Architecture of Web Application
Architecture of Web Application
The World Wide Web, or web, consists of many components that work together to bring a web page
to your desktop over the Internet.
• Web applications use a client-server architecture. This architecture consists of servers that
share resources with clients over a network.
• A server can share resources such as files, printers, web sites, databases, and e-mail. A web
server is a server that shares web sites, and a web browser is the client software used to
access the web server.
• A network is a communication system that allows clients and servers to communicate. A
Network Interface Card (NIC) connects the computer to the network. This connection can
either be wired or wireless. Ethernet is a common type of wired network. Wi-Fi is a common
type of wireless network.
• The network is responsible for getting information from one computer to another. This
process is called routing. A router is a device that is connected to two or more networks.
When information comes in from one network, the router determines which network is
closest to the destination and sends the information out on that network.
• A Local Area Network (LAN) is a small network of computers that are near each other and
can communicate with each other over short distances.
• A Wide Area Network (WAN) consists of multiple LANs that have been connected together
over long distances using routers
• An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that owns a WAN that is connected to the
Internet. An ISP leases access to its network to other companies that need to be connected
to the Internet.
How static web pages are processed
• A static web page is a web page that only changes when the web developer changes it. It is a
plain text file that contains all the content to be displayed in the web browser. This web
page is sent directly from the web server to the web browser when the browser requests it.
• The web browser builds a request for the web page and sends it to the web server. This
request, known as an HTTP request, is formatted using the HyperText Transfer Protocol
(HTTP), which lets the web server know which file is being requested.
• When the web server receives the HTTP request, it retrieves the requested web page from
the disk drive and sends it back to the browser as an HTTP response.
• When the browser receives the HTTP response, it uses the HTML to format the page and
displays the page in the web browser. this process depends not only on the HTTP protocol
but also on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols.
The protocols in TCP/IP let two computers communicate over the network.