The Internet works because open standards allow every network to connect to every other network.
This is what makes it possible for anyone to create content, offer services, and sell products without requiring permission from a central authority.
It levels the playing field for everyone and it’s the reason why we have a rich diversity of applications and services that many of us enjoy today.

The internet is made up of a massive network of specialized computers called routers. Each router's job is to know how to move packets along from their source to their destination. A packet will have moved through multiple routers during its journey. When a packet moves from one router to the next, it's called a hop.