What Is Web Server And What Are The Types Of Web Server

Are you dissatisfied with your web hosting provider? Keep on reading if you are looking to change your provider. A web server is a software that uses HTTP to serve files that generate web pages for users in response to requests sent by their computer’s HTTP clients.

Detailed understanding of a Web Server

Any server capable of delivering an XML document to another device is a web server. A web server, in the simplest terms, is an Internet server that responds to HTTP requests for the purpose of delivering content and services.

Consider the following scenario: you are working on your computer and browsing the web when a message from a friend pops up saying, “I just read a fantastic article at the following URL: https://www.infinitivehost.com/blog/ .

As such, you will type this URL into your browser’s address bar and press enter. That is all!

The location of the web server on which your website is hosted is irrelevant, as the page you have browsed appears immediately on your computer screen.

A web server is inextricably linked to the internet. Each web server has its own unique address, which is composed of a series of four numbers ranging from 0 to 255. A period is used to denote the separation of these numbers (.)

Hosting providers can manage multiple domains (users) on a single server using the web server.

A web hosting provider rents space on a server or cluster of servers to individuals who wish to establish an online presence through the use of a website.

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Various Types of Web Servers

• Apache Web Server

The Apache web server is a widely used web server that was developed by the Apache Software Foundation. Apache is open source software that runs on nearly all operating systems, including Linux, Windows, Unix FreeBSD, and Mac OS X. Around 60% of machines run on the Apache Web Server.

Due to the modular structure of the Apache web server, customisation is simple. Because it is open source, you can add your own modules to the server to customise it to your specifications.

In comparison to other web servers, it is incredibly stable, which helps administrative difficulties to get fixed off quickly. Apache can be successfully installed on a variety of platforms.

When compared to earlier versions of Apache, the latest versions allow you to handle more requests.

• Nginx Web Server

Nginx is the second most popular open source web server behind Apache. It is a proxy server for IMAP/POP3. Nginx’s distinguishing characteristics include high performance, stability, simplicity of configuration, and low resource consumption.

Nginx does not use threads to process requests; instead, it uses a highly scalable event-driven architecture that consumes a small and predictable amount of memory under load. It has grown in popularity in recent years and now hosts approximately 7.5 percent of all domains globally. Numerous web hosting companies have begun to utilise this server.

• Lighttpd

This was released in March 2003. It currently powers about 0.1 percent of all websites and is available under the BSD licence.

Lighttpd is distinguished by its low CPU load, small memory footprint, and performance optimisations. It utilises an event-driven architecture that is optimised for large numbers of concurrent connections and supports FastCGI, Auth, Output compression, SCGI, and URL rewriting, among other features. It is a widely used web server that is compatible with popular web frameworks such as Catalyst and Ruby on Rails.

Final Takeaway

Web hosting companies typically choose web servers based on client requirements, the number of clients on a single server, the applications/software clients use, and the amount of traffic generated by clients. Therefore, when choosing a web server, consider all of the factors get analysed first and then final decision is taken.

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