Basic Internet Terms and Definitions
Here are some of the most popular and basic Internet terms and their definitions.
Internet
The Internet is, also known as the net or web, is a global interconnected network that allows people to share information and communicate with each other. It was created thanks to the extensive progress in computing technology. Additionally, in many cases, the Internet is referred to as a “network of networks.”
WWW
The short WWW stands for World Wide Web, and it is a graphical interface for the Internet. The first time that it was introduced and available for the public was back in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee. It is important to mention that the Internet and WWW are actually not the same things. Yet, the majority of the people still think WWW is the Internet. However, the Internet allows you to connect and communicate with your device with other devices and machines. On the other hand, the WWW is a group of web pages kept in a web server and connected to local devices through the Internet.
DNS
DNS is a short acronym that stands for Domain Name System. It is a global naming database built in a hierarchical order that stores and links all of the existing domain names with their associated IP addresses. This naming system is essential for the Internet and the overall user experience. Without it, people would be forced to use only IP addresses to connect with their favorite websites. That sounds like a memory challenge!
Domain name
The domain name is a simple text identifier that allows humans to easily find their favorite websites. Each domain name is a string of text that is unique. Due to the fact it exists, humans are able to discover devices, networks, services, computers on the Internet very fast. Two different websites could not share the very same domain name.
IP address
The IP address is also an identifier, yet it is numerical. The different machines and servers do not understand words. For that reason, they connect and communicate through each other via IP addresses. Due to the fact that the Internet has grown massively back in the days, the need for more IP addresses increased. That is why there are two versions – IPv4, which is the older one, and IPv6, which is the newer one.
TCP/IP
TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, and it combines two protocols to establish Internet communication and allow the connection between two devices that are long-distance apart.
The Internet is a packet-switched network. Additionally, the data is divided into smaller packets, transferred separately, and then reassembled at the target destination. TCP is responsible for collecting and reassembling the data packets, and IP is the component that guarantees that the data packets are transferred to the proper target location.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol, or for short FTP, is a popular network protocol. Its main purpose is to transfer files among devices and machines over a TCP/IP-based network (the Internet). Thanks to this protocol, we are able to exchange information across the Internet. The need for sharing data was very common, and the File Transfer Protocol was one of the first developments that could solve it.
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Conclusion
So, now you know some of the fundamental Internet terms. Additionally, now you are going to be more aware while you are browsing on the Internet of what the different components mean!