Which of the following is essential for web browsing?

The essential component for web browsing is Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). This protocol is the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web, facilitating the transfer of hypertext documents between web servers and clients (browsers). When you enter a URL in a web browser, it uses HTTP to request data from the server, which then responds by delivering the requested web page for the user to view.

Without HTTP, web browsers would not be able to retrieve and display web content, as there would be no standard method for transferring data over the internet. Other software types, like graphics editing, database management, and word processing, are unrelated to the core function of web browsing, which is to send and receive documents over the web. They may enhance user experience or functionalities but are not fundamental to the ability to browse the internet itself.