THE INTERNET AND THE WEB

The internet is a global network of interconnected computers, servers and devices that communicate with each other using a standardized protocol. The protocol that governs data communication over the internet is TCP (transmission control protocol) and the IP (internet protocol).

Whereas, the web is a global network of interconnected documents, files and resources that can be accessed and shared through the internet using web browsers, hyperlinks and URLs (uniform resource locators). The web is governed by the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) that deals with the linking of files, document and other resources on the internet.

The internet and the web are complimentary, one the hardware and the other the software.

The internet components consists primarily of the following; data centers, servers, routers, switches, fiber optics cables, cell towers, satellites, network operations centers and internet exchange point (IXPs).

The components of the web include the following; web browsers, web servers, content management systems, web frame works, databases, web services, libraries and frameworks, templates engines, package managers, version control systems and others.

There are three main types of web architectures; the surface web, the deep web and the dark web. The surface web is the web that can be accessed by search engines such as Google and others, while the deep web can be accessed through the web but with restriction, it is for the use of authorized user only. The dark web can be accessed through the web, but only through specialized software like Tor.

Also there are two mains variant of the internet. One is a private network and can only be accessed   within an organization called intranets .while other, known as an extranet is a web accessible to partners, customer or suppliers outside an organization.

The application of the internet and the web are numerous and diverse and I dare say they are major transformation agents in our lives this century. Some of their applications include; communication, information sharing, education, entertainment, commerce, banking and finance, health care, government service, transportation and logistics, science and research, art and design, news and journalism, marketing and advertising, customer service and others.

The future of the internet and the web are intertwined and several trends in technological innovation will drive its future, such as ; extended reality, quantum computing, 6g and beyond  mobile network, edge computing, digital identity, cyber security, decentralized finance, social web , metaverse and probably a web 5.0 and beyond architecture.

 

 

SOURCES:

• The internet: A very short introduction by John Naughton (2012).
• Internet Architecture and Innovation by Barbara Van Schewick (2010).
• The Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies edited by William H. Dutton (2013).
• The Web: The Next 20 years by Tim Berners-Lee (2009).
• The Web is dead by Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff (2010).
• The future of the internet by Jonathan Zittrain (2008).