Internet and Web Servers

The web, internet, and cloud sound like ethereal places of the mind. However, they are physical things.

A network is two or more computers connected. The internet is network of networks. So basically, the web is a bunch of computers hooked up with a bunch of wires!

gate around web servers with Wikimedia sign
Wikimedia Foundation Servers, Victorgrigas

The websites we browse come from Web Servers. Servers are specialized computers that run software to host files and web services. They have processors, memory, hard drives, and network ports just like your computer–in fact you can use your laptop or a Raspberry Pi as a simple server–however, they are designed to pack into racks to maximize use of space and optimized for processing requests.

several racks of computers in a web server
Multiple Server racks, Cskiran
many colored ethernet cables connecting server racks
Wikimedia Foundation Servers, Victorgrigas

For more information about how information passes through the internet, check out How Does the Internet Work (video) or Julia Evan’s Networking Zine.

xkcd comic strip shows a small server with cord stretched across the room
The Cloud, xkcd