World Wide Web

The World Wide Web (WWW, W3 or simply the Web) is an <a href="/facts/Information_system/apcSzFLh">information system</a> that enables <a href="/facts/Content_(media)/eW5vd3Dr">content</a> sharing over the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a> through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond <a href="/facts/Information_technology/glMzunwe">IT</a> specialists and hobbyists. It allows documents and other <a href="/facts/Web_resource/42wbl7QV">web resources</a> to be accessed over the Internet according to specific rules of the <a href="/facts/HTTP/TWtvf7JD">Hypertext Transfer Protocol</a> (HTTP).
The Web was invented by English computer scientist <a href="/facts/Tim_Berners-Lee/JRv21mt9">Tim Berners-Lee</a> while at <a href="/facts/CERN/y1gwRchm">CERN</a> in 1989 and opened to the public in 1993. It was conceived as a "universal linked information system". Documents and other media content are made available to the network through <a href="/facts/Web_server/A4GS6thA">web servers</a> and can be accessed by programs such as <a href="/facts/Web_browser/2pfyymLs">web browsers</a>. Servers and resources on the World Wide Web are identified and located through character strings called <a href="/facts/Uniform_resource_locator/pPD5g7Wq">uniform resource locators</a> (URLs).
The original and still very common document type is a <a href="/facts/Web_page/5JK7xQLe">web page</a> formatted in <a href="/facts/Hypertext_Markup_Language/sSc3fT78">Hypertext Markup Language</a> (HTML). This markup language supports <a href="/facts/Plain_text/TSlSSAg2">plain text</a>, <a href="/facts/Digital_image/3TNT47Mv">images</a>, embedded <a href="/facts/Video/F1AV8ben">video</a> and <a href="/facts/Audio_signal/rFSTI9IF">audio</a> contents, and <a href="/facts/Scripting_language/8pF4ajBL">scripts</a> (short programs) that implement complex user interaction. The HTML language also supports <a href="/facts/Hyperlink/LqNsa84e">hyperlinks</a> (embedded URLs) which provide immediate access to other web resources. <a href="/facts/Web_navigation/VRatDzlP">Web navigation</a>, or web surfing, is the common practice of following such hyperlinks across multiple websites. <a href="/facts/Web_application/BLkF3BIN">Web applications</a> are web pages that function as <a href="/facts/Application_software/YQuj7Kog">application software</a>. The information in the Web is transferred across the Internet using HTTP. Multiple web resources with a common theme and usually a common <a href="/facts/Domain_name/FDLD2m5G">domain name</a> make up a <a href="/facts/Website/SAsjJnca">website</a>. A single web server may provide multiple websites, while some websites, especially the most popular ones, may be provided by multiple servers. Website content is provided by a myriad of companies, organizations, government agencies, and <a href="/facts/User-generated_content/StMc2PQH">individual users</a>; and comprises an enormous amount of educational, entertainment, commercial, and government information.
The Web has become the world's dominant <a href="/facts/Web_platform/ubobGkCr">information systems platform</a>. It is the primary tool that billions of people worldwide use to interact with the Internet.

World Wide Web open-in-new

World Wide Web