The web browser or Internet browser has two main elements, the front-end, which is the user interface with which we interact, and the back-end, which is invisible but important for rendering and generating the web page. Discover how the internet works and a web browser
The web address known as the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is needed by the browser to receive and render the elements of the website to generate the web page.
The function of a web browser is simple: you enter a query and it brings up the associated results directly to your device.
However, there is a lot going on in the backend, from retrieving information from a particular web server to displaying the resources in your window.
On the interface, each browser comes with different sets of features. While some have their eyes on being a privacy-focused browser, others are mostly focused on the customization front (well, now there’s even a !).
These differences are necessary for each browser to be easily distinguishable, which would give them a unique identity.
The role of HTTP
However, when it comes to performing its primary task of retrieving and displaying information, consistency is an element. Every bit of data that is transferred during this process follows the Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
HTTP governs how a particular piece of information, be it text, images, or any other file, should be transmitted to the web. In other words, it acts as the cornerstone of any data exchange that occurs on the web.
Web pages in HTML format
On the other hand, the web pages you access through the desired browser have been written in HyperText Markup Language. Again, it is a standard language that all sites on the web must follow.
All rules have been written in the HTML and CSS specifications maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium.
Your browser would not understand the standard text; instead, they should receive all the information in HTML format.
This is what your browser reads:
And this is what it shows to the user:
So instead of the plain text you see in the frontend, the browser is mostly interested in what’s going on behind the scenes, that is, the content inside HTML, Head, Body, and other similar tags.
However, they would not be interested in this HTML data; instead, they need to grab the associated data UI element to act on it. This is where a browser’s rendering engine comes into play.
As soon as it gets the required resource from a web page, the engine translates that data into a user-understandable format, and thus you will be able to view the desired site, image or video.
By default, these engines handle XML and HTML content efficiently, but their domain could be extended by third-party plugins.
Also, different browsers use different types of rendering engines. For example, Firefox uses Gecko; Safari uses WebKit, while Chrome uses a fork of WebKit (Blink).
URL for each web page
However, with so much information on the web, how would they be identifiable? To provide a unique identity to each element on the web, they are assigned a unique address. This is also known as the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
So every website you view, including an image, video, or document, has been assigned a unique URL. You need to click on that link and then you can access it with a single click.
Need for uniformity?
In all of these, you may have witnessed one key thing: there is a common framework specified that every browser must be in line with.
For example, data transmission is handled by HTTP, websites follow HTML, which is governed by the W3C body. So what was the need for this consistency?
Well, there is a lot of information spread on the web, pertaining to different regions of the world. If each browser followed its own set of rules, the lack of uniformity would have made it extremely difficult for users to understand the information they are trying to retrieve.
But by maintaining a consistent workflow, all users can get the same information from any device, anywhere in the world.
So, on that note, we complete this article on how a web browser works. Note that following these web standards does not mean that all web browsers must be carbon copies of each other.
They could easily differentiate themselves on the UI/UX front, which they provide, among other things. It’s just that your backend functionality needs to be in line with the rules that have been set.
So, with that, we conclude this guide. If you have any queries related to the information mentioned above, let us know in the comments section below.
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