HTTP: The Basics

Introduction

The Internet was an obscure set of methods for file transfer and email used by academics and researchers. The World Wide Web was invented to allow the European research organization CERN to present documents linked by hypertexts. All of that changed though when it caught the public’s eye and popularized the Internet. The web was different from other services such as cable television, because it served content based on demand. People could watch what they wanted. HTTP or HyperText Transfer Protocol is the protocol at the core of the web.

Objects

• Web pages are objects that consist of other objects.
• An object is simply a file like an HTML file, PNG file, MP3 file, etc.
• Each object has a URL
• The base object of a web page is often an HTML file that has references to other objects by making requests for them via their URL.

Note: HTML or HyperText Markup Language is the standard markup language to build webpages.