithms. That topic is related to computer science broadly, but it's a different thing from learning how an internet connection or a website request works. You could read it alongside a networking book.

If you're open to something other than books, CS50 is a free course that covers programming, computers, and the web. It might help you explore a few areas before committing to a more specialized book.

The How the Internet Works video series from Code.org is another option for a simpler introduction to networking basics.