Web Development Terms

Packet-switched network

A network that breaks data into small packets that travel independently across the network and are reassembled at their destination

Decentralized network

A network where data can travel through multiple paths instead of relying on one central connection

Advantage of packet switching

It is more reliable and efficient because packets can take different routes if one path fails

Client-server model

A model where a client requests information or services from a server and the server responds

Client

A device or program that requests information or services from a server

Server

A computer or program that receives requests and provides information or services to clients

Web server

A server whose main job is to listen for and respond to HTTP requests

Application server

A server that processes application logic and handles requests that require additional processing

File system

A system used to organize and store files on a computer

Database

An organized collection of data that can be stored and retrieved

Internet protocol

A set of rules that determines how data is formatted and transmitted across a network

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Used to transfer web pages and other resources between clients and servers

FTP

File Transfer Protocol. Used to transfer files between computers over a network

POP

Post Office Protocol. Used by email clients to retrieve emails from a mail server

DNS

Domain Name System. Translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses

DNS role in HTTP requests

DNS finds the IP address associated with a domain name so the browser knows which server to contact

HTTP request

A message sent by a client to a web server requesting a resource

HTTP response

A message sent by a web server back to the client containing the requested resource or an error

Port number

A number that identifies a specific service or application receiving network traffic

Default HTTP port

Port 80

HTTP 200 OK

Indicates that the HTTP request was successful

HTTP error response

Indicates that the server could not successfully fulfill the request

Server root directory

The main directory on the server where website files are stored

Relative URL

A URL that specifies a resource location relative to the current page or website

Absolute URL

A complete URL that includes the protocol and domain name

HTML rendering

The browser renders HTML into the visual webpage that users see

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language. Used to structure the content of web pages

Is HTML a programming language?

No. HTML is a markup language used to structure content

HTML attribute

Additional information placed inside an HTML element's opening tag that provides information or changes its behavior

Parent element

An HTML element that contains other elements inside it

Child element

An HTML element contained inside another element

Why not use HTML for styling?

HTML is meant for structure. CSS is better for styling and makes websites easier to maintain

HTML head element

The HTML element where metadata and links to external CSS and JavaScript files are commonly placed

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets. Used to control the appearance and layout of HTML elements

CSS class selector

A selector that targets HTML elements with a specific class name

CSS ID selector

A selector that targets an HTML element with a specific ID

CSS framework

A collection of pre-written CSS styles and tools that makes designing websites easier

Bootstrap

A popular CSS framework used to create responsive and consistent website layouts

Web framework

A collection of tools and libraries that helps developers build web applications

Content management system (CMS)

Software that allows users to create and manage website content without needing to write all the code

Web framework vs CMS

A web framework helps developers build applications while a CMS helps users manage website content

Front-end framework

A framework used to build the user interface and the parts of a website users interact with

Back-end framework

A framework used to handle server-side logic and data processing

Popular front-end frameworks

React Angular Vue and Next.js

Popular back-end frameworks

Express Django Flask and Ruby on Rails

Popular content management systems

WordPress Drupal and Joomla

Bootstrap classes

Predefined CSS classes that are already created and ready to use

Bootstrap grid system

A layout system that divides a page into 12 columns to organize content

JavaScript

A programming language commonly used to make web pages interactive

Client-side scripting

JavaScript code that runs in the user's browser instead of on the server

Advantages of client-side scripting

Faster interactions less server communication and immediate feedback to users

Array destructuring

A JavaScript feature that allows values from an array to be assigned to individual variables

Nested function

A function declared inside another function

Callback function

A function passed as an argument to another function to be executed later

Arrow function

A shorter way to write JavaScript functions using the => syntax

JavaScript object

A collection of related properties stored as key-value pairs

Object destructuring

A JavaScript feature that extracts properties from an object and stores them in variables

Dot notation

A way to access an object's property using a period followed by the property name

DOM

Document Object Model. Represents an HTML document as a tree of objects that JavaScript can access and modify

document object

The JavaScript object that provides access to the DOM

React

A JavaScript library used to build user interfaces

Front-end vs back-end

Front-end handles what users see and interact with while back-end handles server-side operations and data

Virtual DOM

A lightweight representation of the actual DOM that React uses to determine what changes need to be made

Advantage of the Virtual DOM

It can minimize unnecessary updates to the actual DOM which can improve performance

React component

A reusable piece of a React user interface

Component extraction

Breaking a large component into smaller reusable components

Props

Information passed from a parent component to a child component

State

Data within a React component that can change over time and cause the interface to update

useState

A React hook used to create and update state variables

Lifting up state

Moving state into a common parent component so multiple child components can share and update it

Node.js

A JavaScript runtime environment that allows JavaScript to run outside a web browser

Node.js role in React

Provides tools and an environment for developing and running React applications

Next.js

A React framework that provides additional features such as routing server-side rendering and performance optimization