Fundamentals of Web Technology
Fundamentals of Web Technology
FUNDAMENTALS
OF WEB
TECHNOLOGY
S.No. INTERNET WWW
The first version of the Internet was known In the beginning WWW was
9
as ARPANET. known as NSFNET.
Basis of
Internet World Wide Web (WWW)
Comparison
The World Wide Web or
The internet is a global network of WWW refers to online content
interconnected computer networks that that is formatted in HTML
Definition
use the TCP/IP protocol to connect and accessible via the
devices worldwide. HTTP/HTTPS protocol.
Features of HTTP:
AD
HTTP Transactions
The above figure shows the HTTP transaction between client and server. The client
initiates a transaction by sending a request message to the server. The server replies
to the request message by sending a response message.
Messages
HTTP messages are of two types: request and response. Both the message types
follow the same message format.
Response Message: The response message is sent by the server to the client that
consists of a status line, headers, and sometimes a body.
Working of HTTP
First of all, whenever we want to open any website then first open a web browser
after that we will type the URL of that website (e.g., www.facebook.com ). This
URL is now sent to Domain Name Server (DNS). Then DNS first check records
for this URL in their database, then DNS will return the IP address to the
web browser corresponding to this URL. Now the browser is able to send
requests to the actual server.
After the server sends data to the client, the connection will be closed. If we
want something else from the server we should have to re-establish the
connection between the client and the server.
HTTP Connection
HTTP Request
HTTP request is simply termed as the information or data that is needed by
Internet browsers for loading a website. This is simply known as HTTP Request.
There is some common information that is generally present in all HTTP
requests. These are mentioned below.
• HTTP Version
• URL
• HTTP Method
• HTTP Request Headers
• HTTP Body
HTTP Response
HTTP Response Headers
HTTP Response headers are simply like an HTTP Request where it has that
work to send some important files and data to the HTTP Response Body.
HTTP Response Body
HTTP Responses are the responses that are received successfully upon the
request. Generally, it comes under the requests generated by the web. In most
cases, the request is of transferring the HTML data into a webpage.
HTTP Status Code
HTTP Status Codes are the 3-Digit codes that tell the message or simply tell us
about the HTTP Request whether it has been completed or not. There are simply
5 types of status codes.
• Informational
• Successful
• Re-directional
• Client-Error
• Server-Error
.
History of HTTP
Tim Berners Lee and his team at CERN get credit for inventing original HTTP
and associated technologies.
• HTTP version 0.9: This was the first version of HTTP which was
introduced in 1991.
• HTTP version 1.0: In 1996, RFC 1945 (Request For Comments) was
introduced in HTTP version 1.0.
• HTTP version 1.1: In January 1997, RFC 2068 was introduced in
HTTP version 1.1. Improvements and updates to the HTTP version 1.1
standard were released under RFC 2616 in June 1999.
• HTTP version 2.0: The HTTP version 2.0 specification was published as
RFC 7540 on May 14, 2015.
• HTTP version 3.0: HTTP version 3.0 is based on the previous RFC
draft. It is renamed as Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol QUIC which is a
transport layer network protocol developed by Google.
Characteristics of HTTP
HTTP is IP based communication protocol that is used to deliver data from
server to client or vice-versa.
• The server processes a request, which is raised by the client, and also
server and client know each other only during the current bid and
response period.
• Any type of content can be exchanged as long as the server and client are
compatible with it.
• Once data is exchanged, servers and clients are no longer connected.
• It is a request and response protocol based on client and server
requirements.
• It is a connection-less protocol because after the connection is closed, the
server does not remember anything about the client and the client does not
remember anything about the server.
• It is a stateless protocol because both client and server do not expect
anything from each other but they are still able to communicate.
Advantages of HTTP
• Memory usage and CPU usage are low because of fewer simultaneous
connections.
• Since there are few TCP connections hence network congestion is less.
• Since handshaking is done at the initial connection stage, then latency is
reduced because there is no further need for handshaking for subsequent
requests.
• The error can be reported without closing the connection.
• HTTP allows HTTP pipe-lining of requests or responses.
Disadvantages of HTTP
• HTTP requires high power to establish communication and transfer data.
• HTTP is less secure because it does not use any encryption method like
HTTPS and use TLS to encrypt regular HTTP requests and response.
• HTTP is not optimized for cellular phones and it is too gabby.
• HTTP does not offer a genuine exchange of data because it is less secure.
• The client does not close the connection until it receives complete data from
the server; hence, the server needs to wait for data completion and cannot
be available for other clients during this time.
Web browser and web server
The terms web browser and web server are very common in the field of computer
science and Internet, however people often get confused between the two. The most
basic difference between a web browser and a web server is that a web browser is
an application software which is used to browse and display webpages available
over the Internet, whereas a web server is a software hosted on a dedicated
computer which provides these documents when requested by web browsers.
Read through this article to know more about web browsers and web servers and
how they are different from each other.
Process Web browsers send HTTP Request Web servers receive HTTP
and receive HTTP Response Request and send HTTP
Response.
Processing Web browser has no processing Web servers follow three major
Model model. processing models: process based,
thread based or hybrid.
Data Storage Web browsers stores user data in Web servers provide an area to
cookies in local machine. store the website.
Installation Web Browser is installed on user's Web servers can be installed
machine. anywhere but it need to be on a
network or on local computer.
Acts as Web browser acts as an interface Web servers act as the sender of
between the web server and client. web resources like web pages.
Responsibility Web browser is responsible to Web server is responsible for
request for a website or webpage hosting websites, processing web
located on the internet. requests, and sending the
demanded document to the
client.
Example Examples of web browsers include Apache Server is an example of
Google Chrome, Internet explorer, a web server.
Mozilla Firefox, etc.
Web 1.0 Web 2.0 Web 3.0
The first stage of the The second stage of the The third stage of the
internet internet internet
The purpose is
It is about interaction It aims at immersion
information sharing
Content will be
The content was
Shared content collectively owned and
owned
shared
Web-based intelligent
Introduction of web
Static websites functionalities and
applications
applications
Conclusion
The most significant difference between a web browser and a web server is that a
web browser is an application software developed to display a web-based material
like a webpage, while a web server is a huge computer which serves the requested
material through the Internet to the client computer.
Web 1.0
Web 1 is the first phase of the World Wide Web. It was created as a
hyperlinked information system. It had a huge library of data sourced on a
screen from computer systems in the network for users to browse.
This phase was dominated by static websites which were used to display some
information. These websites had no or very little interaction capabilities.
In this stage, there were only a few content creators. The majority of users of
web 1.0 were consumers of content. An example of a web 1.0 website is CNN.
Here are some features of Web 1.0:
• Read-only web
• Static web pages
• One-way publishing medium
• Page hyperlinking and bookmarking
• Content served from the server’s file system
• HTML forms are sent via email
• Only text mails could be written and sent – no option to attach images
• Use of frames and tables place and align the elements on a webpage
• Content comes from filesystem of the server instead of an RDBMS
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 or participative social web started coming into the picture in the late
1990s. It is an improved version of Web 1.0. It focuses on modifying the way
web pages are designed and used.
The differentiating factor of Web 2.0 compared to Web 1.0 is that Web 2.0
allows users to create content. It also enables social media kind of interactions.
Users can interact in the form of likes, comments, sharing their photos or videos,
etc.
In web 2.0 or the current iteration of the web, tech giants such as Facebook
(Meta), Twitter, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, control how our personal
data will be used. These companies use algorithms that decide the information
that we consume.
A few ways how internet users in web 2.0 interact and share their thoughts,
opinions, and experiences include:
• Social media
• Social networking
• Tagging
• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Web content voting
Here are some features of Web 2.0:
• Read-write web
• Also known as participative web and social web
• Dynamic content with high responsiveness to user inputs
• User-generated content
• Interoperability for end-users
• User-friendly
Web 3.0
It is the third generation of the internet that uses blockchain, cryptocurrencies,
and metaverses. It focuses on taking back the control of the internet and our
data from the giant tech companies.
In web 2.0, our data is under the control of centralized organizations. With
web3, the data will reside on blockchain networks. Therefore, users will be the
owners of their own data. The owners get to decide the ways in which they want
to share it.
Web 3.0 leverages encryption and distributed ledger technology to address the
challenges related to trust. It also focuses on more privacy and security for users.
Here are some features of Web 3.0:
• Read-write-interact web
• Powered by blockchain
• The use of decentralized network provides data control of owners
• 3D visuals and graphics
• Uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide fast results with accurate real-
time insights
• Support for semantic web that understands the meaning of words
• Use of advanced authorization mechanisms for the protection of user data
and identity
Difference between Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0
Let us talk about the differences between Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0.
Frontend Development
The part of a website where the user interacts directly is termed as front end. It
is also referred to as the ‘client side’ of the application.
Frontend Roadmap
Frontend Development Roadmap
Popular Frontend Technologies
• HTML: HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is used to
design the front end portion of web pages using markup language. It acts
as a skeleton for a website since it is used to make the structure of a
website.
• CSS: Cascading Style Sheets fondly referred to as CSS is a simply
designed language intended to simplify the process of making web pages
presentable. It is used to style our website.
• JavaScript: JavaScript is a scripting language used to provide a dynamic
behavior to our website.
• Bootstrap: Bootstrap is a free and open-source tool collection for creating
responsive websites and web applications. It is the most popular CSS
framework for developing responsive, mobile-first websites. Nowadays, the
websites are perfect for all browsers (IE, Firefox, and Chrome) and for all
sizes of screens (Desktop, Tablets, Phablets, and Phones).
• Bootstrap 4
• Bootstrap 5
Backend Development
Backend is the server side of a website. It is part of the website that users
cannot see and interact with. It is the portion of software that does not come in
direct contact with the users. It is used to store and arrange data.
Backend Roadmap
Web Hosting: Web Hosting, as the name suggests, is a type of internet hosting
that allows one to make their website available to users through WWW using
the internet. It simply provides space to the website on a web server so that files
or data of the website can be stored. It is the best way to increase the growth of
business and user experience.
Note: There are few popular free Web Hosting Platforms are Hostinger,
Bluehost, etc.
Web Publishing: Web Publishing, as the name suggests, is the process of creating
a website and placing it on the web server, and published content may include
text, images, videos, and other types of media. Its main aim is to facilitate
communication simply by adding context through style, emotion, and space. It is
also known as online publishing.
Web Hosting vs Web Publishing
It is a process of publishing or
It is a process of using server to host
uploading original content on
website.
Internet.
Web Hosting Web Publishing
A search engine is an online tool that is designed to search for websites on the
internet based on the user’s search query.
Every time a web crawler finds a new webpage through a link, it scans and passes
its content for further processing (called indexing) and continues in the discovery of
new webpages.