notes.html

# A bit about the internet

## URL

URL stands for *Uniform Resource Locator*. It contains serveral different parts, including:

- the **protocol**: e.g. http, https, ftp
- the **host**: e.g. www.facebook.com, www.bbc.co.uk
- the **path**: e.g. /news/local, /john.smith.95

## DNS

DNS stands for Domain Name System. You buy a domain name from a registrar (e.g. 123-reg, GoDaddy). They arrange for your server's IP address to be added next to the domain name on a DNS server, so that people can find your site. This process can take a couple of days to spread out over the entire internet, as DNS servers take time to update one another using a 'gossiping' mechanism.

## Server-side vs. Client-side technologies

### Client-side 

Client-side technologies run in your web browser (e.g Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer). The three main client-side technologies are:

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. Javascript

### Server-side

Server-side technologies run on the server. There are many more possibilities here.

Technology			Description
Ruby on Rails		A web development framework built on the Ruby programming language.
Node.js 			A web development framework built using javascript.
MySQL 				A common open-source database.
php 				A programming language used for the majority of dynamic sites in the early 2000s

Here's a picture of a server: ...