Remember that our latest topics involve a more advanced look at how webpages work With server-side processing, we’ll now look at what happens after you click a button to ‘submit’ data or ‘search’

Server side means processing data at the ‘back end’ on the web server That’s all the nerdy work that ordinary people never think about! It’s done using special server scripts that are written in server-side languages such as PHP All this usually happens after you’ve done something on a webpage…

Client Side Internet Backbone Server Side Example 1 – Web Form You enter your personal details on a web form The data is sent across the Internet At the back-end, the data will be checked & stored Web Server Database Client Side Internet Backbone Server Side

Index Client Side Internet Backbone Server Side Example 2 – Web Search You enter your key works in the search engine Data is sent across Internet & later results sent back At the back-end, the search is done using the Index Web Server Database Index Client Side Internet Backbone Server Side

Advantages Server power: A web server is likely to be way more powerful than a client computer, so it can process data faster No browser: Servers don’t use Browsers so there are none of the difficulties you get on the client with different brands Efficient: Everything is done on the server, so no need to wait for downloads etc

Disadvantages Security: When data is sent back from the client, it travels across the Internet where it could be intercepted by hackers Overloading: If a lot of users are submitting data, it could overload the server and cause it to crash (eg when thousands try to book gig tickets). Waiting time: Sending data between client & server takes time so users could be left waiting for a response