The Internet is a global network of computers; it has become a necessity in the daily life of people. The internet enables computers to send one another digital data through information, text, pictures, etc.
There are no boundaries to the internet; it enables computers to connect networks of computers through miles of distance.
Nowadays, there are several uses of the internet, and it is not confined to the use of computers, but it is also accessible on mobile phones. For example, if someone wants to search for the meaning of a certain word, they can easily access the internet for the meaning of the word.
Robert E. Khan and Vint Cerf invented the internet; the internet officially came into use in 1983. Several improvisations did make internet connection faster and more efficient in every sphere of the digital world.
In today’s world, the internet is the basis of the digital world, and further, it has led to several inventions in the field of Technology.
Several terms related to the internet are often used, but people do not know their exact meaning, for example, website, search engine, Browser, etc.
Key Takeaways
- A search engine is a tool used to find information online, while a browser is a software application to access websites and web pages.
- A search engine uses algorithms to search the internet for relevant information based on keywords the user enters, while a browser displays the content of web pages.
- A search engine can be accessed through a browser, but a browser cannot be accessed through a search engine.
Search Engine vs. Browser
Search engines use algorithms to crawl and index web pages and return relevant results. Browsers use the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to communicate with web servers, allowing users to navigate the internet, bookmark pages, and customize their browsing experience.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Search engine | Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is a software system which enables users to surf the internet. | It is a software application used to access the internet |
| Accessibility | Accessible through browser | Usually available on all devices. |
| Requirement of database | Requires database | It does not require a database |
| Working | Gather information from URLs and maintain it. | Display the webpage of the current URL. |
| Examples | Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. | Internet Explorer, google chrome, opera, etc. |
What is a Search engine?
A search engine is a software system that enables the user to surf the net, which means to search the world wide web more systematically for particular information the user wants.
A search engine is a website through which user can search for things of their choice, and this is done when the user enters the information they want and press the search button; after doing this, the search engine looks through its index to show relevant Websites in the form of a list, and the user can further choose sites from that list.
Search engines act as filters for a plethora of information; they allow users to quickly get the desired answers to their questions or queries easily. Most of the time, the information is genuine, but some exceptions are always there.
There are numerous search engines available across the world, for example, Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, Baidu, Yippy, etc.; among all of them, Google is the top-rated search engine; it is often seen as a synonym for search engine, it covers 90% of the worldwide market.
The working of the search engine includes a listing of URLs that go to the scheduler. The scheduler then decides when to crawl each URL. Crawled pages then go to a parser where vital information is extracted or indexed. These parsed links go to the scheduler, which prioritizes their crawling.
What is a Browser?
Browser is a software application For assessing the internet or searching for information on the World Wide Web. It is readily available on PCs, laptops, mobile phones ( smartphones), etc.
A browser is a client program that contacts the webserver for the information the user requests. The web server’s job is to send the output back to the client’s browser.
HTTP is the protocol with full form as Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The browser uses this protocol to send requests to web servers.
There are numerous browsers available, for example, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, Opera, etc.; Internet Explorer and Google Chrome are the most used browsers on PCs and laptops.
Browsers can also perform tasks such as web page designing and e-commerce transactions. A browser is used to access information on the web and can also be used to access information hosted on Web servers in private networks.
There are numerous benefits of using a browser to access the internet; those are; Preserved Digital Chain of Custody, Safe Website Searching, Maintain Anonymity While Investigating, Gain Easy Access to Restricted Websites, No Manual Maintenance or Patches, and so on.
Main Differences Between Search Engines and Browser
- Search engines are used to search for particular information on a website; on the other hand, browsers are used to access the internet.
- To open a search engine user needs to have a Browser, but there is no need to have a search engine to open the browser. This means the search engine is dependent on the browser, but the browser is not dependent on the search engine.
- The search engine contains its database. On the contrary, Browser Does not require any database.
- The search engine is intended to gather information regarding several URLs and to maintain it. In contrast, Browsers are intended to Display the web page of the current URL available on the server.
- Some examples of search engines are Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, etc.; on the other hand, some browsers are internet explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RLpADwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT6&dq=what+is+search+engine&ots=7RN84arZKN&sig=mG8VYDNBc5p0NhIs1b4yoRB6bmE
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/291080.291092
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
