Introduction to Web Development 1.1

Arpanet

A network created by the United States Department of Defense used to connect participating universities together.

Asynchronously

Actions or operations that are not coordinated in time.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

A communication protocol designed for the World Wide Web for transferring data files and assets between computer systems.

Internet

The Internet is a global computer network that relies upon the TCP/IP protocol suite to communicate information and data between each other.

Microwave Transmission Technology

Technology that uses electromagnetic waves that fall within the microwave family to transmit information wirelessly over long distances with direct line of sight.

Moore’s Law

Described by Gordon Moore, an observation and prediction that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every 2 years.

Sputnik

The world’s first satellite developed by the Soviet Union in 1957.

Transfer Control Protocol/Internetwork Protocol (TCP/IP)

A collection of protocols designed to standardize the way networked computer systems communicate.

Web Browser

Software application used to access and interact with the World Wide Web.

Web Server

A combination of software and hardware that performs the basic operations needed to host resources and sites on the web.

Web Service

Software that supports machine-to-machine interactions over a network.

World Wide Web (WWW)

A collection of information and resources that are accessible over the Internet. Also called Web, WWW, and W3.

Client

A computer system or device that sends a request to a server over a network.

Communication Protocol

A set of rules used to define the communication method and process between electronic devices.

Computer Network

Two or more computer systems connected together via communication media that use communication protocols to transmit data between each other.

Server

A computer system or device that listens for and attempts to respond to and fulfill requests.

Network Packet

Formatted data units that contain control information and a payload of data and are transmitted across a network.

OSI Model (Open Systems Interconnection Model)

A fundamental concept that standardizes network protocols and technology. The OSI Model contains seven layers with specific responsibilities. Also called OSI Stack.

A Record

A DNS entry that associates a domain name or subdomain to an IPv4 address.

AAAA Record

A DNS entry that associates a domain name or subdomain to an IPv6 address.

CNAME

A DNS entry that creates a subdomain and associates it to another domain or subdomain.

Connection-Oriented Protocol

A type of protocol that establishes a connection between two endpoints, sender and receiver, before transmitting data across a consistent pathway.

Connectionless Protocol

A type of protocol that provides a best-effort delivery of data packets without guaranteeing reliability or ordering.

DNAME

A DNS entry that maps a subdomain to another external domain.

DNS Records

Each record pertains to one domain name and contains entries that tie the domain and subdomains to IP addresses and other domains.

Domain Name Service (DNS)

An architecture of systems and protocols that link human-friendly addresses called domains to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of web servers.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

An alternative communication method to HTTP and part of the Internet Protocol suite, this transmission standard focuses on moving files between computers.

HTTP Management Interfaces

A website designed for managing a web server’s various resources, files, plugins, and configurations.

HTTP Request

A message sent to a server that contains a specified method, a Universal Resource Identifier, headers, and possibly a body of data to request the server perform some type of operation.

HTTP Response

A message sent in response to an HTTP Request that contains a status code, brief status message, and the requested content.

HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure Protocol (HTTPS)

A variation of the HTTP protocol that employs encryption to protect the privacy of any information transmitted between the client and server. Also called HTTP/S or HTTP(S).

Internet Protocol (IP)

Part of the TCP/IP protocol suite, Internet Protocol is responsible for addressing computer devices for the purpose of identifying devices connected to a network and locating devices that are connected to remote networks.

Name Servers

Host DNS records for individual domains and each record contains entries that tie specific domain names and subdomains to IP addresses.

Network Router

Device connected to multiple networks that forwards packets onto other networks based on its configured routing rules.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)

A protocol for sending and receiving emails.

Server-Side Scripting

Programming languages that reside on and are executed by the server prior to being communicated to the client.

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

Similar communication method to HTTP but differs in how it communicates by avoiding error checking and correction in favor of improved transmission.

Back End

Refers to the technology that resides and runs on the web server and directly or indirectly supports the operations of the website.

Branching

A Git operation that causes changelogs to be kept separate to allow a developer to work separately and then merge their changes into the central project.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

The standard, rule-based style language for describing the presentation of an HTML document.

Client-Side Scripting

Any computer language that is executed on a client system.

Code Editor

Computer application designed specifically for editing programming, scripting, and markup text-based code files.

Content Management System (CMS)

A GUI-based system of software designed to aid in the creation and management of website pages and content.

Forking

A Git operation that creates a complete copy of a project, one that is not associated with the original project.

Front End

Refers to anything that the user sees and interacts with when they access a website.

Full-Stack Developer

A developer with the skills and knowledge to develop both the front end of a website that the user interacts with as well as the back-end technology that supports the website.

GUI-Based Application

A computer software application that provides graphic elements on the computer screen that allow users to interact with the computer.

Git

A free and open-source version control system designed to provide version control over software to enable distributed collaboration, forking, branching, and change tracking and merging.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A method of interacting with technology that uses visual elements such as images, icons, and drop-down menus that users directly interact with to control the system.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

The standard language for creating structured documents designed to be displayed within a web browser.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Software application that contains a code editor, utilities, and tools designed to aid in the creation of software applications, services, and assets.

JavaScript (JS)

The computer language that is used to manipulate HTML and CSS elements of a webpage that executes on the client’s system.

Package Manager

Command-line interface (CLI) software used to locate, download, and install pre-built software packages that add additional functionality and capabilities to a coding language, a framework, or directly into a project.

Plugin

A software component that adds a specific function or feature to an existing program.

Selector

A component of CSS that determines which element in the HTML should receive a set of style properties.

Server-Side Languages

Any computer language that executes on a server.

Single Page Application (SPA)

An architectural style of building a web application that rewrites the content of a single webpage to present the user with an interface.

Syntax

The rules of arranging keywords, identifiers, and characters into meaningful statements within a language.

Tag

The building blocks of HTML. Tags are used to surround text and other tags to control layout, organization, and to apply styles.

Text Editor

Computer software designed for editing non-specific text-based files.

Version Control

The practice of tracking and managing changes to software code.

WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor

A type of software that allows users to see, create, and edit website content as it would appear in the final product.

WordPress

A popular open-source content management system.

Binary

A base 2 numbering system that only uses two symbols, 0 and 1, and is the only language understood by computer hardware.

Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)

The implementation of VLSM in network devices and routers that improves the ability to allocate IP addresses and improves the router’s efficiency of managing routes and routing decisions.

IP Address Scheme

A planned configuration of network addresses and host addresses within IP-based networks.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Registrars

Organizations authorized to sell and register domain names on behalf of the customer.

Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)

A communication protocol designed to incorporate authentication and encryption into an IPv4 network.

Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)

The fourth version of the internet protocol that uses 32 bit addresses to uniquely identify devices on a network.

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)

The sixth version of the internet protocol that uses 128 bit addresses to uniquely identify devices on a network.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

An organization that provides access to the Internet in exchange for monthly fees.

NAT (Network Address Translation)

A router-based protocol that swaps the private IP address of a packet originating from the private network with a public IP address before forwarding the packet onto the public Internet.

PAT (Port Address Translation)

A router-based protocol that extends the NAT protocol by using port numbers to allow multiple systems connected to the private network to use a single public IP address at the same time.

Private Address

Specific ranges of IP addresses that only allow systems to communicate using an internal network, but do not allow systems to communicate with the Internet.

Public Address

A unique IP address required for any computer device to connect to and communicate on the Internet.

Subnet-Mask

A component of Internet Protocol that indicates the network portion versus the host portion of an IP address.

Subnetwork (Subnet)

A part of a larger network. Comes from “sub” and “network.”

Universal Resource Locator (URL)

A human-readable string of text used to request specific resources or access specific web pages on the World Wide Web.

Variable-Length Subnet Mask (VLSM)

A network design strategy that allows administrators to change the number of networks and host addresses to carefully control address allocation and avoid wasted addresses.

Angular

A free, open-source framework designed for developing single page applications and is based on the TypeScript language.

Apache TomCat

A Java-based application server that can host websites as well as web applications. Also called TomCat.

Apache Web Server

A free and open-source web server software application that is available for a wide range of operating systems. Also called Apache.

Application Programming Interface (API)

Any software that facilitates the transmission of data between different systems that would otherwise be incompatible.

Framework

Software packages that are used to improve the speed and efficiency of building software applications.

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

A general purpose, server-side scripting language that is primarily used for web development.

LAMP Stack

A combination of software that includes Linux, Apache, MongoDB, and PHP, which offers a low-cost solution for developing and hosting websites and web applications.

Linux Operating System

Linux is a popular family of open-source computer operating systems that was first released in 1991.

Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS)

Microsoft’s web server product that runs primarily on Windows operating systems. Also called Microsoft IIS.

MongoDB

A source-available, document-oriented database software application that is available for a wide range of operating systems.

MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node (MEAN) Stack

An alternative combination of software from LAMP that includes MongoDB, Express, Angular, and Node, which offers a low-cost solution for developing and hosting websites and web applications.

MongoDB, Express, React, Node (MERN) Stack

A combination of software that includes MongoDB, Express, React, and Node, which offers a low-cost solution for developing and hosting websites and web applications.

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)

MIME types are used to associate different types of files and resources to their appropriate extension, which informs the web server how to handle the resource.

NGINX

A free, open-source, high-performance web server. Pronounced “Engine-X.”

NoSQL

A database storage method that can support different styles of data storage in addition to the standard relational database.

Node

An open-source server platform that operates on a wide range of operating systems and provides a platform for building general and special-purpose web servers.

Node Package Manager (npm)

A command line utility that allows developers to easily search for and install software packages from the world's largest repository of software.

Open-Source Software

Software wherein the developer has made the original source code available to the community for modification and extension.

React

A free and open-source JavaScript library designed for developing single page applications.

Scripting Engine

The collection of code and logic that resides on a server and processes code to create, manipulate, access, and format content for a webpage.

Secondary Storage

Data storage within a computer system that is persistent and non-volatile and is used to store programs and files.