Describe what the internet and the World Wide Web are, the role of browsers, web addresses and servers, and the difference between the internet and the web

What this dot point is asking

This outcome is about understanding, in simple terms, what the internet is and how a web page reaches your screen. You should be able to say what the internet is, what the World Wide Web is, and how they differ, and describe the roles of a browser, a web address (URL) and a web server. You do not need deep networking theory, just a clear picture of request and response. In the written paper you explain these terms and the basic process.

The answer

The internet

The internet is the huge global network of computers and devices connected together by cables, wireless links and other equipment. It is the infrastructure: the roads along which information travels. Many different services run on top of it, including the web, email, video calls and online games.

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (the web) is one service that runs on the internet. It is the collection of web pages and websites that you view in a browser. So the web is part of what the internet carries. A useful way to put it: the internet is the network, and the web is one of the things travelling on it. Email, for example, also uses the internet but is not part of the web.

Web browsers

A web browser is the program on your device that you use to view web pages. You type or click a web address, and the browser fetches and displays the page. Browsers also let you use tabs, bookmarks and a history of pages you have visited.

Web addresses

A web address, also called a URL, tells the browser where to find a page. For example, in https://www.example.edu.sg/library:

• https is the way the browser and server talk; the "s" means the connection is secure.
• www.example.edu.sg is the domain name, which names the website.
• /library points to a particular page or section on that site.

Web servers and the request

A web server is a computer that stores web pages and sends them out when asked. When you enter an address and press Enter, the browser uses it to find the correct server, sends a request for the page, and the server responds by sending the page back. The browser then displays it. This request-and-response is the basic way the web works.

Examples in context

Example 1. Streaming and the web. When you watch a video on a streaming site, your browser requests pages from the site's servers over the internet, and the video data is sent back to play. The streaming uses the internet, and the page you click is part of the web.

Example 2. Email versus the web. Sending an email also travels over the internet, but email is a separate service from the web; you might read it in a browser, yet the message itself is not a web page. This shows the internet carries many services, of which the web is just one.

Try this

• Cue. Explain, in one sentence each, what the internet is and what the World Wide Web is. (The internet is the global network of connected computers; the web is one service on it, the pages you view in a browser.)

• Cue. State the role of a web browser and a web server. (The browser is the program that requests and displays web pages; the server is the computer that stores pages and sends them back when asked.)

• Cue. In https://www.example.edu.sg/library, name the part that identifies the website. (The domain name, www.example.edu.sg, with /library pointing to a page on it.)