What is a Website?
A WEBSITE is a collection of related pages stored on a computer somewhere on the internet (called a SERVER). When you type a URL into your browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), the browser asks the server for those pages and DISPLAYS them on your screen. Behind every site you've ever visited, this same handshake happens.
Three core technologies build websites. HTML (HyperText Markup Language): the STRUCTURE — headings, paragraphs, images, links. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): the STYLE — colors, fonts, spacing, layout. JAVASCRIPT: the BEHAVIOR — clicks, animations, dynamic updates. HTML is the skeleton, CSS is the skin and clothes, JavaScript is the muscles that make it move.
You see a beautiful website with smooth animations and instant button responses. Which technologies are most likely making the animations work?
Websites are accessed via URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) — like https://hyvecares.org. The "https://" part means encrypted. The domain name is the address. The browser uses DNS to find the server's IP address, then HTTP/HTTPS to fetch pages. Static sites just send pre-built files; dynamic sites generate pages on the fly using server-side languages (Python, Node.js, PHP, etc.).
Anatomy Inspection
Open any website (try hyvecares.org). Right-click and choose "View Page Source" or "Inspect." You're looking at the HTML and CSS that built the page. Don't worry about understanding it all — just notice it's mostly tags like <div> and <p>.
Web development is one of the most accessible coding paths. With just a browser and free editor, you can build and share real sites. The skills connect to almost every modern tech career.
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