Web browser

In short: A web browser is a program used to open and display web pages, for example Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge.

In more detail: The browser sends requests over HTTP/HTTPS to a web server, receives HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images, and renders the page from them. The browser engine does this.

In Depth

• Address bar: you type the URL here. The browser resolves the name via DNS and opens an HTTPS connection.
• Tabs, history, bookmarks: management of visited pages.
• Cache and cookies: temporary storage and small pieces of data that recognise sites.
• Developer tools (F12): show code, network traffic and errors.
• Extensions: add-on programs, but also a risk, so install only a few trusted ones.
• Security: warning on an invalid certificate, sandbox per tab, regular updates.
• Private mode: stores no history locally but does not make you invisible on the network.

See also: browser, browser engine, Explorer