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Internet Basics: A Friendly Guide to Web Technologies

Internet Basics: A Friendly Guide to Web Technologies

The Internet vs. The World Wide Web

While many people often use the terms “the internet” and “the World Wide Web” interchangeably, they actually refer to two distinct concepts. The WWW is a system of interlinked hypertext documents and resources that are accessed via the internet. In other words, the internet is the infrastructure that connects devices and networks around the world, while the World Wide Web is a service that operates on top of the infrastructure.

The Internet: A Global Network

The Internet is a vast network of interconnected computers and devices that spans the entire globe. It serves as the underlying infrastructure that allows these devices to communicate with each other, enabling the sharing of information across great distances. Imagine the internet as a massive, global spiderweb, where each thread connects millions of smaller networks. These networks are made up of computers, servers, and other devices, all working together to transmit data from one point to another.

The World Wide Web: A Layer on the Internet

The World Wide Web (WWW), on the other hand, is a collection of web pages and online content that are accessible via the internet. The web is one of the many services that operate on the internet, specifically the one that you interact with through a web browser. You might ask, what are the other services offered by the internet? VoIP includes services like skype, zoom, and whatsapp to enable voice and video calls over the internet. This service has largely replaced traditional phone calls. Another service is the IoT (Internet of Things) which allows smart home devices like thermostats, lights, and security cameras to communicate with each other over the internet.

How the Web Came to Be

The World Wide Web was invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, while he was working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. In the late 1980s, Berners-Lee noticed that scientists from around the world, who came to CERN to use its powerful particle accelerators, were having trouble sharing information. Different computers stored information in different formats, and accessing this information required logging into various systems and learning different programs. This cumbersome process inspired Berners-Lee to think of a better way.

In 1989, he proposed a solution that involved using a new technology called hypertext to link information across different computers. This idea laid the foundation for what we now know as the World Wide Web. By 1990, Berners-Lee had developed the fundamental technologies that power the web today: HTML (HyperText Markup Language), URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). These technologies allowed for the creation and retrieval of linked resources across the web, making it possible for anyone with internet access to view and share information easily.

The web quickly grew beyond CERN, becoming a global platform for information sharing, creativity, and innovation. Berners-Lee and his colleagues at CERN ensured that the web’s underlying code was made freely available to everyone, allowing the web to flourish as an open, universal platform. This decision has had profound implications, fostering the principles of decentralization, non-discrimination, bottom-up design, and universality. The web’s open standards, developed through consensus, have enabled diverse voices to be heard and have driven advancements in numerous fields, from open data and open government to free culture and education.

Today, the web continues to evolve, but its foundational principles remain the same: it is a space that is open, accessible, and for everyone. Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s vision of a universal, free-to-use platform has transformed the way we live, work, and communicate, making the World Wide Web one of the most significant innovations in human history.

Learn more from the World Wide Web Foundation.

Connecting Yourself to the Web

What is a Web Browser?

A web browser is a program that allows you to access the World Wide Web. Think of it as a vehicle that drives you through the vast landscape of the internet, bringing you to websites, online tools, and everything else the web has to offer. Popular web browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. They all serve the same purpose, but each comes with its own set of features and preferences.

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is a technology that allows your devices to connect to the internet without needing a physical, wired connection. It’s what lets you browse the web from your couch, stream movies from bed, or post on social media from a café. It works by using radio waves to transmit data between your device and a router, which is connected to the internet. Wi-Fi operates at the physical and data link layers of the OSI model, providing a means of wirelessly transmitting data between devices and the router.

IP Address: Your Internet ID

Every device connected to the internet has a unique identifier called an IP address. This is a string of numbers that looks something like 192.168.1.1 and acts as a return address for your online activity. Just as your home address tells the postal service where to deliver your mail, your IP address tells websites and services where to send information on the internet. It’s worth noting that your computer connects to the internet indirectly. You first connect to a network, like your ISP or an employer’s network, which then connects you to the internet.

URL: The Web’s Address System

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of a specific page, image, or file on the web. It’s the path that leads you to a particular location online. For example, the URL for Google’s homepage is https://www.google.com.

There are different types of URLs:

  • Absolute URLs: These contain the full path to a resource, including the protocol (like HTTP or HTTPS), the domain name (like google.com), and any path or file name.

  • Relative URLs: These only specify the path relative to the current page. For instance, if you’re already on a website, a relative URL might just include what comes after the domain name, like /blog/blog-post-name.

Static vs. Dynamic URLs:

  • Static URLs correspond to a physical file on a web server and have a fixed structure.

  • Dynamic URLs are generated on the fly by the web server, often using query parameters (more on that next), with structures that can change based on user input or database content.

Query Parameters: Adding Context to URLs

Query parameters are bits of information added to the end of a URL that help websites understand what you’re looking for or what you need. They start with a question mark (?) and consist of key-value pairs separated by ampersands (&). These are often used in search queries, filtering data, or tracking ad campaigns. For example, in an online store, you might see something like ?color=red&size=medium at the end of the URL when you’re filtering products by color and size.

Domain Name: Your Website’s Address

A domain name is the human-readable address of a website, like google.com or wikipedia.org. It’s what you type into your browser to visit a specific site. Domain names are organized hierarchically, with the top-level domain (TLD) at the end (like .com, .org, or .net) and the second-level domain (SLD) before it (like google or wikipedia). Domain names are registered with domain registrars, which assign them to specific IP addresses, allowing your browser to find the correct server on the internet.

  • Second-Level Domain (SLD): This is the name you choose, representing your brand or website’s purpose (e.g., the “apple” in apple.com).

  • Top-Level Domain (TLD): This is what comes after the SLD, like .com, .org, or .net. There are also country-specific TLDs like .uk or .au, and newer, more specific TLDs like .design or .photography.

The Path and Subdomains: Organizing Your Website

  • The path is the part of a URL that comes after the domain name, directing you to specific pages or resources on a website. For example, in example.com/blog/post-name, /blog/post-name is the path.

  • A subdomain is like a branch of your main website, often used to organize different sections. For instance, blog.example.com is a subdomain that might host your site’s blog, separate from the main website.

DNS: The Internet’s Phone Book

The Domain Name System (DNS) is like the internet’s phone book. It translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses, which are used to locate and identify devices on the internet. When you type a domain name into your browser, your computer sends a request to a DNS server, which then returns the corresponding IP address. This allows your browser to connect to the correct server and load the website you want to visit.

Cookies: The Web’s Memory

Cookies are small pieces of data stored on your computer by websites you visit. They help websites remember your preferences, track your activity, and provide a personalized browsing experience. Cookies can be useful, but they can also raise privacy concerns, as they can be used to track your online behavior. Most browsers allow you to manage and delete cookies, giving you control over your online privacy.

Server: The Heart of the Web

A server is a special computer that’s always on, storing all the files, images, databases, and other data that make up a website. When you visit a website, your browser sends a request to the server, asking it to send back the specific data needed to display the page on your screen. It’s like asking a librarian for a specific book from the shelves, except this transaction happens in milliseconds.

Web Hosting: Where Websites Live

Web hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to make their websites accessible on the internet. When you visit a website, your browser sends a request to the site’s server, which then retrieves the necessary files and data to display the page on your screen. Web hosting providers offer different types of hosting plans, ranging from shared hosting (where multiple websites share the same server) to dedicated hosting (where a single website has an entire server to itself).

HTTP vs. HTTPS: Secure Connections

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the foundation of any data exchange on the web. When you visit a website, your browser uses HTTP to communicate with the site’s server. However, for added security, most modern websites use HTTPS (HTTP Secure), which encrypts the data exchanged between your browser and the server. This is crucial for protecting sensitive information like passwords and credit card numbers. HTTP/HTTPS operates at the application layer of the OSI model (layer 7), where it handles requests and responses for web content. It is a protocols like TCP/IP and DNS. Protocols define the rules for how data is transmitted and managed across the internet.