Cambridge O Level Computer Science · Syllabus 2210 · The Internet and its Uses
Web Browser
What is Web Browser?
A web browser is application software whose main purpose is to render HTML and display web pages; it also provides an address bar, navigation tools, tabs, bookmarks and favourites, a history of pages visited, and the storage of cookies.
This definition is part of the The Internet and its Uses chapter in Cambridge O Level Computer Science.
Web Browser in context
HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) is the set of rules that governs how a web browser and a web server exchange web pages and other resources: the browser sends a request for a named resource, and the server returns a response containing a status and, where possible, the resource itself. HTTPS (hypertext transfer protocol secure) is the same request-and-response protocol with security added: the data is encrypted before transmission, and the server proves its identity with a digital certificate. HTTPS therefore protects data in transit; it makes no claim at all about whether the website's content, owner or business is honest.
A web browser is the application software used to access and display web pages. Its main purpose is to render HTML and display web pages — that is, to interpret the HTML sent back by a web server and turn it into the formatted text, images and multimedia the user sees. Around that central job it also provides an address bar, navigation tools, multiple tabs, bookmarks or favourites, a record of user history, and the storage of cookies.