World Wide Web and Web Technology

History of the Internet

The Internet, commonly called the Net, is a worldwide network of interconnected computer networks.

It allows computers and digital devices in different parts of the world to communicate and exchange information.

Because it connects many individual networks, the Internet is often called a:

Network of Networks

ARPANET and the Development of the Internet

An important early network in the development of the Internet was ARPANET.

ARPANET was developed in the United States in 1969 by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).

Its purpose was to connect computers at different institutions so that researchers could communicate and share resources.

The Internet later expanded into a global communication network used for:

Communication
Research
Education
Business
Entertainment
File Sharing
Online Services

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company or organization that provides users with access to the Internet.

Internet connections may be provided through technologies such as:

Fiber
Cable
DSL
Wireless Broadband
Mobile Networks

World Wide Web (WWW)

WWW stands for:

World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a system of interconnected web pages and resources that can be accessed through the Internet.

Web pages may contain:

Text
Images
Videos
Audio
Hyperlinks
Interactive Content

The WWW was developed by British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee beginning in 1989.

Internet and WWW Are Not the Same

The Internet provides the global networking infrastructure.

The World Wide Web is one of the services that operates through the Internet.

Therefore:

Internet → Global Network Infrastructure
WWW      → Interconnected Web Pages and Resources

Working of the WWW

The World Wide Web mainly depends on technologies such as:

Web Browser
HTML
HTTP
URL

A user normally enters a web address into a browser.

The browser communicates with a web server and displays the requested web page.

Simple Working Process of WWW

User
 ↓
Web Browser
 ↓
URL
 ↓
HTTP/HTTPS Request
 ↓
Web Server
 ↓
Web Page
 ↓
Browser Display

Web Browser

A web browser is software used to access, retrieve, and display information available on the World Wide Web.

A browser can display:

Text
Images
Videos
Animation
Web Applications

Examples include:

Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Edge
Safari
Opera

Features of the World Wide Web

Important features of the WWW include:

Hypertext Information System
Cross-Platform Access
Distributed Information
Open Standards
Web Browser Interface
Dynamic Content
Interactive Content
Continuously Evolving Web Technologies

Components of the Web

Three fundamental components discussed in this chapter are:

URL
HTTP
HTML

1. URL

URL stands for:

Uniform Resource Locator

A URL is the address used to identify and locate a resource on the Web.

Example structure:

https://example.com/page

A URL helps a browser locate a particular:

Website
Web Page
Image
File
Other Web Resource

2. HTTP

HTTP stands for:

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

HTTP defines how web browsers and web servers exchange web information.

It specifies how requests and responses are communicated between:

Browser ↔ Web Server

A secure version is:

HTTPS — Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

3. HTML

HTML stands for:

HyperText Markup Language

HTML is used to define the structure and content of a web page.

It is used for elements such as:

Headings
Paragraphs
Links
Images
Tables
Forms

Difference Between Internet and WWW

Internet	World Wide Web
A worldwide network of interconnected networks.	A collection of interconnected web pages and resources.
Provides networking infrastructure.	Operates using the Internet.
Supports many services.	Primarily provides web-based information and applications.
Uses technologies such as TCP/IP.	Commonly uses HTTP/HTTPS, HTML, and URLs.
Devices are identified using network addresses such as IP addresses.	Web resources are commonly identified using URLs.
Developed from earlier computer-networking projects such as ARPANET.	Developed by Tim Berners-Lee beginning in 1989.

Applications of the WWW

The World Wide Web is used for many purposes.

Examples include:

Communication
Video Conferencing
Online Meetings
Online Education
News
Online Shopping
Business Promotion
Research
Entertainment
Information Sharing

Web Standards

Web standards are agreed technologies and specifications used for developing websites and web applications.

They define how web technologies should work so that websites can operate consistently across different browsers and devices.

Examples include standards related to:

HTML
CSS
Web APIs
Accessibility

Benefits of Web Standards

Web standards provide several advantages:

Better compatibility
Easier website maintenance
Improved accessibility
Faster and more efficient development
Easier future updates
Better search-engine accessibility
More consistent website behaviour
Better adaptability to new technologies

Web Protocols

A protocol is a set of rules that defines how information is transmitted and exchanged over a network.

The source discusses several Internet and web-related protocols:

Gopher
HTTP
NNTP
Telnet
FTP

Gopher

Gopher is an older Internet protocol and document-retrieval system used to organize and access information through hierarchical menus.

It was widely used before the World Wide Web became dominant.

HTTP

HTTP is the main protocol used for transferring web resources.

It defines communication between:

Web Browsers
Web Servers

NNTP

NNTP stands for:

Network News Transfer Protocol

It is used for distributing, retrieving, and posting messages in network news or discussion systems such as Usenet.

Telnet

Telnet is a network protocol that provides text-based remote access to another computer or network device.

It allows users to interact with remote systems through a command-line environment.

FTP

FTP stands for:

File Transfer Protocol

FTP is used to transfer files between computers over a network.

It can be used for:

Uploading Files
Downloading Files
Managing Remote Files

Applications of Network Protocols

Protocols allow computers to communicate in an organized way.

They are used for:

Transferring Information
Accessing Web Pages
Transferring Files
Remote Communication
Exchanging Messages
Connecting Clients and Servers

Web Browser

A web browser is a client software application that retrieves and displays web content.

The browser runs on the user’s device and communicates with web servers.

Brief History of Web Browsers

Some important milestones in browser development include:

WorldWideWeb, later renamed Nexus, was created by Tim Berners-Lee around 1990.
Lynx became an important text-based browser.
NCSA Mosaic helped popularize graphical web browsing in the early 1990s.
Netscape Navigator became a major browser during the 1990s.
Microsoft introduced Internet Explorer in 1995.
Opera became publicly available during the 1990s.
Apple introduced Safari in 2003.
Mozilla released Firefox in 2004.
Google launched Chrome in 2008.
Microsoft introduced Edge in 2015.

Features of a Web Browser

Common browser features include:

Refresh Button

Reloads the current web page.

Stop Button

Stops the loading of a web page.

Home Button

Opens a predefined home page.

Address Bar

Allows users to enter:

URLs
Website Addresses
Search Queries

Tabbed Browsing

Allows multiple web pages to be opened within the same browser window.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks allow users to save websites for quick access later.

Uses of Web Browser

A web browser can be used for:

Opening Websites
Viewing Web Pages
Navigating Using Hyperlinks
Searching the Internet
Downloading Files
Uploading Files
Saving Bookmarks
Viewing Browsing History
Opening Multiple Tabs
Viewing Local HTML Files
Accessing Web Applications
Viewing Page Source
Using Browser Extensions or Plug-ins

Browser Navigation

Common browser navigation controls include:

Back
Forward
Refresh
Home
Address Bar
Tabs
Bookmarks

Search Engine

A search engine is a software system designed to help users find information on the World Wide Web.

Users enter:

Keywords
Questions
Search Phrases

and the search engine returns relevant results.

How Does a Search Engine Work?

The basic search-engine process can be explained using three major steps:

Crawling
Indexing
Ranking

1. Crawling

Crawling is the process of discovering web pages.

Search engines use automated programs commonly called crawlers or spiders to discover content on the Web.

2. Indexing

Indexing is the process of analyzing and storing information about discovered web pages.

The search engine creates an organized index that can later be searched quickly.

3. Ranking

Ranking is the process of ordering search results according to their relevance and other ranking factors.

The most relevant results are generally displayed near the top.

Search Engine Process

Crawling
   ↓
Indexing
   ↓
Ranking
   ↓
Search Results

Examples of Search Engines

Examples listed in the chapter include:

Google
Bing
Yahoo
Baidu
DuckDuckGo
Yandex
Ask.com
Ecosia
AOL

The Internet Archive also provides searchable web archives, although its main function differs from a general-purpose search engine.

Uses of Search Engines

Search engines are used to:

Find Information
Search Websites
Find Images
Find Videos
Search News
Find Educational Materials
Research Topics
Locate Online Services

Search engines allow users to search using specific keywords or queries.

Limitations of Search Engines

Some limitations include:

Search results are not always equally accurate or reliable.
Users may receive a very large number of results.
Ranking algorithms change over time.
Advertisements or low-quality pages may sometimes appear among useful results.
Users should evaluate the reliability of information they find.

Web Domain

A web domain or domain name is a human-readable name used to identify a website on the Internet.

For example:

example.com

A domain name is easier for people to remember than a numerical IP address.

Parts of a Domain Name

Consider:

example.com

Here:

example → Second-Level Domain
.com    → Top-Level Domain

Top-Level Domain (TLD)

A Top-Level Domain is the final part of a domain name.

Examples include:

.com
.org
.net
.edu
.gov

Country-code domains also exist, such as:

.np

for Nepal.

Domain Name System (DNS)

DNS stands for:

Domain Name System

DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses that computers can use.

For example:

Domain Name
     ↓
DNS
     ↓
IP Address
     ↓
Web Server

Domain Registrar

A domain registrar is an organization authorized to register and manage domain names.

Users normally register domain names through registrars.

Web Hosting

Web hosting is a service that makes website files available through the Internet.

A hosting provider supplies server resources needed to store and deliver:

HTML Files
Images
CSS
Scripts
Databases
Other Website Content

Simple Website Structure

Domain Name
     ↓
DNS
     ↓
Web Hosting Server
     ↓
Website Files
     ↓
User's Browser

Types of Web Hosting

The source discusses:

Shared Hosting
WordPress Hosting
Reseller Hosting
Dedicated Hosting
VPS Hosting

1. Shared Hosting

In shared hosting, many websites share the resources of the same physical server.

Resources may include:

CPU
RAM
Storage
Network Connection

Advantages

Lower cost
Easy to manage
Suitable for small websites

Limitation

Performance may be affected by other websites using the same server.

2. WordPress Hosting

WordPress hosting is hosting specially configured or optimized for WordPress websites.

It may provide features such as:

WordPress Installation
Automatic Updates
Backup Tools
Security Features
WordPress-Specific Support

It may be offered as shared or managed hosting.

3. Reseller Hosting

Reseller hosting allows a person or company to purchase hosting resources and provide hosting services to other customers.

It may include tools for:

Managing Multiple Accounts
Setting Hosting Packages
Client Management
White-Label Services

4. Dedicated Hosting

In dedicated hosting, an entire physical server is allocated to one customer.

Advantages

High Performance
Greater Control
Dedicated Resources
Better Customization

It is suitable for:

Large Websites
High-Traffic Websites
Resource-Intensive Applications

5. VPS Hosting

VPS stands for:

Virtual Private Server

In VPS hosting, one physical server is divided into multiple virtual servers.

Each VPS operates with allocated resources and greater independence than normal shared hosting.

Advantages

More Control
Dedicated Resource Allocation
Better Performance than Basic Shared Hosting
Greater Customization

It is suitable for websites that need more resources than shared hosting but do not require an entire dedicated physical server.

Difference Between Domain and Web Hosting

Domain	Web Hosting
The human-readable address of a website.	The service that stores and serves website files.
Helps users locate a website.	Provides the server resources needed to run the website.
Example: `example.com`	Example: Shared, VPS, or Dedicated Hosting
Connected to an IP address through DNS.	Connected to the domain so users can access website content.

Difference Between Web Browser and Search Engine

Web Browser	Search Engine
Software installed or used on a device.	Online service used to find web content.
Displays web pages.	Searches and indexes web information.
Can directly open a URL.	Finds pages based on keywords or queries.
Examples: Chrome, Firefox, Edge.	Examples: Google, Bing, Yahoo.

Quick Revision

Internet

A global network of interconnected networks.

WWW

WWW stands for:

World Wide Web

It consists of interconnected web pages and resources.

Main Web Components

URL
HTTP
HTML

URL

Uniform Resource Locator

Identifies the address of a web resource.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Used for communication between browser and web server.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language

Defines the structure of web content.

Web Protocols

Gopher
HTTP
NNTP
Telnet
FTP

Web Browser

Software used to access and display web pages.

Examples:

Chrome
Firefox
Edge
Safari
Opera

Search Engine

Software/service used to find information on the Web.

Main Processes

Crawling → Indexing → Ranking

Domain

A human-readable website address.

Example:

example.com

DNS

Domain Name System

Converts domain names into IP addresses.

Web Hosting

A service that stores website files and makes them accessible on the Internet.

Types

Shared Hosting
WordPress Hosting
Reseller Hosting
Dedicated Hosting
VPS Hosting

Important Exam Points

The Internet is a worldwide network of interconnected networks.
ARPANET was an important early network in Internet development.
WWW stands for World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web operates through the Internet.
Tim Berners-Lee developed the World Wide Web.
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.
Web standards help websites work consistently across different systems.
HTTP is used for web communication.
FTP is used for transferring files.
NNTP is associated with network news.
Telnet provides text-based remote access.
A web browser retrieves and displays web pages.
Common browser features include tabs, bookmarks, refresh, home, and the address bar.
A search engine helps users find information on the Web.
Search engines use crawling, indexing, and ranking.
A domain name identifies a website using a human-readable address.
DNS converts domain names into IP addresses.
Web hosting stores website files on servers.
Shared hosting allows several websites to share server resources.
WordPress hosting is optimized for WordPress websites.
Reseller hosting allows hosting resources to be resold.
Dedicated hosting provides an entire server to one customer.
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server.
A domain is the website address, while hosting provides the server resources.
A browser and a search engine are different: a browser displays web pages, while a search engine helps find them.