The internet is not the web
The internet is the huge global network of connected computers and other devices. It is the physical and logical infrastructure - cables, routers, satellites and wireless links - that allows devices around the world to communicate. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a collection of web pages and other resources that are accessed over the internet using web browsers. The internet is the network; the web is just one of the services that runs on it, alongside email and file transfer.
Key idea
The internet is the network of connected computers. The World Wide Web is the pages and content that run on top of it. They are not the same thing.
How the web is addressed
Each web page has a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), its full address. Web pages are usually written in HTML and are viewed using a web browser. When you type a URL, the browser uses the DNS (Domain Name System) to find the IP address of the correct web server, then requests the page using the HTTP or secure HTTPS protocol.
Everyday services
Services that use the internet include the web, email, video streaming, online games and cloud storage.
Remember
- The internet = the global network; the WWW = pages on it.
- A URL is a web page's address.
- DNS turns a domain name into an IP address.