Before discussing this implementation in more detail, some background information on the World Wide Web is needed. Each piece of information is commonly referred to as a document. In order for a document to be part of the Web, it must reside on, or be accessible from, a computer running a server program. A user wishing to view documents on the Web must run a client, or browser program. Commonly used browsers include Netscape NavigatorNCSA Mosaic.
Browsers are available for all common computer types.
The word server is often used to refer to either the computer running the server program or the server program itself - the distinction between the two is usually not important. Similarly client is often used to refer to the client program or the computer running it. The server and client programs usually, but not necessarily, run on different computers. A user interacts with the Web, usually in order to view a document, by making a request to the client which then communicates over the network with a server. The server will respond by sending a document or a message back to the browser which will display it to the user.