What is the difference between browser and search engine?

The main difference between them is that a browser is a software application that helps to access and display websites on the WWW whereas search engine is a software application that helps to search for websites on the WWW. 

There is a clear difference between browser and search engine, although some people use these two words interchangeably. A search engine stores search data about websites, while the user must install a web browser on their device to view the websites. For example, google.com is a search engine, while Firefox is a web browser.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is a browser?
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is a search engine?
     – Definition, Functionality
3. What is the difference between the browser and the search engine?
     – Comparison of key differences

Key terms

Browser, search engine, website, World Wide Web

What is a browser?

A browser is software that helps you access websites on the WWW (World Wide Web). It identifies each web page using a unique web address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A browser converts websites delivered via HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) into readable content. They can also read protocols like FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

In addition, web browsers offer multiple advantages. The user can open multiple pages simultaneously in different tabs of the same window or in different browser windows. There are forward and back buttons that allow users to go to previously visited pages and next new pages. The address bar allows users to enter a URL to view a certain web page, while the refresh button helps to reload the current page. Also, the user can get the support of extensions to add new operations to the browser.

What is a search engine?

A search engine is software that helps to search for websites on the WWW. The user can enter keywords or key phrases into a search engine. The search engine then displays the search results as websites, images, videos, or other online data. These results are called search engine results pages or SERPs.

Some search engines are capable of extracting data that is present in a database or open directory. Search engines are real-time engines. They keep your information by running algorithms on a web crawler. If a particular result cannot be found using a search engine, it is called the deep web.

Key Differences

Definition

A browser is a software application for accessing information on the WWW. In contrast, a search engine is a software system that is designed to search for information on the WWW. This is the main difference between browser and search engine.

Core functionality

A browser allows you to access and display websites, while a search engine allows you to search and filter websites.

running method

Another difference between them is that a browser is installed locally on the user’s device while a search engine is a software system that runs on the WWW.

examples

Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari are some examples for browsers, while Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Ask.com are some examples for search engines.

conclusion

There is a clear difference between them, although some people use these two words interchangeably. The main difference between them is that browser is a software application that helps to access and display websites on the WWW while search engine is a software application that helps to search for websites on the WWW.

Reference:

1. “Web browser.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, November 3, 2018, Available here.
2. “Web search engine.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, October 26, 2018, Available here.

Courtesy image:

1. “773215” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. ”76517″ (CC0) via Max Pixel