The internet is a huge conglomerate of protocols that can be used to distribute information anywhere, anytime to anyone. There are many protocols that have been created over the years that vary in uses, each with their advantages and disadvantages.
The most common protocols used on the internet are HyperText Markup Language (HTML), HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and Uniform Resource Locator (URL). Let’s have a more in-depth look into each protocol.
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) allows your browser to direct you to the website you want to visit such as ‘youtube.com’ or ‘facebook.com’, which are built using the standard web building language HTML. Browsers know when to use this protocol when ‘http://’ is put in front of the website domain (http://youtube.com for example). HTTP is such a widely used protocol in this day and age that it is often automatically implemented by browsers so you are not required to have ‘http://’ in front of domains.
HTTP has come a long way since its beginnings, at first HTTP was only able to display basic text on web pages, however since then it has been updated to allow images, and flash (.swf) files. HTML5 is the current incarnation under development, its predominant aim being to support the latest multimedia software. Bringing it more in line with interactive websites made using flash.
Unfortunately HTTP is susceptible to being hacked easily. A HTTP connection between a server and computer is not secure, leading to hackers being able to steal personal information such as usernames and passwords. Fortunately developments have been made to make it more secure, take HTTPS or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer for example, HTTPS encrypts the connection making it significantly more secure, this protocol is used by online banking websites and other sources of sensitive information.
A URL is simply the web address at the top of a browser; it is a type of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) which is a term for all types of names and addresses that refer to objects on the Web. And as it says in its title, it locates the webpage for you and brings it up on your screen.
When large chunks of information is needed to be sent across the internet is it generally split up into smaller chunks referred to as ‘packets’. Packets allow faster transfer speeds due to the fact that each chunk of information can be sent via alternative routes and then reassembled at the receiving end. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used to break up these large chunks of information and then re-make them once they have been transferred.
This leads on to another protocol called simply Internet Protocol (IP). Each computer connected to the internet has an IP address, it’s almost like a virtual post code, giving each computer an identity and allowing computers to make connections specifically. It is related to TCP because an IP is needed to tell the packets of information where to go to reach it’s destination computer or server.
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