How the Internet Works

Frontend

The part of a website or application that the user sees and interacts with.

Definition

The part of a website or application that the user sees and interacts with. It runs in the browser and is built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Everything visual — buttons, text, layouts, animations — is the frontend.

Example

The search bar on Google, the like button on Twitter, the video player on YouTube — these are all frontend elements that you interact with directly.

More terms in How the Internet Works

URL Domain Name DNS HTTP Request Server Client Backend Request-Response Cycle IP Address

See it in context Learn how Frontend fits into the bigger picture of how software actually works.

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