In the context of web development, what is the primary purpose of a Document Object Model (DOM)?

The primary purpose of the Document Object Model (DOM) is to define the structure of a web page's content. The DOM represents the document as a hierarchy of nodes, where each node corresponds to a part of the document (like elements, attributes, and text). This structured representation allows developers to manipulate the content, structure, and style of web pages programmatically using JavaScript.

By providing a standardized interface for accessing and modifying the content and structure of web documents, the DOM enables dynamic updates to the webpage without requiring a full page reload. This is essential for creating interactive and responsive web applications, as it leads to more efficient updates and improved user experiences.

Other options touch on related concepts but do not accurately capture the core function of the DOM. For instance, while managing user interactions is an important aspect of web development, it is a role fulfilled through event handling and scripting rather than being a primary function of the DOM itself. Similarly, regulating document size and creating dynamic web servers are not functions associated with the DOM structure and manipulation.