Website

A website is a collection of web pages identified by a common domain name. These pages are published on at least one web server, which is a computer that stores the site's data. Websites usually focus on a specific purpose, such as education, news, or social media. Users access these sites through a web browser on devices like smartphones, tablets, or laptops. All publicly accessible websites together make up the World Wide Web. Some websites are private and only work on internal networks for specific groups, like employees at a company.

Websites function in two primary ways: they are either static or dynamic. A static website stores pages in a fixed format on the server. These pages are primarily coded using Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML. Cascading Style Sheets, known as CSS, are used to control the visual appearance of the site. Because the information is pre-defined, every visitor sees the same content. This is similar to handing out a printed brochure to a customer. To change a static site, an owner must manually edit the text or photos.

Dynamic websites are more complex because they change or customize themselves automatically. These sites use computer code to generate HTML pages "on the fly" when a user requests them. Various software systems, such as CGI or Java Servlets, help create these dynamic environments. Web application frameworks in languages like Python or PHP make it easier to build them. A dynamic site can show personalized information to a specific user. For example, a retail site uses a database to show search results. If you search for "Beatles," the page spontaneously changes to show related products.

Modern websites also use interactive technologies to improve the user experience. In the past, users needed plug-ins like Adobe Flash Player to see video or audio. Today, HTML5 allows for audio and video without needing extra software. JavaScript is built into most browsers and lets creators modify page content interactively. The browser uses a Document Object Model, or DOM, to represent the content internally. For 3D graphics, a tool called WebGL allows for interactive animations. Many sites also use responsive design. This means the layout changes to fit the specific device being used.

The history of the web began with Tim Berners-Lee. He was a computer scientist at CERN in 1989 when he created the World Wide Web. On April 30, 1993, CERN announced the Web would be free for anyone to use. This decision caused the Web to grow immensely. Before the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, people used other methods like the gopher protocol. These older protocols used simple directory structures to find and download files. Most early documents were just plain text without any special formatting.

The growth of the web has been massive over the decades. In August 1995, there were only 19,732 websites. By 2009, that number reached 215,675,903. The Web hit a milestone of 1 billion websites in September 2014. While the count sometimes dips due to inactive sites, it grew past 1 billion again by March 2016. In April 2021, there were 1,212,139,815 websites across over 10 million computers. However, an estimated 85 percent of all websites are currently inactive.

Websites use different business models to function. Some use e-commerce to sell products directly to users. Others use a freemium model, where basic content is free but premium content requires payment. Some sites rely on advertising to make money. Many services, such as news or gaming, require a subscription. Websites are also part of a larger ecosystem of digital tools. They connect users to social networks, email, and real-time stock market data. This connectivity makes the web a central part of modern life.