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The World Wide Web
When most of us talk about using the "Internet", we're typically talking about a specific part of the Internet: the World Wide Web (WWW, or simply, the Web).
The Web is a massive network of webpages, programs, and files that are accessible via URLs.
We call it a web because of its vast interconnectedness. Starting from one URL, such as http://wikipedia.org, we can follow links to eventually reach millions of webpages from across the globe.
Here's a tiny portion of that web from 2004:
Powered by protocols
A web browser loads a webpage using various protocols:
- It uses the Domain Name System (DNS) protocol to convert a domain name into an IP address.
- It uses the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to request the webpage contents from that IP address.
It may also use the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol to serve the website over a secure, encrypted connection.
The web browser uses these protocols on top of the Internet protocols, so every HTTP request also uses TCP and IP.
The Web is just one of the applications built on top of the Internet protocols, but it is by far the most popular.
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What parts of the internet aren't part of the World Wide Web?(20 votes)
Email or messaging would be one example, file sharing over the file transmission protocol would be another.
The world wide web is generally the part of the internet that you access using the HTTP (webpages).(38 votes)
Are DNS, HTTP and TLS protocols exclusive to the World Wide Web?(6 votes)- TLS is widely used outside of the www to secure network communication like messaging or email.
DNS isn't a protocol but rather a naming system.
I guess you could use DNS to handle a private network if it's large enough, but it's primarily used for the internet.
You could use HTTP on a private network, for instance an intranet might provide webpages for its members.(15 votes)
Which websites shouldn't we trust? How do we know if it's a false website?(6 votes)
There are some ways.
First - try to remember websites' domain names to which you may transfer sensitive information. For example your hospital site is princeton-plainsboro.med. You want to send them your blood test results you made in other clinic. Your health information is personal and sensitive information and shouldn't be shared without your consent. So you google Princeton Plainsboro and click first link. You are directed to very much similar site with domain name princeton-plainsb0ro.med. As you can see there is a difference in domain names. So you got into fishing site. They can even have SSL certificate but even then they can steal your data.
Second - if you are planning to transfer ANY data to a site check if site is reached via HTTPS and has a valid SSL certificate. Browsers usually show a locked lock sign before a address line if there is a valid SSL certificate. That certificate is used to encrypt data you send to server and reverse.(5 votes)
- what are via URLs.(3 votes)
"via" simply means "by way of". For example, "the letter was sent via email". A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) identifies a specific web resource, tells where to find that resource on a computer network, and how to access the resource. Usually, we think of URLs for loading a website.(8 votes)
What other applications are built on top of the Internet protocols? Would that be the "dark web?"(4 votes)- You can also think about things like bittorrent, Netflix, Spotify, Voice-over-IP phone calls, etc.(5 votes)
- So, is the world wide web on an upper layer than the internet or vice versa?(4 votes)
- The World Wide Web is a subset of the superset that is the internet.(4 votes)
What's an Internet protocol? Is it a law governing what should and shouldn't be online?(4 votes)- Internet Protocol or IP is a set of requirements for addressing and routing data on the internet. It allows devices to contact each other. HTTP and HTTPS are forms of IP. It could be thought of as rules, but it's more just a set of requirements. If the item does not meet the requirements it doesn't work.(2 votes)
- How are the web, URLs and DNS related?(4 votes)
Why a picture from 2004?(5 votes)
Why not. Good year.(0 votes)
- is it possible have a URL we own that is connected to the WWW and following public DNS to also be connected to a "subnet" that uses a private DNS system to then direct traffic within that website based on that private "intranet"?
more specifically, can it be done in a way that does not require a person to connect to that private dns? but rather be "served" the content like a Gateway?(3 votes)
