What is a Web Server and How Does it Work?
Web server refers to both hardware and software.
A web server is not like a supercomputer or any other large machine.
Basically web server is another computer that acts as a host to store webpage files and software.
A web server is like a special computer that stores all the parts of a website, like the text, images, and styles. It connects to the Internet so people can visit the website from their own devices.
The web server also has software that knows how to handle requests when someone types a web address (URL) in their browser. It understands these requests and sends back the right content from the website to the person’s device so they can see the webpage.
A web server is a computer that helps people visit websites. It has special software called an HTTP server that understands website addresses (URLs) and uses a language called HTTP to show pages in your browser. When you type a website's address, the server sends the right pages to your device so you can see them.
When your browser asks for a file from a web server, it sends a request using HTTP. The server then finds the file and sends it back to your browser so you can view it. If the file isn't there, the server tells you with a “404 error,” which means the page can’t be found.
Here are the top 10 examples of commonly used web servers today:
Apache HTTP Server (Apache): One of the most popular web servers, known for its flexibility, high performance, and wide industry use.
Nginx: Known for its speed and efficiency, especially in handling a large number of simultaneous connections. It's often used for serving static files, load balancing, and acting as a reverse proxy.
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS): A web server created by Microsoft, commonly used for websites running on Windows servers.
LiteSpeed Web Server: Known for its speed and low resource usage, LiteSpeed is often used as a replacement for Apache and is popular with WordPress sites.
Tomcat: Developed by the Apache Software Foundation, Tomcat is primarily used for running Java applications.
Caddy: A relatively new web server known for being easy to set up and automatically providing HTTPS encryption.
Node.js: Although not a traditional web server, Node.js is often used as a server-side platform, especially for applications written in JavaScript.
Lighttpd: A lightweight web server designed for speed-critical environments, commonly used on systems with limited resources.
Apache Traffic Server: Originally a caching proxy server, it's now used as a forward and reverse proxy and is scalable for high-traffic websites.
Cherokee: A fast, flexible web server known for its user-friendly configuration interface, making it accessible even for beginners.
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