The World Wide Web (WWW), also known as the web, is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed through the Internet. It was invented in 1989 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist who was working at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The WWW revolutionized the way we access and share information, and it has become an essential tool for communication, commerce, and entertainment.
At its core, the WWW is a network of servers and clients that communicate with each other using a standardized protocol called the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a set of rules that define how messages are formatted and transmitted over the web. It allows web browsers to request resources from web servers and display them to users in a readable format.
The basic unit of the web is a web page, which is a document written in a markup language called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). HTML allows web developers to structure and format text, images, and other media elements in a way that can be rendered by web browsers. Web pages can contain hyperlinks, which are clickable elements that lead to other web pages or resources.
When you type a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) into your web browser's address bar and hit Enter, your browser sends an HTTP request to the server hosting the web page you want to access. The server responds with an HTTP response, which includes the requested web page's HTML code, along with any other resources, such as images, scripts, or stylesheets. Your browser then parses the HTML code and renders the web page according to the instructions it contains.
The web is not a single entity, but a decentralized network of interconnected servers and clients. Web servers are computers that host web pages and other resources and respond to HTTP requests from web browsers. Web clients, on the other hand, are programs that run on computers or mobile devices and access web pages and other resources by sending HTTP requests to web servers.
To access the web, you need an Internet connection and a web browser. A web browser is a program that allows you to view web pages and interact with the web. Popular web browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge. When you type a URL into your browser's address bar, the browser sends an HTTP request to the web server hosting the web page you want to access. The server responds with an HTTP response, which includes the requested web page's HTML code, along with any other resources, such as images, scripts, or stylesheets. Your browser then parses the HTML code and renders the web page according to the instructions it contains.
The web is not limited to text and images. It also supports a variety of multimedia formats, including audio and video. Audio and video files can be embedded in web pages using HTML5, a new version of HTML that includes native support for multimedia. Web developers can also use plugins, such as Adobe Flash, to add multimedia content to web pages, although plugins are becoming less popular due to security concerns.
The web also supports interactive applications, such as web-based email, online shopping, and social networking. These applications are often referred to as web apps and are built using a combination of HTML, JavaScript, and other web technologies. Web apps can run in a browser or be installed on a mobile device as a standalone app.
In summary, the World Wide Web is a decentralized network of interconnected servers and clients that communicate with each other using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Web pages are written in a markup language called HTML and can contain hyperlinks, multimedia elements, and interactive applications. Web browsers are programs that allow users to access and interact with the web, and web servers are computers that host web pages and other resources. The web has revolutionized the way we access and share information
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