Web browser: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Software used to access websites}}
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[[File:Usage share of web browsers (Source StatCounter).svg|thumb|[[Usage share of web browsers]] according to [[StatCounter]].]]
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[[File:Safari 15.png|thumb|right|A web browser ([[Safari (web browser)|Safari]]) displaying a [[web page]]]]
 
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.
{{internet}}
 
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>
A '''web browser''' (commonly referred to as a '''browser''') is a [[software application]] for retrieving, presenting and traversing information resources on the [[World Wide Web]]. An ''information resource'' is identified by a [[Uniform Resource Identifier]] (URI/URL) and may be a [[web page]], image, video or other piece of content.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/webarch/#id-resources
|title=URI/Resource Relationships
|work=Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume One
|last=Jacobs
|first=Ian
|author2=Walsh, Norman
|publisher=[[World Wide Web Consortium]]
|date=15 December 2004
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref> [[Hyperlinks]] present in resources enable users easily to navigate their [[browse]]rs to related resources.
 
==Function==
Although browsers are primarily intended to use the World Wide Web, they can also be used to access information provided by [[web servers]] in [[private networks]] or files in [[file systems]].
[[File:Web browser demo.webm|thumb|Navigating to [[English Wikipedia]] using a web browser ([[Firefox]])]]
<!-- The examples below are listed alphabetically. Please keep them that way. -->
 
The purpose of a web browser is to fetch content and display it on the user's device.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reference.com/humanities-culture/purpose-browser-e61874e41999ede|title=What Is the Purpose of a Web Browser?|date=4 August 2015}}</ref> This process begins when the user inputs a [[Uniform Resource Locator]] (URL), such as ''<code><nowiki>https://en.wikipedia.org/</nowiki></code>'', into the browser's [[address bar]]. Virtually all URLs on [[World Wide Web|the Web]] start with either ''<code>http:</code>'' or ''<code>https:</code>'' which means they are retrieved with the [[HTTP|Hypertext Transfer Protocol]] (HTTP). For [[HTTPS|secure mode]] (HTTPS), the connection between the browser and [[web server]] is [[encryption|encrypted]], providing a [[communications security|secure]] and [[information privacy|private]] data transfer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/HTTP-Hypertext-Transfer-Protocol|title=What is HTTP and how does it work? Hypertext Transfer Protocol Definition|website=WhatIs.com}}</ref> For this reason, a web browser is often referred to as an HTTP client<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steelman |first=Liz |date=2024-07-28 |title=What Is a Web Browser? Web Browser Definition |url=https://www.wix.com/encyclopedia/definition/web-browser |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=wix-encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HTTP |url=https://paws.wcu.edu/holliday/cware/Web/HTTP.html |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=paws.wcu.edu}}</ref> or a [[user agent]]. Requisite materials, including text, [[Style sheet (web development)|style sheets]], [[images]], and other types of [[Website#Multimedia and interactive content|multimedia]], are [[downloaded]] from the server. Once the materials have been downloaded, the web browser's [[Browser engine|engine]] (also known as a layout engine or rendering engine) is responsible for converting those resources into an interactive visual representation of the page on the user's device.<ref name=behindscene>{{cite web|url=http://taligarsiel.com/Projects/howbrowserswork1.htm|title=Behind the scenes of modern web browsers|publisher=Tali Garsiel|access-date=21 April 2018}}</ref> Modern web browsers also contain separate [[JavaScript engine]]s which enable more complex interactive applications inside the browser.<ref name="howBlinkWorks">{{cite web |title=How Blink Works |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aitSOucL0VHZa9Z2vbRJSyAIsAz24kX8LFByQ5xQnUg |access-date=12 March 2024}}</ref> A web browser that does not render a [[graphical user interface]] is known as a [[headless browser]].
The major web browsers are [[Firefox]], [[Internet Explorer]], [[Google Chrome]], [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]], and [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]]{{fact}}.
 
Web pages usually contain [[hyperlink]]s to other pages and resources. Each link contains a URL, and when it is [[point and click|clicked]] or [[touchscreen|tapped]], the browser navigates to the new resource. Most browsers use an internal [[web cache|cache]] of web page resources to improve loading times for subsequent visits to the same page. The cache can store many items, such as large images, so they do not need to be downloaded from the server again. Cached items are usually only stored for as long as the web server stipulates in its HTTP response messages.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nguyen |first1=Hoai Viet |last2=Lo Iacono |first2=Luigi |last3=Federrath |first3=Hannes |chapter=Systematic Analysis of Web Browser Caches |date=2018-10-03 |title=Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Web Studies |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1145/3240431.3240443 |series=WS.2 2018 |___location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=64–71 |doi=10.1145/3240431.3240443 |isbn=978-1-4503-6438-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mishra |first1=Vikas |last2=Laperdrix |first2=Pierre |last3=Rudametkin |first3=Walter |last4=Rouvoy |first4=Romain |date=2021-04-01 |title=Déjà vu: Abusing Browser Cache Headers to Identify and Track Online Users |url=https://petsymposium.org/popets/2021/popets-2021-0033.php |journal=Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies |language=en |volume=2021 |issue=2 |pages=391–406 |doi=10.2478/popets-2021-0033 |issn=2299-0984|hdl=20.500.12210/57495 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
==History==
{{main|History of the web browser}}
 
A web browser is not the same thing as a [[search engine]], though the two are often confused.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509092322/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ|archive-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|title=What is a Browser?|date=30 April 2009|publisher=Google (on YouTube)|quote=Less than 8% of people who were interviewed on this day knew what a browser was.|access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.mozilla.org/en/internet-culture/mozilla-explains/internet-search-engine-browser/ |title=What is the difference between the internet, browsers, search engines and websites? |date=17 June 2021|publisher=Mozilla |quote=Let’s start by breaking down the differences between the internet, browsers, search engine, and websites. Lots of us get these four things confused with each other.}}</ref> A search engine is a website that provides [[hyperlink|links]] to other websites and allows users to search for specific resources using a textual [[Web query|query]]. However, web browsers are often used to access search engines, and most modern browsers allow users to access a default search engine directly by typing a query into the address bar.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manasa |first=D. |date=19 July 2011 |title=Difference Between Search Engine and Browser |url=https://www.differencebetween.net/technology/internet/difference-between-search-engine-and-browser/ |website=differencebetween.net}}</ref>
The first web browser was invented in 1990 by Sir [[Tim Berners-Lee]]. It was called [[WorldWideWeb]] and was later renamed Nexus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/WorldWideWeb.html |title=Tim Berners-Lee: WorldWideWeb, the first Web client |publisher=W3.org |accessdate=2011-12-07}}</ref> The first commonly available web browser with a graphical user interface was [[Erwise]]. The development of Erwise was initiated by [[Robert Cailliau]].
 
==History==
[[File:Marc Andreessen.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Marc Andreessen]], inventor of Netscape]]
{{Main|History of the web browser}}
 
The first web browser, called [[WorldWideWeb]], was created in 1990 by Sir [[Tim Berners-Lee]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/WorldWideWeb.html |title=Tim Berners-Lee: WorldWideWeb, the first Web client |publisher=[[World Wide Web Consortium]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://livinginternet.com/w/wi_browse.htm |title=Web Browser History |last=Stewart| first=William |archive-date=20 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120213137/http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_browse.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He then recruited [[Nicola Pellow]] to write the [[Line Mode Browser]], which displayed web pages on [[dumb terminals]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last1=Gillies |first1=James |last2=Cailliau |first2=R. |url=https://archive.org/details/howwebwasbornsto00gill|title=How the Web was Born: The Story of the World Wide Web |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2000|isbn=0192862073 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/howwebwasbornsto00gill/page/6 6]|url-access=registration}}</ref> The [[Mosaic (web browser)|Mosaic]] web browser was released in April 1993, and was later credited as the first web browser to find mainstream popularity.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Calore |first=Michael |date=2010-04-22 |title=April 22, 1993: Mosaic Browser Lights Up Web With Color, Creativity |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/04/0422mosaic-web-browser/ |access-date=2022-10-31 |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news |date=17 March 2011 |title=Bloomberg Game Changers: Marc Andreessen |publisher=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/video/67758394 |access-date=7 December 2011}}</ref> Its innovative [[graphical user interface]] made the [[World Wide Web]] easy to navigate and thus more accessible to the average person. This, in turn, sparked the Internet boom of the 1990s, when the Web grew at a very rapid rate.<ref name="bloomberg" /> The lead developers of Mosaic then founded the [[Netscape]] corporation, which released the Mosaic-influenced [[Netscape Navigator]] in 1994. Navigator quickly became the [[Usage share of web browsers#Older reports (pre-2000)|most popular]] browser.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mwdwebsites.com/nj-web-design-web-browsers.html|title=The Evolution of the Web Browsers|last=Enzer|first=Larry|date=31 August 2018|website=Monmouth Web Developers|access-date=31 August 2018|archive-date=31 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831174847/https://www.mwdwebsites.com/nj-web-design-web-browsers.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 1993, browser software was further innovated by [[Marc Andreessen]] with the release of [[Mosaic (web browser)|Mosaic]], "the world's first popular browser",<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/video/67758394 |title=Bloomberg Game Changers: Marc Andreessen |publisher=Bloomberg |date=17 March 2011 |accessdate=2011-12-07}}</ref> which made the World Wide Web system easy to use and more accessible to the average person. Andreesen's browser sparked the internet boom of the 1990s.<ref name="bloomberg" /> The introduction of Mosaic in 1993 – one of the first graphical web browsers – led to an explosion in web use. Andreessen, the leader of the Mosaic team at NCSA, soon started his own company, named [[Netscape]], and released the Mosaic-influenced [[Netscape Navigator]] in 1994, which quickly became the world's most popular browser, accounting for 90% of all web use at its peak (see [[usage share of web browsers]]).
 
[[Microsoft]] responded with its debuted [[Internet Explorer]] in 1995, alsoleading heavilyto influenceda by[[browser war]] with Netscape. Within a few Mosaicyears, initiatingMicrosoft thegained industry'sa firstdominant position in the [[browser war]].market Bundledfor two reasons: it bundled Internet Explorer with its popular [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], Internet[[operating Explorersystem]] gainedand dominancedid inso theas web[[freeware]] browserwith market;no Internetrestrictions Exploreron usage. The market share of Internet Explorer peaked at over 95% byin the early 20022000s.<ref name="searchenginejournal.com">{{cite webnews |url=httphttps://www.searchenginejournal.com/mozilla-firefox-internet-browser-market-share-gains-to-74/1082/ |title=Mozilla Firefox Internet Browser Market Share Gains to 7.4% |publisher first=Loren | last=Baker | work=Search Engine Journal |date=24 November 2004}}</ref> In 1998, Netscape launched what would become the [[Mozilla Foundation]] to create a new browser using the [[open-source software]] model. This work evolved into the [[Firefox]] browser, first released by Mozilla in 2004. Firefox's market share peaked at 32% in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|accessdatelast=Routley|first=Nick|date=20 January 2020|title=Internet Browser Market Share (1996–2019)|url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/internet-browser-market-share/|access-date=4 November 2021|website=Visual Capitalist|language=en-US}}</ref> [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] released its [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]] browser in 2003; it remains the dominant browser on Apple devices, though it did not become popular elsewhere.<ref name="browsershare">{{cite web|title=StatCounter August 2011 data|url=http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-12ww-07monthly-201108-201108-bar|access-date=8 May 2021}}</ref>
 
[[Google]] debuted its [[Google Chrome|Chrome]] browser in 2008, which steadily took market share from Internet Explorer and became the most popular browser in 2012.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digitaltrends-uploads-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/2011/09/net-applications-browser-market.jpg | title=Internet Explorer usage to plummet below 50 percent by mid-2012 | work=[[Digital Trends]] | date=3 September 2011 | format=[[JPEG]] | access-date=8 May 2021 | archive-date=20 November 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120200340/http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/internet-explorer-usage-to-plummet-below-50-percent-by-mid-2012/attachment/net-applications-browser-market/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=StatCounter April-May 2012 data |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201204-201205 |access-date=8 May 2021}}</ref> Chrome has [[usage share of web browsers|remained dominant]] ever since.<ref name="statcounter" /> In 2015, Microsoft replaced Internet Explorer with [[Microsoft Edge Legacy|Edge [Legacy]]] for the [[Windows 10]] release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Samuel |date=2018-03-19 |title=Windows 10: Microsoft is looking to force people to use its Edge browser |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/19/windows-10-microsoft-force-people-edge-browser-windows-mail-chrome-firefox |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 2020, this legacy version was replaced by a new [[Chromium (web browser)|Chromium]]-based version of [[Microsoft Edge|Edge]].
[[File:WorldWideWeb FSF GNU.png|thumb|[[WorldWideWeb]] for [[NeXT]], released in 1991, was the first web browser.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_browse.htm|title=Web Browser History|last=Stewart|first=William|accessdate = 5 May 2009}}</ref>]]
 
Since the early 2000s, browsers have greatly expanded their [[HTML]], [[CSS]], [[JavaScript]], and [[multimedia]] capabilities. One reason has been to enable more sophisticated websites, such as [[Web application|web apps]]. Another factor is the significant increase of [[broadband]] connectivity in [[List of sovereign states by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|many parts]] of the world, enabling people to access data-intensive content, such as [[Streaming media|streaming]] [[high-definition video|HD video]] on [[YouTube]], that was not possible during the era of [[Dial-up Internet access|dial-up modems]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dial-Up Internet Today: Understanding Its Lasting Influence |url=https://simeononsecurity.com/articles/modem-magic_-how-dial-up-internet-works-and-its-legacy-today/ |website=SimeonOnSecurity |access-date=21 February 2024}}</ref>
[[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] debuted in 1996; it has never achieved widespread use, having less than 2% browser usage share as of February 2012 according to Net Applications.<ref name="browsershare" /> Its Opera-mini version has an additive share, in April 2011 amounting to 1.1% of overall browser use, but focused on the fast-growing mobile phone web browser market, being preinstalled on over 40 million phones. It is also available on several other [[embedded system]]s, including [[Nintendo]]'s [[Wii]] video game console.
 
Starting in the mid-2020s, browsers with integrated [[artificial intelligence]] (AI) capabilities, known as [[AI browser]]s, have become increasingly common. This includes both new entrants to the browser market and established browsers that added AI features, such as Chrome with the [[Gemini (chatbot)|Gemini]] [[chatbot]] and Edge with the [[Microsoft Copilot|Copilot]] chatbot.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loic |first1=Lando |date=26 January 2024 |title=AI Browsers Are Here, and These Are the 5 Best Options |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/best-ai-browsers/ |website=Make Use Of |access-date=24 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Caswell |first1=Amanda |title=The rise of AI browsers is shaking up the web — here's why it matters |date=18 July 2025 |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/the-rise-of-ai-browsers-is-shaking-up-the-web-heres-why-it-matters |website=Tom's Guide |access-date=24 July 2025}}</ref>
In 1998, Netscape launched what was to become the [[Mozilla Foundation]] in an attempt to produce a competitive browser using the [[open source]] software model. That browser would eventually evolve into [[Firefox]], which developed a respectable following while still in the [[beta (software)|beta]] stage of development; shortly after the release of Firefox 1.0 in late 2004, Firefox (all versions) accounted for 7% of browser use.<ref name="searchenginejournal.com" /> As of August 2011, Firefox has a 28% usage share.<ref name="browsershare">http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201108-201108-bar</ref>
 
==Features==
[[Apple inc.|Apple]]'s [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]] had its first beta release in January 2003; as of April 2011, it had a dominant share of Apple-based web [[browsing]], accounting for just over 7% of the entire browser market.<ref name="browsershare" />
The most popular browsers share many [[software feature|features]] in common. They automatically log users' [[Web browsing history|browsing history]], unless the users turn off their browsing history or use the non-logging [[Private browsing|private mode]]. They also allow users to set [[Bookmark (digital)|bookmarks]], customize the browser with [[Browser extension|extensions]], and [[Download manager|manage their downloads]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Download a file | website=Google Chrome Help | url=https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95759?hl=en&sjid=17722824076517891817-NC | ref={{sfnref|Google Chrome Help}} | access-date=2025-03-21}}</ref> and [[password]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Balaban |first=David|date=17 February 2021|title=Password Manager Comparison: Top Password Managers for 2021|url=https://www.eweek.com/search-engines/comparing-in-browser-based-commercial-password-managers/|access-date=4 November 2021|website=eWEEK|language=en-US}}</ref> Some provide a sync service<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ioannou |first1=Pantelina |last2=Athanasopoulos |first2=Elias |chapter=Been Here Already? Detecting Synchronized Browsers in the Wild |date=2023-07-01 |title=2023 IEEE 8th European Symposium on Security and Privacy (EuroS&P) |publisher=IEEE |pages=913–927 |doi=10.1109/EuroSP57164.2023.00058 |isbn=978-1-6654-6512-0}}</ref> and [[web accessibility]] features.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-17 |title=Accessibility: What users can do to browse more safely - Accessibility {{!}} MDN |url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/Accessibility:_What_users_can_to_to_browse_safely |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=developer.mozilla.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
 
[[File:Chromium (web browser).png|thumb|right|220x220px|Traditional browser arrangement has [[user interface]] features above page content.]]
The most recent major entrant to the browser market is [[Google Chrome|Chrome]], first released in September 2008. Chrome's take-up has increased significantly year by year, by doubling its usage share from 8% to 16% by August 2011. This increase seems largely to be at the expense of Internet Explorer, whose share has tended to decrease from month to month.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/internet-explorer-usage-to-plummet-below-50-percent-by-mid-2012/attachment/net-applications-browser-market/ |title=Internet Explorer usage to plummet below 50 percent by mid-2012 |date=3 September 2011 |accessdate=4 September 2011}}</ref> In December 2011, Chrome overtook [[Internet Explorer 8]] as the most widely used web browser but still had lower usage than all versions of Internet Explorer combined.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/16/technology/chrome_internet_explorer/?source=cnn_bin
|title=CNN Money claims that Chrome is more popular than IE8
|publisher=CNN
|accessdate=19 December 2011
|date=16 December 2011
}}</ref> Chrome's user-base continued to grow and in May 2012, Chrome's usage passed the usage of all versions of Internet Explorer combined.<ref name="ChromePassesIE">http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201204-201205</ref> By April 2014, Chrome's usage had hit 45%.<ref name="browserShare2014">http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-201404-201404-bar</ref>
 
Common [[user interface]] (UI) features:
==Business models==
* Allowing the user to have multiple [[web page|pages]] open at the same time, either in different browser windows or in different [[Tab (interface)|tabs]] of the same window.
{{refimprove|section|date=January 2014}}
* ''Back'' and ''forward'' buttons to go back to the previous page visited or forward to the next one.
The ways that web browser makers fund their development costs has changed over time. The first web browser, WorldWideWeb, was a research project. Netscape Navigator was originally sold commercially, as was Opera; Netscape no longer exists and has been replaced with the free Firefox, while Opera is now downloadable free of charge.
* A ''refresh'' or ''reload'' and a ''stop'' button to reload and cancel loading the current page. (In most browsers, the stop button is merged with the reload button.)
* A ''home'' button to return to the [[home page|start page]].
* An address bar to input the [[URL]] of a page and display it, and a search bar to input [[web query|queries]] into a [[search engine]]. (In most browsers, the search bar is merged with the address bar.)
 
While [[mobile browser]]s have similar UI features as [[desktop computer|desktop]] versions, the limitations of the often-smaller [[touchscreen|touch screen]]s require mobile UIs to be simpler.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Simon |title=The Limitations Of Touch Interfaces |url=https://thisisglance.com/the-limitations-of-touch-interfaces/ |website=Glance |date=29 March 2019 |access-date=23 April 2021}}</ref> The difference is significant for users accustomed to [[keyboard shortcut]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chrome keyboard shortcuts |url=https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/157179 |publisher=Google Inc. |access-date=23 April 2021}}</ref> [[Responsive web design]] is used to create websites that offer a consistent experience across the desktop and mobile versions of the website and across varying screen sizes. The most popular desktop browsers also have sophisticated [[web development tools]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 June 2012 |title=Browsers are the new IDE for Web Development |url=https://devworks.thinkdigit.com/Software/Browsers-are-the-new-IDE-for-Web_9995.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702141638/http://devworks.thinkdigit.com/Software/Browsers-are-the-new-IDE-for-Web_9995.html |archive-date=2 July 2012 |website=devworks.thinkdigit.com}}</ref>
Internet Explorer, on the other hand, was from its first release always included with the Windows operating system (and furthermore was downloadable for no extra charge), and therefore it was funded partly by the sales of Windows to computer manufacturers and direct to users. Internet Explorer also used to be available for the Mac. It is likely that releasing IE for the Mac was part of Microsoft's overall strategy to fight threats to its quasi-monopoly platform dominance - threats such as web standards and Java - by making some web developers, or at least their managers, assume that there was "no need" to develop for anything other than Internet Explorer (an assumption that later proved to be badly mistaken, with the rise of Firefox and Chrome). In this respect, IE may have contributed to Windows and Microsoft applications sales in another way, through tricking organisations into inadvertent "[[Lock-in (decision-making)|lock-in]]" into the Microsoft platform.
 
Access to some web content — particularly [[streaming media|streaming services]] like Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify — is restricted by [[Digital Rights Management]] (DRM) software. A web browser is able to access DRM-restricted content through the use of a [[Content Decryption Module]] (CDM) such as [[Widevine]]. As of 2020, the CDMs used by dominant web browsers require browser providers to pay costly license fees, making it unfeasible for most independent open-source browsers to offer access to DRM-restricted content.<ref>{{cite web | last=Doctorow | first=Cory | title=Three years after the W3C approved a DRM standard, it's no longer possible to make a functional indie browser | website=Boing Boing | date=2020-01-08 | url=https://boingboing.net/2020/01/08/rip-open-web-platform.html | access-date=2025-03-22}}</ref>
Safari and Mobile Safari were likewise always included with OS X and iOS respectively, so, similarly, they were originally funded by sales of Apple computers and mobile devices, and formed part of the overall Apple experience to customers.
 
== Browser market ==
Today, most commercial web browsers are paid by search engine companies to make the search engine their default search engine (the most valuable prize) or to include them as another option. For example, Google pays [[Mozilla Corporation|Mozilla]], the maker of Firefox, to make Google Search the default search engine in Firefox. Mozilla makes so much money from this deal that it does not need to charge users for Firefox. The reason search engine companies are willing to pay for such deals is that such decisions drive traffic their way, increasing ad revenue. As of 2013, Google's search ad revenue is still a very important source of revenue. Google probably does not "pay itself" to make Google Search the default search engine in Google Chrome, but regardless, it derives ad revenue from that choice, so that indirectly funds the development of Google Chrome.
{{See also|Usage share of web browsers}}
 
[[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"/>
Many less-well-known [[free software]] browsers, such as [[Konqueror]], were hardly funded at all and were developed mostly by volunteers free of charge.
 
The other two browsers in the top four are made from different [[codebase]]s. [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]], based on [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[WebKit]] code, is the second most popular web browser and is dominant on Apple devices, resulting in an 18% global share.<ref name="statcounter"/> [[Firefox]], in fourth place, with about 3% market share,<ref name="statcounter"/> is based on [[Mozilla]]'s code. Both of these codebases are open-source, so a number of small niche browsers are also made from them.
==Function==
The primary purpose of a web browser is to bring information resources to the user ("retrieval" or "fetching"), allowing them to view the information ("display", "rendering"), and then access other information ("navigation", "following links").
 
The following table details the top web browsers by market share, as of February, 2025:
This process begins when the user inputs a [[Uniform Resource Locator]] (URL), for example ''<nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/</nowiki>'', into the browser. The prefix of the URL, the Uniform Resource Identifier or [[URI]], determines how the URL will be interpreted. The most commonly used kind of URI starts with ''http:'' and identifies a resource to be retrieved over the [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol]] (HTTP).<ref>{{cite web | title = Browser Information | publisher = DBF | url = http://downloadbrowserfree.com/ | accessdate = 2012-06-07}}</ref> Many browsers also support a variety of other prefixes, such as ''https:'' for [[HTTPS]], ''ftp:'' for the [[File Transfer Protocol]], and ''file:'' for [[computer file|local files]]. Prefixes that the web browser cannot directly handle are often handed off to another application entirely. For example, ''mailto:'' URIs are usually passed to the user's default e-mail application, and ''news:'' URIs are passed to the user's default newsgroup reader.
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|-
! Web browser !! Market share !! Reference
|-
| Chrome
| ~66%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| Safari
| ~16%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| Edge
| ~6%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| Firefox
| ~3%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| Samsung Internet
| ~2%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| Opera
| ~2%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Brave (web browser)|Brave]]
| ~1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Yandex Browser|Yandex]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[UC Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="statcounter" /><ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Huawei#Huawei Browser|Huawei Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[DuckDuckGo Private Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[QQ Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Mi Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Naver Whale]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Aloha Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Avast Secure Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[Vivaldi (web browser)|Vivaldi]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| [[AVG Technologies#AVG Secure Browser|AVG Secure Browser]]
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|-
| others
| less than 1%
| <ref name="cloudflare" />
|}
 
=== Market share by type of device ===
In the case of ''http'', ''https'', ''file'', and others, once the resource has been retrieved the web browser will display it. [[HTML]] and associated content (image files, formatting information such as [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]], etc.) is passed to the browser's [[layout engine]] to be transformed from [[markup language|markup]] to an interactive document, a process known as "rendering". Aside from HTML, web browsers can generally display any kind of content that can be part of a web page. Most browsers can display images, audio, video, and [[XML]] files, and often have [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-ins]] to support [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] applications and [[Java applets]]. Upon encountering a file of an unsupported type or a file that is set up to be downloaded rather than displayed, the browser prompts the user to save the file to disk.
Prior to late 2016, the majority of web traffic came from desktop computers. However, [[Usage share of web browsers#Crossover to smartphones having majority share|since then]], mobile devices (smartphones) have represented the majority of web traffic.<ref name="StatCounterMobile2016">{{cite web |title=Desktop vs Mobile vs Tablet Market Share Worldwide |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet/worldwide/2016 |website=StatCounter |access-date=23 March 2025}}</ref> As of February 2025, mobile devices represent a 62% share of Internet traffic, followed by desktop at 36% and tablet at 2%.<ref name="StatCounterDeviceUsageRecent">{{cite web |title=Desktop vs Mobile vs Tablet Market Share Worldwide |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet/worldwide |website=StatCounter Global Stats |access-date=23 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
 
== Security ==
Information resources may contain [[hyperlinks]] to other information resources. Each link contains the URI of a resource to go to. When a link is clicked, the browser navigates to the resource indicated by the link's target URI, and the process of bringing content to the user begins again.
{{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>
 
==Features=Privacy===
{{Further|Web tracking}}
{{details|Comparison of web browsers}}
Available web browsers range in features from minimal, text-based user interfaces with bare-bones support for HTML to rich user interfaces supporting a wide variety of file formats and protocols. Browsers which include additional components to support e-mail, [[Usenet]] news, and [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC), are sometimes referred to as "[[Internet suites]]" rather than merely "web browsers".<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.seamonkey-project.org/
|title=The SeaMonkey Project
|publisher=[[Mozilla Foundation]]
|date=7 November 2008
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.cyberdog.org/
|title=Cyberdog: Welcome to the 'doghouse!
|date=5 July 2009
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.opus.co.tt/dave/internet.htm
|title=Interesting DOS programs
|author=Teelucksingh, Dev Anand
|publisher=Opus Networkx
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref>
 
During the course of browsing, [[HTTP cookie|cookies]] received from various [[website]]s are stored by the browser. Some of them contain login credentials or site preferences.<ref name="tom's guide">{{cite web |title=Tracking Cookies: What They Are, and How They Threaten Your Privacy |date=16 September 2013 |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/us/-tracking-cookie-definition,news-17506.html |publisher=Tom's Guide |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref> However, others are used for tracking user behavior over long periods of time, so browsers typically provide a section in the menu for deleting cookies.<ref name="tom's guide"/> Some browsers have more proactive protection against cookies and trackers that limit their functionality and ability to track user behaviour.<ref>{{cite web | title=Enhanced Tracking Protection in Firefox for desktop | website=Mozilla Support | date=2024-11-26 | url=https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enhanced-tracking-protection-firefox-desktop?as=u&utm_source=inproduct | ref={{sfnref|Mozilla Support|2024}} | access-date=2025-03-23}}</ref> Finer-grained management of cookies usually requires a [[browser extension]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Alternatives to Cookie AutoDelete extension |url=https://alternativeto.net/software/cookie-autodelete/ |publisher=AlternativeTo |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref> [[telemetry (software)|Telemetry]] data is [[data collection|collected]] by most popular web browsers, which can usually be opted out of by the user.<ref>{{cite web | last=Wickramasinghe | first=Shanika | title=Telemetry 101: An Introduction To Telemetry | website=Splunk | date=2023-10-05 | url=https://www.splunk.com/en_us/blog/learn/what-is-telemetry.html | access-date=2025-03-23}}</ref>
All major web browsers allow the user to open multiple information resources at the same time, either in different browser windows or in different [[Tabbed document interface|tabs]] of the same window. Major browsers also include [[pop-up blockers]] to prevent unwanted windows from "popping up" without the user's consent.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457150.aspx#EEAA
|title=Part 5: Enhanced Browsing Security
|work=Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
|last=Andersen
|first=Starr
|author2=Abella, Vincent
|publisher=[[Microsoft]]
|date=15 September 2004
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Pop-up+blocker
|title=Pop-up blocker
|publisher=[[Mozilla Foundation]]
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.mactipsandtricks.com/tips/display.lasso?mactip=137
|title=Safari: Using The Pop-Up Blocker
|work=Mac Tips and Tricks
|publisher=WeHostMacs
|year=2004
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.opera.com/browser/tutorials/settings/#tabs
|title=Simple settings
|work=Opera Tutorials
|publisher=[[Opera Software]]
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref>
 
Most web browsers can display a list of web pages that the user has ''[[bookmark (World Wide Web)|bookmarked]]'' so that the user can quickly return to them. Bookmarks are also called "Favorites" in [[Internet Explorer]]. In addition, all major web browsers have some form of built-in [[web feed]] [[News aggregator|aggregator]]. In [[Firefox]], web feeds are formatted as "live bookmarks" and behave like a folder of bookmarks corresponding to recent entries in the feed.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://johnbokma.com/firefox/rss-and-live-bookmarks.html
|title=Mozilla Firefox: RSS and Live Bookmarks
|last=Bokma
|first=John
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref> In [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]], a more traditional feed reader is included which stores and displays the contents of the feed.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.opera.com/mail/rss/
|title=RSS newsfeeds in Opera Mail
|publisher=[[Opera Software]]
|accessdate=30 June 2009
}}</ref>
 
Furthermore, most browsers can be extended via [[Browser extension|plug-ins]], downloadable components that provide additional features.
 
===User interface===
[[File:LG Smart TV web browser.jpg|thumb|right|Some home media devices now include web browsers, like this [[LG Electronics#Smart TVs and apps|LG Smart TV]]. The browser is controlled using an on-screen keyboard and LG's "Magic Motion" remote.]]
Most major web browsers have these user interface elements in common:<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.about-the-web.com/shtml/browsers.shtml
|title=About Browsers and their Features
|publisher=SpiritWorks Software Development
|accessdate=5 May 2009
}}</ref>
* ''Back'' and ''forward'' buttons to go back to the previous resource and forward respectively.
* A ''refresh'' or ''reload'' button to reload the current resource.
* A ''stop'' button to cancel loading the resource. In some browsers, the stop button is merged with the reload button.
* A ''home'' button to return to the user's [[home page]].
* An [[address bar]] to input the [[Uniform Resource Identifier]] (URI) of the desired resource and display it.
* A search bar to input terms into a [[search engine]]. In some browsers, the search bar is merged with the address bar.
* A [[status bar]] to display progress in loading the resource and also the URI of links when the cursor hovers over them, and [[page zooming]] capability.
* The ''viewport'', the visible area of the webpage within the browser window.
* The ability to view the [[HTML]] source for a page.
 
Major browsers also possess [[incremental find]] features to search within a web page.
 
===Privacy and security===
{{main|Browser security}}
Most browsers support [[HTTP Secure]] and offer quick and easy ways to delete the web cache, [[HTTP cookie|cookies]], and browsing history. For a comparison of the current security vulnerabilities of browsers, see [[Comparison of web browsers#Vulnerabilities|comparison of web browsers]].
 
===Standards support===
Early web browsers supported only a very simple version of HTML. The rapid development of proprietary web browsers led to the development of non-standard dialects of HTML, leading to problems with interoperability. Modern web browsers support a combination of [[W3C standards#Standards|standards]]-based and ''de facto'' HTML and [[XHTML]], which should be rendered in the same way by all browsers.
 
===Extensibility===
A [[browser extension]] is a computer program that extends the functionality of a web browser. Every major web browser supports the development of browser extensions.
 
==Components==
Web browsers are built of User Interface, Layout Engine, Rendering Engine, JavaScript interpreter, UI backend, Networking component and Data persistence component. These components achieve different functionalities of a web browser and together provide all capabilities of a web browser.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://taligarsiel.com/Projects/howbrowserswork1.htm
|title=Behind the scenes of modern web browsers
|publisher=[[Tali Garsiel]]
|accessdate=12 October 2013
}}</ref>
 
==See also==
{{Portal|Internet|Software}}
* [[Comparison of web browsers]]
* [[Geobrowsing]]
* [[History of the World Wide Web]]
* [[Internet OS]]
* [[Timeline of web browsers]]
* [[List of web browsers]]
* [[Mobile browser]]
* [[Timeline of web browsers]]
* [[Web browser history]]
* [[Web browser engine|Web browser (layout) engine]]s
 
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
 
==External links==
{{Wikiversity | Web Browser}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Web browsers}}
* [http://www.w3.org/TR/webarch/ Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume One]
* [http://www.w3.org/Proposal.html WorldWideWeb: Proposal for a HyperText Project]
* [http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/internals/howbrowserswork/ How Browsers Work: Behind the scenes of modern web browsers]
 
{{Web browsers}}
{{Early web browsers}}
{{Authority control}}
 
<!--Interwikies-->
 
[[Category:Web browsers| ]]
[[Category:English inventions]]