Web Develop > Presentation Layer

The Presentation Layer is the end of the line for Web-based communications. This is the point where the information submitted over the Web is reduced to the tags and basic HTML we see in our browsers.

On the server, this layer is represented by a data store. This store contains static HTML pages, dynamic templates, applets, and images. As the client browser requests pages and information, the server software takes the information from this store to return to the browser.

On the client, the Presentation Layer represents the browser itself. At this level, the information is converted to the formatted content, images, and applications that we see on our PC.

A Web Client initiates a request by submitting a command to the Web Server, for example, for a specific page. This request is initiated when the user of the Web Client enters a URL into the Web browser to request a page from the specified host. When the Web Server responds, it packages HTML into a format that can be sent over the next layer of communications, the HTTP protocol.
This packaging allows the server to send the information in a known format to any requesting browser.