Technology
What is The internet?
The internet is a global network of computers that communicate using shared rules (protocols), letting any connected device exchange data with any other. The web, email, and apps all run on top of it.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains the internet.
Key things to understand
- 1Data is broken into small 'packets' that travel independently and are reassembled at the destination.
- 2Every device has an IP address; the Domain Name System (DNS) translates names like knowit.guru into those addresses.
- 3The World Wide Web (pages and links you browse) is just one service that runs on the internet — not the internet itself.
- 4No one owns the internet; it's a network of networks connected by agreed-upon protocols (mainly TCP/IP).
Frequently asked questions
- Is the internet the same as the web?
- No. The internet is the underlying network; the web (websites and links) is one of many services built on it, alongside email, video calls, and apps.
- What is an IP address?
- A unique numeric label for a device on the internet, used to route data to the right place — like a postal address for computers.
- What is bandwidth?
- The maximum rate at which data can be transferred over a connection, usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Higher bandwidth means faster downloads.