Resources | Subject Notes | Computer Science
The Internet is a global network of interconnected computer networks. It's a vast infrastructure that enables communication and resource sharing between billions of devices worldwide.
Think of it as the physical infrastructure – the cables, routers, and servers – that connect everything.
The World Wide Web (WWW) is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. It's just one of the many services that run on the Internet.
The WWW uses the Internet as its transport mechanism. It relies on protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, and URLs to access and display information.
Think of the WWW as the information we see – websites, images, videos – that we access using a web browser.
| Feature | Internet | World Wide Web (WWW) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Global network of interconnected computer networks. | System of interlinked hypertext documents. |
| Function | Provides the underlying infrastructure for communication and data transfer. | Provides a way to access and share information through websites. |
| Protocols | Uses various protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP, DNS). | Uses HTTP, HTTPS, and URLs. |
| Examples | Email, File Transfer (FTP), Online Gaming, Voice over IP (VoIP). | Websites, Web pages, Online documents, Web applications. |
| Relationship | The foundation upon which the WWW operates. | A service that runs on top of the Internet. |
A helpful analogy is to think of the Internet as the road network and the WWW as the cars traveling on those roads. The roads (Internet) exist independently, but the cars (WWW) use them to get from one place to another.
It's crucial to understand that the Internet and the World Wide Web are distinct but related concepts. The WWW is a valuable service that utilizes the Internet to deliver information to users globally.