How similar are website and the Human body
Websites and human bodies are not inherently similar, as they serve very different purposes and have vastly different structures and functions. However, some metaphorical comparisons can be made. For example, both websites and human bodies can be thought of as complex systems made up of many interconnected parts. Additionally, both websites and human bodies can be considered as constantly changing and adapting to new information and situations. In the following paragraphs, we will dive into this topic to explain how websites actually work.
Website
Probably, most of you have heard of frontend and backend from which websites generally consist. Frontend and Backend, these two terms that are important to remember.
Frontend
The frontend, also known as the client side, is the part of the website that the user interacts with directly. This includes the design and layout of the website, as well as the user interface and the way that the website functions and responds to user input. The frontend is primarily created using technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
HTML
You can imagine HTML as the skeleton of a website. Just as a skeleton provides the structure and support for the human body, HTML provides the structure and layout for a website. HTML defines the different elements of a webpage, such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links, and it provides a framework for organizing and arranging the content of a webpage. A website’s HTML is like its blueprint, and it provides the foundation for the website’s design and functionality. It is also not a coincidence that HTML includes tags like <head>, <body>, footer.
CSS
CSS can be considered as the design of the website. It is like the colour of your skin, hair, eyes and clothes. CSS is dependent on HTML, like your clothes are dependent on the shape of the body. Without HTML, CSS has no meaning. In the example given below, the image on the left side reflects the HTML of a website without CSS; on the other hand, the image shows how CSS decorates HTML elements.
JavaScript or JS
JavaScript can be considered as the behaviour or dynamics of the website. With JavaScript, you can make your website interactive, add animations and perform various actions in response to user inputs, such as form validation and creating dynamic content. It’s like giving life to the otherwise static pages, adding interactivity, and making them more engaging for the users.
Backend
Backend refers to the server-side of a web application. It refers to the part of the application that runs on a server and is responsible for storing and processing data, as well as serving that data to the frontend (i.e. the client-side) of the application. The frontend of the application is what the user interacts with directly, while the backend operates behind the scenes, handling tasks such as managing databases, performing calculations, and serving up the dynamic content that is displayed in the frontend.
In other words, the backend is the part of the application that handles the “business logic” and data storage, while the frontend is responsible for presenting that data to the user and handling user interactions. A good analogy is to think of a backend as the “brain and other inner organs” of a web application, while the frontend is the “body.” Both work together to provide a seamless user experience.
Here are some popular examples of backend languages:
- Python: A high-level, dynamically-typed language, Python is often used for building fast and scalable backend systems. The most popular web development libraries for python are Flask and Django.
- Java: A popular and widely-used language for backend development, Java is known for its scalability, security, and performance. Note that Java and JavaScript are not the same.
- PHP: A widely-used language for server-side scripting, PHP is often used for building backend systems for dynamic websites and web applications.
- Node.js: A JavaScript-based platform, Node.js allows developers to build server-side applications using JavaScript. Remember that Javascript is not only used for the frontend but also the backend.
- C#: A statically-typed language, C# is often used for building backend systems due to its robustness and scalability.
- Go: A statically-typed language, Go is known for its concurrency support and speed, making it a good choice for building backend systems.
In conclusion, websites and human bodies have some metaphorical similarities, such as complex systems made up of interconnected parts. The frontend of a website is the user-facing part while the backend, which operates behind the scenes, handles tasks such as storing and processing data, managing databases, and serving dynamic content to the frontend. Just like the body and inner organs of a human body, the frontend and backend work together to provide a smooth user experience. HTML provides the structure and layout, CSS provides the design and styling, and JavaScript brings interactivity and dynamic behavior to a website. Different programming languages such as Python, Java, PHP, Node.js, C#, and Go are used in the backend to perform these tasks.
