Technology · Internet platforms
How the internet finds, ranks, distributes and monetises information. Follow a request from DNS and routing through search or recommendation, then into advertising, marketplaces, app stores and platform economics.
Start here · The foundational guide
How internet platforms work
A complete introduction to search engines, recommendation systems, ad auctions, CDNs, DNS, routing, social graphs, marketplaces, app stores, privacy-preserving advertising and third-party cookies.
Deep dive · Identity, privacy and advertising
Third-party cookies
How a small browser mechanism became the open web’s identity layer, why browsers diverged, why Chrome reversed course, and what first-party data, clean rooms, contextual ads and private measurement can—and cannot—replace.
Deep dive · Markets, auctions and infrastructure
Digital advertising infrastructure
Follow one impression through ad servers, header bidding, SSPs, exchanges and DSPs—and examine fees, supply paths, fraud controls, CTV, retail media and vertical integration.
Four ways into the subject
How does a platform decide what you see?
Search retrieves documents for an expressed query. Recommendations predict which items will be valuable without requiring the user to ask.
How does content reach the device?
DNS finds an address, routing moves packets between networks and a CDN serves content from a suitable edge location.
How does attention become revenue?
Auctions allocate ad opportunities. Measurement, identity and prediction determine how confidently advertisers can value them.
Why do some platforms compound?
Network effects can improve selection and liquidity, while data, defaults, switching costs and governance influence durability.
The question behind the technology
An internet platform is not merely a website. It coordinates several groups—users, creators, merchants, developers, advertisers or network operators—and controls rules that shape their interaction. The strongest platforms combine useful technology with distribution, trust and a business model that grows as participation increases.
This section separates mechanisms that are often bundled together. Organic search ranking is distinct from the adjacent ad auction. A social graph is distinct from the recommendation model that uses it. A CDN is distinct from the internet routes that carry traffic to it. Clear boundaries make company advantages and regulatory risks easier to assess.
Connect the platform to the wider stack
The computation underneath ranking and advertising connects to data platforms & analytics and frontier models. Physical servers and interconnects connect to AI infrastructure & data centres. Identity, abuse prevention and availability connect to cybersecurity.
Company research includes Alphabet, Meta, Amazon and Cloudflare.