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2.3: How the Internet works

  • Page ID
    305528
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    As you probably know, the Internet refers to a series of computers that are connected and share information. A Web server is a special type of computer that stores and distributes/presents information over the Internet.

    But how does it know which information to serve? The URL (uniform resource locator) or Web address is the key and is very similar to how you receive mail at your home or office. Although you recognize a Web address like www.yahoo.com, Web servers know that location as 209.73.186.238. That’s the IP address (IP = Internet Protocol), which is a unique, numeric identity of a Web server location. All Web addresses have corresponding IP addresses that computers recognize but people never would. Registering a domain name secures a human-readable Web address and associates it with a numeric and computer friendly IP address.

    Internet vs. World Wide Web: Contrary to popular belief, these two terms do not mean the same thing. The Internet refers to the network of connected computers that share information. The World Wide Web refers to a way of accessing information through the Internet using the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and Web browsers. It does not include other protocols such as e-mail, instant messaging and file transfer (FTP).


    This page titled 2.3: How the Internet works is shared under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Mark Briggs via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.