(
World
Wide
Web) The common subdomain for a Web server. The "www-dot" prefix on Web addresses is widely used to provide a recognizable way of identifying websites. Computers read Web addresses (URLs) from right to left, so that the WWW is the last component of the address. See
subdomain.
WWW Is Optional
Today, the WWW prefix is mostly optional, and it is common to advertise only the domain name such as ComputerLanguage.com without the WWW. Websites are typically configured to default to a WWW Web server if only the domain name is used. Try it. Type the name of a website into your browser using only the domain name, such as
ComputerLanguage.com. See
dub-dub-dub,
World Wide Web,
DNS and
URL.
WWW2, WWW3, etc.
Organizations may use WWW2, WWW3 and similar prefixes as a way of identifying additional servers or sites. This is arbitrary naming to differentiate content.