Learning notes on web development fundamentals — the building blocks of the web.
What is a Webpage?
A webpage is a single document on the World Wide Web, identified by a unique URL (like https://example.com/about). It is the fundamental unit that makes up a website.
Key Characteristics:
- Format: Primarily written in HTML for structure, often enhanced with CSS for styling and JavaScript for interactivity.
- Delivery: Your browser fetches it from a server via the internet (HTTP/HTTPS) and renders the code into the visual page you see.
- Static vs. Dynamic:
- Static: Pre-built files served exactly as stored (like a digital flyer).
- Dynamic: Generated on-the-fly by the server or client code (like a personalized dashboard).
- Resources: It acts as a container that references external assets like images, fonts, and videos.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
HTML is the structural foundation of every web page. It contains the actual content — text, image sources, links, forms — wrapped in tags that define their meaning and hierarchy.
When you visit a website, your browser downloads the HTML file first, parses its structure and content, then renders it on screen as a readable page.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
CSS controls the visual presentation of a web page — colors, fonts, spacing, layouts, and animations. It transforms raw HTML structure into something visually appealing.
The browser applies CSS rules to HTML elements after parsing the structure, painting the styled content onto your screen in a process called rendering.
JavaScript (JS)
JavaScript is the programming language of the web that brings interactivity to pages — handling clicks, validating forms, fetching data, and dynamically updating content without page reloads.
The browser includes a JavaScript engine (like V8 in Chrome) that executes your code, allowing web pages to respond to user actions and behave like full applications.
Resources
MDN Web Docs
The official documentation for web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). Comprehensive references, guides, and tutorials for developers of all skill levels.W3Schools
Free tutorials covering web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript), programming languages (Python, SQL, etc.), and references. Includes an online code editor for practice.