We are living in the Digital Era. Everyone is aware of the fact that we can’t separate ourselves today from technology. Everyone has mobile phones in their hand. If anyone faces any problem related to anything, he or she may just open the browser and start to search on the internet about the problem.
Have you ever wondered about how these browsers work, what goes behind them? It’s all because of Browser Engine. Browser Engine is the main component of any web browser. It helps the browser to render the web pages.
Also Read: What is the Difference Between Browser Engine and Search Engine?
Web Browser and their Browser Engine
Today, here in this article we will discuss the various Web Browser and their Browser Engine that work behind these browsers.
1. Google chrome – Blink
Google Chrome is the most used web browser. We all know this fact very well. Google, a leading software company had developed this cross-platform web browser. It was initially released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, but later it was ported to Linux, Android, etc.
Google Chrome web browser runs on the Blink Engine, it was launched in April 2013 as a part of the Chromium project. Blink has source code similar to Webcore component, which is part of Webkit.
Nowadays most of the modern-day web browsers use Blink Engine to render the webpages.
Also Read: Google Chrome or Chromium – Which is a Better Browser?
2. Mozilla Firefox – Gecko
Mozilla Firefox or simply Firefox is also a well-known web browser. It is one of the commonly used web browsers in computers. Mozilla Foundation has developed the Firefox web browser. Firefox is officially available for Windows 7 or above, macOS and Linux.
Mozilla developed Gecko browser engine for few of its projects. It was earlier known as a layout engine when its development was initiated in 1997. Mozilla uses Gecko engine in Firefox along with its Thunderbird email client. For 2017, Mozilla Firefox starts using Quantum Engine and for iOS Platform Mozilla uses the WebKit engine for Firefox.
3. Opera Mini – Presto
Opera is a mobile cum computer web browser. Primarily it was designed for Java ME platforms, but now the browser is also available for Android, iOS and Windows platforms. Opera Browser was released around 14 years ago. On 10 August 2005, Opera Software released Opera web browser. While talking about its engine, this web browser has two modes: Extreme/ Mini mode and the Other mode.
Presto Engine finds its use in the Opera web browser since 2003. Opera used Presto engine till 2013, but thereafter, the Opera web browser switched to the Blink browser engine. Nowadays Opera uses Presto Engine for its mobile browsers. However, the main engine used for its android application is WebView.
4. Safari – Webkit & Nitro
Safari is the most used browser from Apple product from iPhone to MacOS. It is developed by the leading company “Apple”. The browser was first released on the desktop in 2003. After the release of the iPhone in 2007, the company introduced the mobile version of Safari web browser. From there Safari is the default browser of every Apple devices.
Like the other iOS browsers, Safari also uses Webkit Engine. However, it is also powered by Nitro Engine. Webkit and Nitro Browser Engine is well known for its use in the Safari web browser developed by Apple for its various devices such as iPhone, Mac, iPad, etc. But also this browser engine finds its use in a variety of software such as Amazon Kindle, Tizen device, etc.
Also Read: Difference Between a Rendering Engine and Browser Engine?
5. Internet Explorer – Trident
Internet Explorer is one of the oldest web browsers, it is a graphical web browser which runs on Trident render engine. It was initially released by Microsoft on August 16, 1995. Internet Explorer web browser is based on the Windows Operating System. It is available in 95 languages and hence one of the most commonly used web browsers on Windows computers.
Internet Explorer makes use of browser engines like Trident and Chakra. Trident Browser Engine is also known as MSHTML. Microsoft developed this browser engine for its web browser, Internet Explorer. The Trident Browser Engine finds its use in developing and maintaining the Internet explorer since 1997.
Conclusion
These are the top 5 web browser and the browser engine used by these top popular web browser. The basic function of any browser engine to render the webpages. If you talk about the performance then all the browser engine provided the same stability and speed during its operation.
