🙋 About
Why this site exists
Tech explanations online tend to go one of two ways: either they're written for people who already know the subject, or they're so simplified they stop being useful. Explain It Simply tries to sit in the middle — plain-English explanations that assume no prior knowledge, but still tell you what's actually true.
Every topic follows the same shape: a one-sentence answer, an analogy, a plain-English "closer look," the misconceptions people usually have, how it connects to everything else, and something you can actually go and try. If you want to see how all the pieces fit together, the Big Picture page walks through what happens end-to-end when you type a web address and press Enter.
Who writes it
Explain It Simply is written and maintained by Stuart Mathieson (stuartsm.com). It's an independent, self-funded project — not written by an agency or generated in bulk.
How your visit is handled
There are no accounts, no sign-up forms, and nothing you type on this site is stored. Full details, including how advertising cookies are handled, are in the Privacy Policy.
Credits
The site icon is based on Twemoji, copyright 2020 Twitter, Inc and other contributors, licensed under CC-BY 4.0. All topic illustrations are original artwork made for this site.
Found a mistake?
Technology moves fast and it's easy for a page to fall out of date. If something's wrong, unclear, or you'd like to see a new term explained, get in touch — corrections and suggestions are genuinely welcome.