Web Technologies

Although you probably don't necessarily need to have a in-depth understanding of *web technologies, it can be helpful to have a general grasp of the overall landscape.

Web technologies can be classified in a number of ways, but a simple model is to split them in two as 'Presentation' Technologies and 'Functional' Technologies.
*The 'Web' is not the same as the 'Internet'.

'Presentation' Web Technologies

Presentation technologies are those that allow a Web Browser to present (render) media to the user/viewer. These media include text, images, video, audio, animation, etc.

HTML

HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) is the coding framework from which all websites are built. Put simply HTML provides a semantic machine-readable syntax for text, and supplies the means to embed other media types in to a web page or 'view'.

Image embedded via HTML

<h3>HTML</h3>
<p>HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) is the coding framework from which all websites are built. Put simply HTML provides a semantic machine-readable syntax for text, and supplies the means to embed other media types in to a web page or 'view'.</p>
<p><img src="g/lake780.jpg"/><br/>Image embedded via HTML</p>
HTML code example.

CSS

HTML offers only a very limited capability for user interface (UI) design and formatting, so CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) is used to give greater control, whilst offering more complex, flexible layout options for designers.

The importance and capabilities of CSS has increased over time, as the demand for flexible, adaptable design solutions are needed to support the transition to mutli-device web access (Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, etc).

'Functional' Web Technologies

Functional web technologies are those that allow 'actions' to take place on the web. Most commonly, they facilitate interaction between the user and a web-based 'application'.

These technologies can be divided further in relation to 'where' these functions/actions take place. There's what is called the 'client-side' (your device/computer), and the 'server-side', which is effectively the website's computer (see Website Hosting).

JavaScript

JavaScript was developed specifically as a programming language for the web. For many years it was only used on the client-side, but is now increasingly used on the server-side too.

JavaScript enables virtually all web-based user interactions; from a simple 'click to reveal' widget, to more complex interactions, such as those found on the Google Maps user interface.

Server-side based JavaScript plays a central role in the development of 'web applications'. These applications allow users to perform tasks on the web, that were once only available via 'desktop' based computer software. JavaScript application libraries such as React, Vue and Angular, have even been developed to help make the development of web applications easier.

Database & Middleware Technology 'Stack'

These technologies have various use cases, but an important one, is that they allow people to manage their websites without the need to understand complex web development processes.

The stack works by entering much of the website's content in to a database. Middleware is then used to request data from the database and places it at predetermined points within a HTML template (web page). Website administrators use a 'Content Management System' (CMS) to access the database, where they can easily create and edit their website content.

Popular web based database applications include MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB and PostgreSQL. The most widely used Middleware programming technologies are PHP (Hyper Processor PHP) and JavaScript.