Components of Internet

Web Pages

Unit of information

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

Text file

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

A web page is a single unit of information, often called a document, that is available via the World Wide Web (WWW). A web page can be longer than one computer screen and can use more than one piece of paper when it is printed out. A web page is created using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

HTMLconsists of standardized codes, or tags, that are used to define the structure of a web page. These codes enable web pages to have many features including bold text, italic text, headings, paragraph breaks and numbered or bulleted lists.

Web pages can contain text, images, sound files, video files and hypertext links to other Internet resources. All of these features are indicated by using HTML codes.

The following web page was created with the HTML coding shown. On the left is the HTML file that was written to create the web page. The HTML file is a plain text file that has been saved with an ".html" file extension. HTML files can be written in any text editing program.

Following is a screen shot of the Library of Congress, "American Memory" web page, showing links to movies, sound recordings and photos.

A web page is transferred to a user's computer via the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). HTTP is the method through which hypertext files, such as web pages, are transferred over the Internet. HTTP is a client/server based Internet protocol, or set of rules.

Web pages generally reside on HTTP servers. A user requests a web page from an HTTP (web) server through his or her web browser client software, either by clicking on a hypertext link or designating a particular URL (Uniform Resource Locator). The server then sends the requested information to the user's computer.

The browser software interprets the HTML codes and presents the information contained in the web page in a readable format on the user's computer.

A web page is a unit of information, often called a document, that is available over the World Wide Web. Web pages are created using HTML which defines the contents of a web page such as images, text, hypertext links, video and audio files, etc. HTML files are text files that have been saved with an ".html" file extension.

Web pages are sent and received through HTTP, a client/server based method used to transfer hypertext files across the Internet. Browser client software enables users to request web pages from an HTTP (web) server, and to view the requested web pages on their computer screen.