
Virtually all URLs are retrieved using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a set of rules for the transfer of data. This process begins when the user inputs a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), such as, into the browser. The purpose of a web browser is to fetch content from the World Wide Web or from local storage and display it on a user's device. In some technical contexts, browsers are referred to as user agents.įunction Navigating to English Wikipedia using a web browser ( Firefox)

However, to connect to a website's server and display its web pages, a user must have a web browser installed. A search engine is a website that provides links to other websites. Ī web browser is not the same thing as a search engine, though the two are often confused. The most used browser is Google Chrome, with a 65% global market share on all devices, followed by Safari with 18%. In 2020, an estimated 4.9 billion people have used a browser. Browsers are used on a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. A web browser ( Safari) displaying a web pageĪ web browser is an application for accessing websites.
