The major difference between web2 and web3
Tags: blockchain, web3, tech
Published: 2022-03-02 22:49:51


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title: The major difference between web2 and web3
published: true

description: This article explores the major difference between web2 and web3
tags: #blockchain, #web3, #tech 
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---
This is the first of a series of articles on my key learnings during the Blockgames Internship. My name is Victor Mba, an intern with [blockgames](https://blockgames.gg/). Blockgames is a training program focused on teaching web3 and blockchain technologies. It is organized by [Zuri team](https://zuri.team/) and sponsored by [NestCoin](https://nestcoin.com/). The Zuri Team is a platform where beginners and experts learn, build and grow. NestCoin builds, operates and invests in simple products that make crypto accessible to everyone.

## Intro
In March, 1989, Tim Berners-Lee wrote the first proposal for the `World Wide Web`. This was an attempt to solve the problem of information interchange between scientists and researchers all over the world. Tim Berners-Lee explained that documents/information stored on servers could be viewed by web browsers. He called this whole set-up, the World Wide Web. Ever since, the Web has developed a life of its own, evolving through several iterations to what we have today. 

## Web1
This was the first evolution of the web. It was called the "*read-only*" web by Tim Berners-Lee and was considerably marked by static web-pages. A user could only see/read content on the web. They couldn't modify or interact with it. They were mainly consumers of content created largely by businesses or corporations. To users of today, the idea of web 1.0 might be irritating, but, to the people of that day, this was so cool. The web just like any technology has only grown just as human needs have become more sophisticated. And back in 1990, if you were a scientist working with a team of scientists stationed all around the world, just being able to view information made available from a central workstation was *near* perfect.  

## Web2
This represents the "*read-write*" web as Berners-Lee would call it. Actually, it would be a little awkward to think of web 1.0 or web 2.0 as separate entities. Just like web 1.0, web 2.0 is a way the web has grown in response to sophisticated human needs. Web pages became more dynamic and interactive. The web became not just a tool for scientists to share information but a global communication tool for everyone resulting to a much better social experience. This was an era dominated by social applications. In contrast to web 1.0, users are both creators and consumers of content. I may not have been able to create this post in 1990. 
![web2](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k9xmb0vd0hkfnz2xq8dm.PNG)

## Web3
If web 2.0 is "read-write", then, web 3.0 is the "*read-write-execute*" web. This means that computers would be able to communicate with and understand each other perfectly with minimum human intermediary leading to a `semantic` web filled with a much deeper social experience than ever before. This is what web3 is. A key *characteristic* of web3 is that it's a `decentralized` system built on `blockchain` technology. A decentralized system simply means that there's no central point of control. 
![web3](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/k6rbtg5xas7yuyzg5x58.PNG)



## Web2 vs Web3
What could be the major difference between web2 and web3? What has changed with human/user needs? Apparently, they have become even more sophisticated than ever before. Here is a quote from Vitalik Buterin, inventor and cofounder of [Etherium](https://ethereum.org/en/): 

> I happily played World of Warcraft during 2007-2010, but one day Blizzard removed the damage component from my beloved warlock’s Siphon Life spell. I cried myself to sleep, and on that day I realized what horrors centralized services can bring. I soon decided to quit. 

The major difference between web2 and web3 is: `decentralization`

## Conclusion
As user's needs have grown, the web has grown also to satisfy that need leading to a development known largely as web3. One of the technologies popular with the web3 paradigm is/are `smart contracts`. Would smart contracts be so effective in the web3 technology if not for decentralization?? Obviously, web3 has a lot of magic to offer. I feel this is mostly due to decentralization.