Web browsers

What is a web browser?

A web browser (commonly referred to as a browser) is a software application for accessing information on the World Wide Web (or internet). When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the web browser retrieves the necessary content from a web server and then displays the page on the user’s device.

Examples of Web Browsers

The most popular browsers are:

Google Chrome – Commonly referred to as Chrome, it is developed by Google and can be used on all devices with all operating systems so is the most popular currently, in recent years it has overtaken Microsoft browsers in popularity (as in September 2020 it had 66% of the market share). Its popularity is also probably due to it being linked with the most popular Google search engine.

Safari – This is the browser developed by Apple so is the most popular and performant browser for Ipads, Iphones and Mac books.

Microsoft Edge – This is Microsoft’s attempt to replace their previous Internet Explorer browser, it has not achieved the previous popularity of IE or Chrome so that Microsoft are now bringing out a new version called ‘Chromium Edge‘. It is built using the same base engine as Chrome and with it MS hope to capture back browser users.

Firefox – This is a free open-source web browser and prides itself on being non-profit making and compares very favourably with Google Chrome.

Opera – The Opera browser has been around for over two decades. Though it has always been an underdog, its user base has stayed stable for much of that time, it is full of features with strong customization options. Because it’s also built on Chromium, it can take advantage of most of Google Chrome’s functionality.