Todo lo que pasa tras enviar un mensaje de WhatsApp

When you send a WhatsApp message from your phone, it goes through a fascinating technological process before it reaches its destination. Your message doesn't go directly from your phone to another phone, but becomes a digital packet that passes through various infrastructures, such as antennas, internet providers and undersea cables, until it reaches your friend's cell phone securely and privately.

What happens when sending a message via WhatsApp?

When you send a message via WhatsApp, a complex technological network is activated so that your text arrives encrypted and secure to another device. The message is first converted into bytes - sets of eight bits made up of zeros and ones - which devices, antennas and the internet are able to interpret and transport.

How does your phone connect to the Internet?

Your phone, which is essentially a computer, connects to the Internet primarily through wireless technologies, which include: - WiFi: a common wireless system in homes and offices - 4G, 3G, 2G and Edge: mobile networks that use antennas to transmit data.

If you use cables, the connection usually occurs through an Ethernet cable that terminates in a modem, converted into signals that travel via fiber optics to the global internet.

Why is a WhatsApp message secure?

WhatsApp protects your messages through end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only the recipient can decrypt and read the content. This happens by means of: - Public key: encrypts the message - Private key: decrypts the message exclusively on the receiving device.

Public keys are automatically exchanged between contacts when adding or synchronizing phones, while private keys remain exclusively stored on each device.

What are packets and metadata?

Encrypted messages are sent in digital packets, which additionally carry metadata with information such as: - Who the sender is; - When the message was sent; - Where the message should go.

These packets travel thanks to specific protocols and are easy to manage by systems such as 4G or home wireless equipment.

How does the Internet find the right path?

To reach the right destination, each packet uses an IP address, a unique numbering assigned to each server and connection on the network. Familiar names like whatsapp.com are translated by DNS(Domain Name System) servers that map those names to specific IP addresses, allowing your message to pass in seconds from the local provider to complex global networks.

What role do providers and IXPs play?

Your Internet Service Provider or ISP sends the packet to an Internet Exchange Point or IXP, which in turn distributes it to the messaging service's datacenters. These points function as large distribution centers, connected by submarine and terrestrial cables, including satellites such as those used by Starlink.

This whole system allows messages to travel almost at the speed of light through the appropriate networks, arriving quickly and maintaining a high level of privacy and security for users.