Niket Girdhar

The internet has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few decades, evolving from a collection of static pages to a dynamic, intelligent, and decentralized ecosystem. In this post, we’ll break down the core differences between Web1, Web2, and Web3—each marking a distinct phase in the internet's journey.

Web1: The Static Web

Web1, often referred to as the Static Web, marked the very beginning of the internet age.

Main Features: Read-only content; no interactivity
User Role: Passive consumers of information
Technology: Basic HTML and early CSS
Interactivity: Extremely limited—no comments, no login systems
Examples: Personal blogs, Yahoo Directory, early news portals

Think of Web1 as a digital newspaper: you can read it, but you can’t interact with it.

Web2: The Social Web

Web2 brought the internet to life with dynamic content and user participation. This is the web we’re most familiar with today.

Main Features: Read-write capabilities, user-generated content
User Role: Both content consumers and creators
Technology: JavaScript, AJAX, APIs, databases
Interactivity: High—comments, likes, shares, social media
Examples: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Wikipedia

Web2 made the web social—anyone could publish, interact, and engage.

Web3: The Decentralized Web

Web3 aims to decentralize the internet and give users ownership and control over their digital identities and assets.

Main Features: Decentralization, blockchain technology, token economies
User Role: Owners and governance participants
Technology: Blockchain, smart contracts (e.g., Ethereum), NFTs
Interactivity: Peer-to-peer, trustless applications (dApps)
Examples: Ethereum, OpenSea, Uniswap, DAO platforms

Web3 is about trustless systems, digital ownership, and shifting power from corporations to communities.

The internet is no longer just a platform for browsing websites. It has become an ecosystem that supports collaboration, ownership, intelligence, and soon, human-machine interaction. Whether you’re building apps, trading NFTs, or envisioning the future of smart environments, understanding these phases of the web is essential.