# How ColdFusion Server Works

Regardless of which ColdFusion Server you have installed, ColdFusion application pages are processed on the server at runtime, each time they are requested by a browser.

A page request happens when you click on a Web site link to open a Web page in your browser. When you request a ColdFusion application page, ColdFusion server processes the request, retrieves any data if necessary, routes the data through the Web server, back to your browser.

In more detail, here's what happens when a Coldfusion page is opened:

1. The client requests a page that contains CFML tags.
2. The Web server passes files to ColdFusion Server if a page request contains a ColdFusion file extension.
3. ColdFusion Server scans the page and processes all CFML tags.
4. ColdFusion Server then returns only HTML and other client-side technologies to the Web server.
5. The Web server passes the page back to the browser

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