We are living in the Digital Era, and everyone is aware that we can’t separate ourselves today from technology. Everyone has a mobile phone in their hand. If we face any problem related to anything, we just open the browser and start searching on the internet about the problem.
Have you ever wondered about how these browsers work, what goes behind them? It’s all because of the Browser Engine. The Browser Engine is the main component of any web browser, helping it render web pages.
Top 5 Web Browsers and Their Browser Engines
Here is the list of the top 5 browsers and the browser engines used by these popular web browsers. So, let’s get started:
1. Google Chrome – Blink
Chrome is the most used web browser. Google, a leading software company, 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, launched in April 2013 as a part of the Chromium project. Blink has source code similar to the Webcore component, which is part of Webkit. Nowadays, almost all modern-day web browsers use the Blink Engine to render web pages.
2. Mozilla Firefox – Gecko
Mozilla Firefox or simply Firefox is also a well-known web browser, commonly used on computers. The Mozilla Foundation developed the Firefox web browser, officially available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Mozilla developed the Gecko browser engine for a few of its projects. It was earlier known as a layout engine when its development was initiated in 1997. Mozilla uses the Gecko engine in Firefox along with its Thunderbird email client. In 2017, Mozilla Firefox started using the Quantum Engine, and for the iOS Platform, Mozilla uses the WebKit engine for Firefox.
3. Opera Browser – Presto
Opera is a mobile cum computer web browser. Initially designed for Java ME platforms, the browser is now available for Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. Opera Browser was released around 14 years ago on August 10, 2005. While talking about its engine, this web browser has two modes: Extreme/ Mini mode and the Other mode.
The Presto Engine finds its use in the Opera web browser since 2003. Opera used the Presto engine until 2013, but thereafter, the Opera web browser switched to the Blink browser engine. Nowadays, Opera uses the 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’s products, from iPhone to MacOS. 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 the Safari web browser. Since then, Safari has been the default browser for every Apple device.
Like other iOS browsers, Safari also uses the Webkit Engine. However, it is also powered by the Nitro Engine. The Webkit and Nitro Browser Engine are well known for their use in the Safari web browser developed by Apple for its various devices such as iPhone, Mac, iPad, etc. This browser engine also finds its use in a variety of software such as Amazon Kindle, Tizen devices, etc.
5. Internet Explorer – Trident
Internet Explorer is one of the oldest web browsers, a graphical web browser that runs on the Trident render engine. Initially released by Microsoft on August 16, 1995, the 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. The 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 Internet Explorer since 1997.
Conclusion
These are the top 5 web browsers and the browser engines used by these popular web browsers. The basic function of any browser engine is to render webpages. If you talk about performance, then all the browser engines provide the same stability and speed during operation.
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