How to surf the web without a browser?

You are reading this article on a web browser. But what if you want to go online without using a browser? This is possible.

Web browsers are very popular, even appearing on smart TVs. But did you know that you don't need a browser to access online? Although important for web browsing, but not necessarily using a browser, it depends on your online purpose.

The Internet exists before the World Wide Web. Many other tools and protocols are available to allow users to access online without the browser.

1. How is the Internet and WWW different?

Web use cases without a browser

Sounds a bit crazy, isn't it? Why do people want access to the World Wide Web without a browser? Yes, it's not as crazy as you think.

1. Security and privacy : Perhaps because the system is compromised, viruses often limit the way browsers and websites can be accessed. In addition, you may not be able to download the file.
2. No browser: The browser does not work, it may have been uninstalled, so you need to know how to download Chrome (or other browsing application) without a browser.
3. Browser blocked: It is also possible that the browser has been blocked, the management settings of the parent running on the computer or blocking the web surfing during work hours at work.
4. Slow connection: This may affect the computer's ability to download HTML files. The cause is probably due to ads, or browser scripts, are slowing down the connection or the site runs out of time, but storing a file you need.
5. Old PC with incompatible browser: A slow PC may also be having trouble running modern web pages.

Download file without browser

You do not have a browser, but need to download the file. But you don't know how to install a web browser without a browser or without a second device, there's no way to transfer data from your smartphone to your computer. How are you going to do it?

FTP

Perhaps the most obvious way to get files is to use FTP, there are two options here: one is an FTP client (like FileZilla), the second is the command line.

Use Windows PowerShell and FTP to download a file simply, just enter the ftp command, then use:

When prompted to enter information, do so. Use put and get commands to move data to and retrieve data from the server. Type help in the PowerShell window at the ftp prompt.

To use FTP in the Linux terninal window, use:

You can also use the domain name's IP address, or if you need to log in:

If prompted, enter your username and password. Once connected, use regular Linux commands to navigate through the file structure. Ready to download a file? Start by setting up the download folder on the machine:

Then just use the get command:

wget

wget is an original function in Linux (and can be installed using third-party tools in Windows and macOS) used to download files and web pages, how to use it as follows:

There are many options to refine downloads such as downloading the entire site, downloading specific file types and more.

PowerShell

Windows PowerShell can also be used to download files. Right-click Start , and select Windows PowerShell , then enter the following:

This command can be used for files stored via FTP or HTTP standard connection. If you require login information, use the Invoke-Webrequest command

A dialog box will appear to enter the username and password before continuing. The download will only work if the user credentials are authenticated.

BitTorrent

Another way to download files is to use BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing. It's not limited to illegal downloads, Microsoft, Canonical, Ubisoft and others use BitTorrent to distribute operating systems and software installation files.

You will need to use one of the file collection methods listed here to download .torrent files on the system, as well as BitTorrent clients. After setting up, just download the file.

cURL

Like wget, cURL can be used to download files from web pages.

The -O option saves the file on the computer. Use -o and specify a file name to change the name:

Meanwhile, many files can be downloaded by assigning them in turn. FTP is also an option through cURL:

Windows users can access cURL in PowerShell. Simply enter curl at the prompt, then enter a cURL command at the Uri prompt. Pre-installed in Linux, users can access cURL from the terminal in the same way.

Install software without a browser

What if you need to install the software without a browser, but don't know where to find it? FTP, wget and PowerShell are all useless without an address, so the alternative is an application store or Package Manager.

App store

Both macOS and Windows have their own application stores, both can be accessed from the desktop, but need to log in with a valid account, you can browse, download and install your software. want.

Package Manager

Meanwhile, Linux has the Package Manager option, which is a command-line tool that provides text-based access to software repositories. Although you need to know the name of the software you want to install, the basic command remains the same for each download application. However, the command will vary between operating systems.

For example, in Ubuntu, the command will be:

Meanwhile in Fedora, you will type:

If your distribution uses the RPM package manager, use the following command:

Use social networks

Web browser is used a lot for email and surfing social networks. You can still use these services without a browser.

Email

On the computer, you can access your email in the web browser. Gmail is very popular, as is Microsoft's Outlook service. If you know how to use the application on your phone to check your email, this will apply to your computer.

1. Instructions for adding Gmail accounts to Outlook 2013 and 2016 using IMAP

Just download the default email application of the operating system and enter your email account login information. After that, the email will go to the inbox without a browser.

Read the news

Usenet is no longer in common use, but it still maintains resources and has a fairly loyal following. You can use Usenet to read news with various discussion topics. Although Usenet can be accessed via groups.google.com in the browser, the news reader application is still more appropriate. For example, Mozilla Thunderbird can read NNTP.

RSS

Similarly, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a little used tool today. However, about 10 years ago, users focused on getting updates from their favorite websites. Its purpose is to serve podcasts to users and allow applications like Feedly to get the latest content from favorite websites.

1. Instructions for finding or creating an RSS feed for a website

There are several desktop RSS applications. You need to know the exact URL of the RSS feed in some cases, applications that can automatically find XML pages for RSS feeds.

Chat application

Finally, the most popular online activity: chat. Some popular chat services are currently being used, such as Facebook Messenger and Skype. There are many chat applications available, bypassing the World Wide Web to send data directly to anyone who is chatting with you.

1. The best free messaging app

Browse the web without graphics

If you really have to access the web, you can do so without a dedicated browser. This is not the ideal way, but can use command line tools.

Lynx

Perhaps this is the lightest browser, Lynx is a command-line tool for Linux devices, it can be installed with the command:

After running, type G to start typing the URL of the web page to get the data. Note it has no support for Adobe Flash or JavaScript.

This is not the best solution, but it is an easy way to find the files you want to download if you don't know the URL directly.

Telnet

Another way to browse the web is through Telnet. It can access Google using a command line. Linux and macOS users can use Telnet naturally but Windows users first need to enable Telnet. Do this by clicking on Start and entering the control . Navigate to Programs> Turn Windows features on or off and scroll down until Telnet Client is found. Check the box, then click OK and wait while the files are installed, you may have to restart Windows.

To access Google via Telnet, right-click on the Start menu and open Windows PowerShell. Here, enter:

Press Enter again and you will have access to Google. Of course, this is not the best way to browse the web, but you can use it to view each site, if you know the URL.

With the web browser inactive or unusable, you don't need to worry about not being able to use the web. In fact, the World Wide Web is just one aspect of the Internet, and you don't even need a browser to be online. Sure, it makes it easier to interact with social networks and online stores, but other things can fix the lack of browsers, even just download files to install a program. New browsing.

See more:

1. Which web browser is best for Windows computers?
2. 7 ways to protect your web browser from network attacks
3. 44 shortcuts are useful on all browsers