APCSP Internet Vocab
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Computing device | A physical artifact that can run a program. |
Computing system | A group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose. |
Computer network | A group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data. |
Internet | The global network of connected computers that send and receive data using standardized communication protocols. |
ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) | The first packet-switching network and the foundation of today’s Internet. |
Path | A path between two computing devices on a computer network (sender and receiver) is a sequence of directly connected computing devices that begins at the sender and ends at the receiver. |
Routing | The process of finding a path from sender to receiver. |
Bandwidth | The maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time on a computer network. |
Bitrate | The number of bits of data sent per second in a connection; measures how fast data is transmitted. |
Latency | The time it takes for data to travel from one point to another on a network; measures delay. |
Protocol | An agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of a system. |
Scalability | The capacity of a system to change in size and scale to meet new demands. |
Data stream | Information is passed through the Internet as a data stream. |
Packets | Small chunks of data that are sent separately across the Internet and reassembled at their destination. |
Redundancy | The inclusion of extra components that can be used to mitigate failure of a system if other components fail. |
Fault-tolerance | When a system can support failures and still continue to function, it is called fault-tolerant. |
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) | A fast but unreliable method of sending data; packets may arrive out of order or be lost. |
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) | A reliable method of sending data that checks for errors and ensures packets arrive correctly. |
DNS (Domain Name System) | Translates website names into IP addresses that computers use. |
HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) | The protocol used for transferring web pages and other resources over the Internet. |
HTTPS | HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure is a secure version of HTTP that encrypts data using SSL/TLS for privacy and safety. |
GET | A common HTTP request method used to retrieve information from a web server. |
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) | An older protocol for encrypting data sent between a web browser and a server. |
TLS (Transport Layer Security) | The newer, more secure version of SSL that protects data in HTTPS connections. |
WWW (World Wide Web) | The system of linked web pages and content that runs on top of the Internet. |
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) | The coding language that structures the content of web pages. |
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) | The language that controls the design and appearance of web pages. |
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) | The group that develops and maintains Internet standards and protocols. |
The Cloud | A network of remote servers that store, manage, and process data over the Internet instead of on a local computer. |
Net Neutrality | The principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally, without favoring or blocking particular sites or services. |
Cookies | Small pieces of data stored by a website on a user’s computer to remember information like login status or site preferences. |