Web browser: Difference between revisions

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A '''web browser''', often shortened to '''browser''', is an [[Application software|application]] for accessing [[website]]s. When a [[User (computing)|user]] requests a [[web page]] from a particular website, the browser retrieves its [[Computer file|files]] from a [[web server]] and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers can also display content stored locally on the user's device.

Browsers are used on a range of devices, including [[desktop computer|desktops]], [[laptop]]s, [[tablet computer|tablets]], [[smartphone]]s, [[smartwatch]]es and [[Video game console|consoles]]. {{As of |2024}}, the most used browsers worldwide are [[Google Chrome]] (~66% [[market share]]), [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]] (~16%), [[Microsoft Edge|Edge]] (~6%), [[Firefox]] (~3%), [[Samsung Internet]] (~2%), and [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] (~2%).<ref name="statcounter">{{cite web |title=Browser Market Share Worldwide |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share |access-date=21 March 2025 |publisher=[[StatCounter]]}}</ref><ref name="cloudflare">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=Browser Market Share Report for 2024 Q1|website=cloudflare.com|publisher=Cloudflare, Inc.|date=May 3, 2024|url=https://radar.cloudflare.com/reports/browser-market-share-2024-q1|access-date=March 22, 2025}}</ref> As of 2023, an estimated 5.4 billion people had used a browser.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Internet Users Statistics and 2023 World Population Stats|url=https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523140912/https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|access-date=21 March 2025 |website=www.internetworldstats.com|archive-date=23 May 2024|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Function==

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== Browser market ==

{{See also|Usage share of web browsers}}

[[File:Various web browsers installed on windows 11 operating system.png|thumb|right|220px|Various web browsers installed on [[Windows 11]] operating system]]

[[Google Chrome]] has been the dominant browser since the mid-2010s and currently has a 66% global market share on all devices.<ref name="statcounter"/> The vast majority of its [[source code]] comes from Google's [[Open-source software|open-source]] [[Chromium (web browser)|Chromium]] project;<ref>{{cite web|url= https://blog.chromium.org/2008/09/welcome-to-chromium_02.html|title= Welcome to Chromium|author=((Google))|date=2 September 2008 |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> this code is also the basis for [[Chromium (web browser)#Browsers based on Chromium|many other]] browsers, including [[Microsoft Edge]], currently in third place with about a 5% share,<ref name="statcounter"/> as well as [[Samsung Internet]] and [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] in fifth and sixth places respectively with approximately 2% market share each.<ref name="statcounter"/>

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== Security ==

{{Main|Browser security}}

Web browsers are popular targets for [[hacker]]s, who exploit [[Vulnerability (computing)|security holes]] to steal information, destroy [[computer file|files]], and partake in other [[Malware|malicious]] activities. Browser vendors regularly patch these security holes, so users are strongly encouraged to keep their browser software updated. Other protection measures are [[antivirus software]] and being aware of [[Internet fraud|scams]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Simple Steps for Internet Safety |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/simple-steps-for-internet-safety |website=fbi.gov |publisher=[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] |access-date=21 February 2024}}</ref>

===Privacy===