Unit 3.3: Understanding the World Wide Web

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Unit 3.3

Understanding the World Wide Web

IT 204: E-Commerce

Learning Objectives 🎯

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  • ✅ Differentiate between the Internet and the World Wide Web.
  • ✅ Describe the function of a web server and a web browser.
  • ✅ Define a URL and identify its components.
  • ✅ Identify HTTP as the protocol of the web.

The Internet vs. The World Wide Web

The Internet 🌐

  • The global network of computers.
  • The infrastructure (hardware, cables, routers).
  • Analogy: The physical road system.

The World Wide Web 🕸️

  • A service that runs on the internet.
  • The information (web pages, documents).
  • Analogy: The cars, shops, and houses on the roads.

Key Takeaway: The Web is a service on the Internet. They are not the same thing!

Quick Check: Internet or Web? 🎯

Click each item to assign it to the correct category. Click again to change assignment.

The Internet

The World Wide Web

Click items above to classify them — cycling: Unassigned → Internet → Web → Unassigned

How the Web Works: A Simple Model

1. Client (You)

Using a Web Browser (e.g., Chrome), you type a URL and press Enter.

2. The Request ➡️

Your browser sends an HTTP Request over the Internet, asking for the web page.

3. The Server 🗄️

The Web Server receives the request, finds the page, and sends an HTTP Response back.

This request-response cycle happens every time you click a link or load a new page!

Put It In Order: The Web Request Cycle 🔢

Click the steps in the correct sequence (1 → 5) to rebuild the request-response cycle.

1
→
2
→
3
→
4
→
5
Click steps in the correct order from first (1) to last (5)

Key Component: The Web Browser 💻

Definition: The client software that users run on their computers to request and view web pages.

  • ⚡ Acts as your "window" to the Web.
  • ⚡ Sends requests to web servers.
  • ⚡ Renders HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to display a webpage.
  • ⚡ Examples: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge.

Key Component: The Web Server 🗄️

Definition: A computer that stores web pages and serves them to users upon request.

  • ⚡ Always on and connected to the Internet.
  • ⚡ "Listens" for incoming HTTP requests from browsers.
  • ⚡ Responds by sending the requested files (HTML, images, etc.).
  • ⚡ Examples: Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS.

Browser or Server? Sort the Roles 🖥️

Click each role to assign it. Cycling: Unassigned → Browser → Server → Unassigned

Web Browser

Web Server

Click items to assign them to Browser or Server

🔍 Anatomy of a URL

https://www.example.com.np/products/gadgets

https:// — The Protocol. The rules for communication.

www.example.com.np — The Domain Name. The address of the web server.

/products/gadgets — The Path. The specific resource on the server.

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the unique address for every single resource on the Web.

Label the URL Parts 🔖

Click a highlighted segment, then click its label to identify it. Match all 3 parts.

https://www.example.com.np/products/gadgets
Protocol Domain Name Path
Click a yellow URL segment first, then click its matching label

The Language of the Web: HTTP 🗣️

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): The set of rules that web browsers and web servers use to communicate with each other.

  • It's a request-response protocol.
  • Browser Request: "GET me the homepage!"
  • Server Response: "OK, here is the HTML for the homepage."
  • Think of it as the grammar and vocabulary for a conversation between browser and server.

HTTP: Match the Concept 🔗

Click a term on the left, then click its matching description on the right.

Click a term on the left, then its matching description on the right

Practical Application: The Web in Nepal 🇳🇵

The Web is a vital tool for communication, business, and information in Nepal.

Popular Platforms

  • Google (Search)
  • Facebook (Social)
  • YouTube (Video)

Local Giants

  • Onlinekhabar: Top news portal.
  • Hamro Patro: Calendar, news, and services.

E-Commerce Impact

  • Businesses use websites and social media to reach customers.
  • Built on these principles: Daraz, Sastodeal, etc.

Key Takeaways 📊

  • The Web is a service that runs on the Internet; they are distinct.
  • It works on a client-server model: Browsers (clients) request data from Servers.
  • HTTP is the communication protocol, the "language" of the Web.
  • Every resource has a unique address called a URL.

Discussion Questions

  1. In your own words, explain the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web.
  2. What happens, step-by-step, when you type a URL like `https://onlinekhabar.com` into your web browser?
  3. What is the relationship between HTTP and the TCP/IP protocols we discussed earlier?

Thank You!

Next Up: Unit 3.4 - Key Features of Internet and Web Technology

Course Home | Unit 3 Overview