Activity: Web Foundations & CMS

Understanding how the World Wide Web works and is managed

Grade XI • Computer Science ⏱️ ~25 min
Part 1 Front-End vs. Back-End Development
Concept: Client-Side vs. Server-Side

Web development is divided into two broad areas: **Front-end** (Client-side) and **Back-end** (Server-side).

Exercise: Group the following technologies correctly:

HTML, PHP, CSS, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, Python, Node.js

Reveal Grouping
Front-End (Client-Side): HTML, CSS, JavaScript (The trinity of web content, design, and interactivity).
Back-End (Server-Side): PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, Node.js (Handles logic, database communication, and dynamic content generation).
Part 2 Browsers & Search Engines
The Search Engine Mechanism

A search engine uses three core components to provide you with relevant results.

Crawler (Bot)
Scans the web automatically for new URLs, keywords, and updates.
Index
A massive database where discovered links and data are stored for retrieval.
Search Algorithm
The mechanism that matches keywords to the index to find the most suitable pages.
History Check: Who invented the first web browser in 1990?
Reveal Inventor
Correct Answer: Sir Tim Berners-Lee. (The first graphical browser, *Mosaic*, followed in 1993).
Part 3 Protocols, URLs, and URIs
Deconstructing the URL

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a specific type of URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). All URLs are URIs.

https://www.google.com/search
Part 4 Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMA vs. CDA

A CMS (like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal) is built from two major internal components.

CMA
Content Management Application: The GUI that allows you to create/modify content without coding.
CDA
Content Delivery Application: The back-end service that manages and delivers content after it's framed in the CMA.
Critical Thinking: What is a common disadvantage of using a CMS?
Show Disadvantages
  • Requires regular software/plugin updates.
  • Plugins can make the site heavy and slow.
  • Hosting is often more expensive than static sites.
Part 5 Web Hosting & Domain Names
The Analogy

Think of building a website like building a house:

Note: You need both to make a site accessible. You can buy them together or separately (by pointing DNS settings).