This process begins when the user inputs a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), such as, into the browser. The purpose of a web browser is to fetch content from the Web or from a local storage device and display it on a user's device.

In Hypertext Transfer Protocol technical texts, web browsers (and other clients) are commonly referred to as user agents. The most used browser is Google Chrome, with a 63% global market share on all devices, followed by Safari with 20%. In 2020, an estimated 4.9 billion people used a browser. Web browsers are used on a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. However, to connect to a website's server and display its web pages, a user must have a web browser installed. A search engine is a website that provides links to other websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the web browser retrieves its files from a web server and then graphically renders the page on the user's screen.Ī web browser is not the same thing as a search engine, though the two are often confused. A web browser (also referred to as an Internet browser or simply a browser) is application software for accessing the World Wide Web or a local website.

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