Web

Web

The Web, also known as the World Wide Web (WWW), is an information system where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), which can be interlinked by hypertext, and are accessible over the Internet. The resources of the Web are transferred via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and can be accessed by users through a web browser.

History

The Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 while working at CERN. Berners-Lee proposed a system to allow researchers to share information more easily. The first website was launched on August 6, 1991, and it provided information about the World Wide Web project.

Components

The main components of the Web include:

• Web browser: Software applications used to access and view websites. Examples include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
• Web server: Computers that store and deliver web pages to users. Popular web servers include Apache HTTP Server and Nginx.
• HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): The standard markup language used to create web pages.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): A style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in HTML.
• JavaScript: A programming language that enables interactive web pages.

Functionality

The Web operates on a client-server model. Users (clients) request web pages from servers using their web browsers. The server then sends the requested web page to the client, which is rendered by the browser. This process involves several steps: 1. The user enters a URL in the web browser. 2. The browser sends an HTTP request to the web server. 3. The server processes the request and sends back the requested web page. 4. The browser renders the web page for the user to view.

Web Technologies

Several technologies are used to enhance the functionality of the Web:

• AJAX: A technique for creating fast and dynamic web pages by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes.
• WebSocket: A protocol providing full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection.
• REST (Representational State Transfer): An architectural style for designing networked applications.

Impact

The Web has had a profound impact on society, transforming how people communicate, access information, and conduct business. It has enabled the rise of e-commerce, social media, and online education.

Related Pages

• Internet
• Hypertext
• Web browser
• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Tim Berners-Lee
• CERN