Understanding Webpages vs. Websites, Web Servers vs. Search Engines: Key Differences

Web-related topics are replete with jargon. At times, they can lead to a lot of confusion among newcomers. Nonetheless, some basic, frequently-used terms need to be properly understood to understand everything else. Also, their recurrent use can easily muddle up things since all of them are related but have different functionalities.

Here, we elaborate on several web-related terms and concepts. These are:

• Webpage,
• Website,
• Web server,
• Web browser, and
• Search engine.

The article also discusses the points where the concepts differ from one another. So, let’s get started.

What is a Web Page?

Any website consists of a group of single documents or solitary pages. These are known as web pages. Each webpage is connected with a distinct URL address meant for rendering or accessing that specific page. The webpages and their corresponding URLs can be configured as public or private based on the discretion of web developers.

To access a web page or navigate through URLs, a web browser is necessary. The URLs of particular web pages can be copied and shared among users. To view a website, the need to navigate becomes optional, given that the URL address of the website is known.

But, the vast majority of URLs are linked to websites. This comes to the aid of developers in defining an appropriate sitemap as well as an organized user interface besides improving SEO prospects. The creation of web pages is done by making use of various programming languages.

The formation of a webpage also depends on the specific use of the platform on which it is developed. Every so often a web page document is written in HTML and embedded with JavaScript and CSS. A few other programming languages deemed suitable for writing web pages include Perl, PHP, and Python.

The principal advantage of HTML webpages lies in the fact that their loading time is pretty less. Also, they lay out a simple, neat appearance. But, the inclusion of JavaScript or CSS helps infuse more validations and interactions into web pages i.e. to make them more fancy, interactive, and useful. The main characteristics of a webpage are specified below:

• Contains a variety of topics pertinent to its parent website.
• It is possible to assign the same title name to different webpages, however; all of them should be encased in different documents, each having unique URLs.
• Takes less time to design and develop.
• Can be easily developed.
• It brings forth sundry resources and information, for example, texts, images, videos to attract users and increase user engagement.

Webpages are of 2 types, namely static and dynamic:

• Static webpage

It is very simple in structure and mainly written in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. When a web server receives a request for a static webpage, the response is sent to the client without any data processing. Static web pages can be viewed with the help of a web browser. Also, they remain intact unless manually modified.

• Dynamic webpage

In a dynamic webpage, the served content is different for different users. It is written in AJAX, CGI, ASP, and ASP.NET. A dynamic webpage, compared to a static webpage, takes more time to load. Dynamic web pages are required to fill in places where information keeps changing frequently, for instance, in a weather forecast or during stock price fluctuations.

What is a Website?

A website is an amalgam of many web pages that are interconnected with the help of hyperlinks. Webpages belonging to a particular website are linked to a single, unique domain. This helps them relate to their parent website.

Websites become the prime source to tie hyperlinks with different sections that may subsequently incorporate several other fitting web pages. Similar to a webpage, any website can be easily navigated by visitors.

They only need to enter the correct domain address on the web browser. Websites are also developed using the same programming languages from which web pages are developed. But, the process of website development is far more complicated and time-consuming. There are 2 main categories of websites, namely:

1. Static – They are designed for sharing resources and information in the absence of any intervention from the visitors.
2. Interactive – Their design empowers the visitors to set up interaction with the author and other members by means of putting in advice or feedback in the chatbox, comment box, or in the form of guest posting.

Other categories of websites that are much sought-after nowadays include e-commerce websites, affiliate websites, social networking websites, etc. In a nutshell, the following are the main characteristics of a website:

• Represents a cluster of web pages.
• Incorporates different content, such as text and videos.
• It is in possession of a unique domain address.
• Takes a lot of time to be designed, developed, and rolled out.
• Its development involves a lot of intricacies and complexities.

Key Differences Between Webpage and Website

• A webpage is a constituent of a website that carries content in the form of graphics, texts, videos, etc. It is also connected with many different web pages. Conversely, a website is a specialized platform containing an assortment of web pages directed to particular URLs.
• A unique domain address is attached to every website. All its elemental web pages are related to a specific domain. This implies the dependence of web pages on the domain. The other way round, a website does not need to have any dependence on its integral web pages. It remains functional even when a few of its unneeded web pages are removed.
• A web page is indicated with an extension like .html, .aspx, .htm, .php, etc. in its URL. On the other hand, a website address is indicated by .com, .org, .edu, etc. extensions.
• The URL of a webpage may consist of a resource or file path, which signifies the location of its storage inside a web server. In the case of a website, there is no such resource or file path. This is because the website has got a direct link with a unique IP address of the server of the registrar for which the website is listed.
• A website opens up an arena for developers to put their content on display and affix hyperlinks. Instead, a web page itself presents content that is shown on the website.
• The processes of design, development, and maintenance of a website are more time-intensive in contrast to a webpage. Since the webpage is a modest fragment of the website, its design and development involve relatively less time.
• A website’s general structure and programming framework are comparatively more complex. On the contrary, web pages can be easily developed once the structure of the website is delineated.
• Usually, a web page focuses on bringing out information on a single topic. In contrast, a website projects an ambiance of numerous content derived from various topics or entities by creating the corresponding hyperlinks.

What is a Web Browser?

It is a form of application software developed for retrieving and viewing information and content from web pages of HTML files stored in web servers. The concept of a web browser was brought into being in the year 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee.

The inception of the first graphic-filled web browser called Mosaic took place in 1993. Many web browsers have been developed later on. Some of the most notable ones that are commonly used include:

• Netscape Navigator
• Internet Explorer
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Opera
• Apple Safari

The prime characteristics of a web browser include:

• The presence of a graphical user interface (GUI).
• The presence of a search box that can be used by the client or user to type the URL of a webpage or address of a website.
• It can open up both static and dynamic web pages based on formatting and the level of interaction.
• It uses HTTP and TCP/IP protocols.

Differences Between Website and Web Browsers

Website	Web browser
It comprises a collection of web pages, bears a vast content base of information, and allows visitors to perform different actions.	It is used as an application to access and view websites.
It is filled with informative content of various kinds, such as images, texts, videos, audios, and hyperlinks for paying a visit to its different constituent webpages.	It takes in the address bar, navigation buttons, and integrated search options.
Its integral components are Content Management Service (CMS), web hosting services, email campaigns, testimonial pages, etc.	Its integral components include the user interface (UI), layout engine, data persistence component, JavaScript interpreter, and more.
Its basic function lies in offering vital or useful information to its visitors or users and converting them from being prospects to loyal, paying customers.	Its basic function lies in getting or retrieving information from the World Wide Web and then showing it to users as per their intent or requirements.
It makes use of different web pages to show information.	It uses the World Wide Web to show websites.
It gives rise to seamless web navigation thereby making it simpler for users to access information and improving user experience (UX).	It gives rise to faster loading of websites thereby, improving user satisfaction levels.
It involves more difficulties and complexities in its creation and maintenance.	It can be easily created and maintained.
HTML and CSS are the 2 main languages used to create websites.	HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the 3 main languages used to create web browsers.
Types of websites include e-commerce and magazine.	Types of web browsers include Chrome, IE, and Firefox.

What is a Search Engine?

It is a distinctive type of website by virtue of which users are able to look for the content spread across the web. To benefit from a search engine, a user types a desired keyword or keyphrase in the search bar.

As a consequence, the search engine looks in on its index to collect the appropriate web pages. It then displays the collected web pages in the form of a list.

The internet is regarded as a colossal source of information. For accessing internet-based information and resources a few types of software are required. This software is called a search engine. Some popular search engines worth mentioning are:

• Google
• Bing
• Yahoo
• Duck Duck go
• Baidu

A typical search engine is made of 3 principal components:

• Crawler

It is a software program occasionally referred to as a bot. It automatically and regularly carries out scanning of websites for keywords, links, and URLs to find out fresh updates. A crawler is also capable of following the links belonging to a different webpage.

• Index

As the crawler keeps on scanning websites, it continues creating, maintaining, and updating an index of the search-requested keywords, links, and URLs to add more effectiveness to the results given by the search engine.

• Search algorithm

It is the all-inclusive mechanism that absolutely pulls off a comprehensive search process. It functions by first looking for the index. Next, it explores the most relevant web pages by tallying up with frequently used keywords for search actions.

Key Differences Between Search Engines and Web Browsers

Search engine	Web browser
It is used to search for information spread all over the World Wide Web and puts all the search results on display in one place in the form of a list.	It employs the search engine for retrieving the information obtained from web pages preserved in web servers and viewing them.
It is meant for gathering information related to a number of URLs and keeping them up to date.	It is meant for displaying the webpage of the URL currently existing in the server.
It has its own database.	It does not need any database. It only consists of cache memory for storing cookies.
Common examples are Google, Bing, and Yahoo.	Common examples are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Netscape navigator.

What is a Web Server?

A web server is mainly availed for storing, processing, and delivering web pages. It has both hardware and software components. The software part finds out how users gain access to the web pages stored inside it (by using HTTP, URLs, etc.).

The hardware part comprises a physical computer that stores its inherent OS and the webpage files. The computer is capable of hosting one or multiple websites. The term “hosting” touches on the facet of the availability of all webpages and their backup files within the computer.

When a user puts in a request for a webpage, the webserver will send it to the user from the website. Then, the webpage reflects on the user’s web browser.

Not only is a web server meant for delivering webpages to clients or users. It can also receive user-centric information, for example, at the time of creating a user profile on a website. The terms website and web server confuse a lot of people.

For instance, when a user says “My website has stopped responding,” it actually indicates the fact that the webserver supporting the website is not responding and hence the website has lost its availability.

On the off chance, a user comes across difficulties accessing a website, in reality, it is the webserver experiencing trouble – the one that houses the website. More importantly, because of the reason that more than one website can be hosted on a single web server, the term “webserver” should never be used to label a website.

Following are some of the obvious differences between a web browser and a web server:

Key Differences Between Web Browser and Web Server

Key	Web Browser	Web Server
Purpose	The software is used for browsing and exhibiting web pages that are spread all across the internet.	It consists of software that is responsible for providing documents carried by web pages when it receives requests from web browsers.
Process	It sends a request to a web server for web-based content, documents, and services.	It takes a look at the requests sent by web browsers, approves them, and acts in response by sending the documents.
Process	It sends a request and receives a response. Both the messages follow HTTP.	It receives a request and sends a response. Both the messages follow HTTP.
Processing Model	It is devoid of any processing model.	It adheres to the 3 important processing models namely process-based, thread-based, and hybrid.
Data Storage	It preserves user data in the form of cookies inside local computers.	It has an allocated storage area to host the website.
Installation	The installation of a web browser is done on the machine of the user.	The installation of a web server can be done anywhere within the bounds of a network or on a local machine.
Example	Google Chrome	Apache Server

Conclusion

With the continued expansion of the web into all possible areas of our everyday lives, hopefully, this article will somewhat help in broadening the scope of education related to the internet and its key components.

So, it is evident that webpages, websites, web browsers, and web servers constitute a bunch of internet-related topics that are found to roam around every so often in the digital arena. And thus the need to have an in-depth understanding of their importance and mutual differences can make most of the users internet-savvy while they engage in different web-based transactions.