Web3, or Web 3.0, is the next generation of the Web. Tim Barners-Lee called it the Semantic Web. Co-founder of Ethereum, Gavin Wood, who believes decentralized technologies will be the next generation of the Web, coined the term Web3 in 2014. And recently, Elon Musk asked on Twitter if anyone has seen web3. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey replied, "It's somewhere between a and z."

In this article, we will see what Web1, Web2, and Web3 is about and what technologies makeup Web 3 or Web 3.0.

Web 1.0 (1989 - 2005)

The World Wide Web (W3 or WWW) also known as the Web, is a network of connected computer systems that is connected via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol and uses URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) to access and transfer digital content via Web browsers. The content (web pages, files, images, videos, and other documents) is hosted as a software application called a Web application that is hosted and runs on a Web Server.

The World Wide Web was created in 1989 by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee and his co-inventor Robert Cailliau. Tim wrote the first web browser in 1990 at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland where he was working as a contractor and was released publicly in 1991.

Web 1.0 was the first generation of the Web that mostly was filled and linked with static web pages where information was published in HTML pages and most of the content was typed and published on the Web servers and users used it to publish and share information with others. The content of the web pages was embedded directly into HTML pages and the user experiences were not dynamic and responsive. During this era, the Internet was mostly accessed from desktop computers.

Key features of Web 1.0

Static web pages filled with text and images content
Websites were hosted and maintained by Web Server administrators
Web layouts were statically created using HTML pages
All Web browsers were not on the same page and content was not displayed the same in all browsers
Users will have to refresh the pages of the content to see the updated content
Web front end technologies were HTML, PHP, ASP, JSP
Web browsers
Web servers
Data was hosted on centralized servers and directly accessed by monolithic websites with direct connection with the database

Web 2.0 (2005 – present)

Web 2.0 also known as dynamic web, can be thought of as a dynamic web where more businesses moved to the Internet. The data became more dynamic, and the evolution and use of backend databases started. The concept of centralized servers evolved and eventually, cloud computing took over and is still going on today. Right now we’re in a cloud era where almost every business is migrating their data and applications to public, private, and hybrid clouds.

Web 2.0 also introduced many modern and powerful Web technologies such as HTML 5, JavaScript, and CSS that made the Web run on any device, anywhere, and any size. Front-end technologies such as Angular, React, and several hybrids and native mobile platforms are also a part of the Web 2.0 evolution.

Today’s Web is modern and responsive that supports any kind of Web device including desktops, servers, tablets, mobile, IoT, and many other smart devices including smart cars and smart homes.

Web 2.0, also known as the Social Web, made the Internet more social and interactive where users can use apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to not only consume information but also connect and communicate with other people in the world.

Web 2.0 is the era of video streaming, interactive images and photos, and dynamic video content that is served based on users’ interests and preferences. YouTube, Netflix, and many other video streaming platforms are consumed by almost 4 billion people in the world.

Besides cloud computing, Web 2.0 also introduced the concepts of serverless, artificial intelligence, machine learning, microservices, containers, APIs, interoperability, voice-enabled systems, voice apps, and many more.

Web 2.0 is still evolving with front-end technologies like WebAssembly, ReactNative and several others are still being developed.

Key features of Web 2.0

Modern and responsive Web that can be accessed from any device, anywhere, and anytime
Dynamic web pages with automatic content updates from various data sources
Modern front end technologies HTML 5, CSS, and JavaScript, native mobile frameworks, and hybrid Web frameworks
Launch and success of social media platforms
Growth and adoption of cloud computing platforms
Introduction to various cutting-edge technologies
Smart devices, smart cars, and smart homes
Internet of Things and Internet of Everything
Rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, data science, and automation
Introduction of augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and similar gadgets
Introduction of voice-enabled systems such as Alexa, Google Home, and Siri

Web 3.0

Web3 term was coined by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood in 2014 and the key concept of Web3 is the use of a decentralized blockchain-based system to store users’ data on the blockchain and give them control of their data. But if you ask me, Web 3.0 is going to be much more than just blockchain.

While Web 2.0 continues to thrive, the next era of Web, i.e., Web 3.0 is knocking on doors and it has its own reasons.

Web 2.0 is the golden era of the Web, but it also has introduced many challenges and difficulties. Let’s look at some of these challenges,

Data Privacy, Trust, Transparency, Privacy centralized control of data
Centralized Authority
Growth of Big Data
Challenge with Centralized Web - During Web 2.0, most data is stored on centralized servers and public clouds. That made data more vulnerable to cyber-attacks, frauds, and other malfunctions.
Control of personal data

Here are some of the key features of Web 3.0 described by some pundits,

Semantic Web
Ubiquity
AI and Machine Learning
Decentralized Networks on a peer-to-peer network spread out around the world
Spatial Web and 3D Graphics

Sematic web is a key feature of Web 3.0 which Sir Berners-Lee described in a May 2001 Scientific American article "The Semantic Web" (Berners-Lee et al.), that says "The Semantic Web is an extension of the current web in which information is given well-defined meaning, better-enabling computers and people to work in cooperation." Here is a drawing that adds more meaning to the semantic web.

In the Web 2.0 era, the data is stored everywhere and there are many systems being developed to make sense of the data. In the Web3 concept, the data will be stored in the form of information (meaningful data) that will make it easy to understand and collaborate by both, people, and computers.

Ubiquity or omnipresence means being anywhere and everywhere. In the Web3 concept, the systems are expected to be available everywhere and anywhere. This is an extension of current software systems being developed with the help of technologies such as decentralization, edge computing, offline availability, and other technologies.

AI and Machine Learning is another key feature of Web3 which is the natural profession of current systems where automation with the help of AI and ML is growing.

Decentralized Networks based on blockchain technology are growing tremendously. Decentralized and distributed systems do not rely on a centralized authority and storage. The network runs on a peer-to-peer protocol and is managed by operator nodes that can run from anywhere in the world.

Moving from a 2-D world to a 3-D world is the natural extension of current content and graphics. The latest updates of Web browsers and software development technologies allow Spatial Web and 3D Graphics to be integrated into new systems. 3D graphics and Spatial Web is other pillars of Web3.

Here are some of the technologies that will be an integral part of the future version of the Web if that’s called Web 3.0.

The web will be everywhere, anywhere, and on any device and can be accessed anytime by anyone. Currently, the Web is available on connected systems only, but Web 3.0 will also be available on disconnected systems. But then, do we really call it the Web?
Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Systems are already on the rise and Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will become an integral part of the Web. More and more Webs will run on public and private clouds.
Decentralization will be centralized. It doesn’t make sense to build everything on decentralized networks. That’s impossible to put all data available on decentralized computers around the globe. Today, we generate roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes of data each day. Data storage and data transfer will become a challenge in the coming time.
Digital assets NFTs
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO)
Metaverse
Automation of computing will continue to rise and there will be more modular and no-code/low-code platforms will evolve
Growth of open communities
Social media has revolutionized the way we consume content and information.
Gamification and Rewards-based economy
Internet of Everything (IoE) and Voice-enabled Systems (VoeS) will continue to rise and adapt more landscape and use cases.
Empowering people with tools to own and control their personal data, finances, and other digital assets and be a part of a contribution-based economy.
Data and Web security will become a challenge.

Happy Learning ...

A Walkthrough to Web 1 2 3

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