Internet vs WWW

Many people use the terms 'Internet' and 'WWW' interchangeably, but they have different meanings:

Internet World Wide Web (WWW)
What it is A global network A service available via the Internet
Provides access to Many services (file transfer, email, WWW…) Webpages linked by hyperlinks

The WWW provides access to webpages – documents which may contain text or other media – linked together using hyperlinks that allow users to easily open other pages or resources.

The WWW works on the client-server model: webpages are stored on web servers, and each page has an address known as a URL.

Web Servers and URLs

A web server is specifically designed for hosting websites and associated media.

To access a website, a user either:

Structure of a URL

A URL contains the following elements (running left to right):

Element Description Example
Protocol http or https https
Domain name The name of the website, stored on a DNS www.bbc.co.uk
Folder/directory An area within that website /bitesize/
Webpage name The specific page being viewed support

Example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/support

How a URL Request Works

  1. The user types a URL into the browser;
  2. The ISP looks up the domain name using the DNS (Domain Name Service);
  3. The DNS converts the domain name into an IP address and sends it back to the client;