You see, in the digital era, every time you visit a website, stream a video, or make a purchase online, you’re connecting to a web server.
But what are we talking about when we say web server, and how does it work?
This post will give you a detailed understanding of web servers, their various parts that make them function, how they work and its significance in the web industry.
Whether you are a newbie and just starting to learn the basics of web hosting or a veteran developer interested in tweaking server performance, knowing a bit about web servers is vital in our present, internet-based world.
If you're new to the field, you might find this article useful too: Web Development for Beginners.
What is a Web Server?
A web server is both a hardware machine and software program that delivers website content to users over the internet.
It saves, processes and serves web pages to users (typically web browsers).
It is the web server that shows you a website when you type its address into your browser and press enter.
The web servers are just another part of the internet.
“Without them, people couldn’t surf the Web, and businesses couldn’t even have a presence online,” he said, referring to the domain names.
These servers are online 24/7 and a user can access content from anywhere, anytime.
Big companies, like Google, Amazon and Facebook, depend on enormous networks of web servers to deliver millions of pages per second to users around the world.
How Does a Web Server Work?
Web servers work within a client-server model.
Your client (e.g. a web browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox) will ask to connect to the web server via the HTTP or HTTPS protocol.
The server then agrees and processes the request and sends content (HTML page, image, video etc.) out to the client.
Here is a simplified explanation of how it works:
1. Request Selection: A user specifies a website URL or selects a link. The browser makes an HTTP request to a web server.
2. Handling the Request: The server searches its resources (files and databases) to find the requested file.
3. Responding: The server returns the data with an HTTP response code.
4. Displaying the Content: The browser displays the data it has received as a webpage.
All of this happens in just milliseconds.
The faster and more optimized your web server is, the faster the website will load – which in turn affects the user experience and SEO rankings.
To better understand HTTPS and HTTP protocols and their importance for web servers, you can read: Understanding HTTPS vs HTTP for Your Website.
Main Components of a Web Server
A web server has primarily two components - hardware and software.
Hardware is the physical computer where the web server software and website data, including HTML files, images, JavaScript and CSS, are stored.
They are very powerful and are typically found in data centers with access to high-speed internet.
A number of hardware servers are also stand-alone versus cloud-hosted within an AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure environment.
These can have multiple server nodes, load balancers, and failover techniques for stability and scale.
Software means the web server program which knows about URLs and HTTP.
It accepts requests over the network, serves files, or creates content dynamically.
Some popular web server software are Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS, and LiteSpeed.
Web servers other than HTTP are sometimes supported, such as HTTPS for secure transfer, FTP for file transfer, or SMTP for sending e-mail.
Requests are handled and routed by software settings, along with error condition, and file handling.
For a deeper dive into privacy and cookies management that often involves server configurations, check out: Master Website Cookies Privacy Function and Impact.
Types of Web Servers
Types of Web Servers: Static or Dynamic Web Servers.
There are two types of Web Servers:
Static Web Servers
A static web server serves manual and fixed content to its users.
When the request is initiated, the server responds with a prewritten HTML file.
The disadvantage of this server is that, although it is easy to implement, it is not flexible enough to provide customized or real-time content.
They work well for portfolio websites, landing pages, and documentation-type websites that do not change their content too often.
Web servers come in two flavors: static and dynamic.
They also benefit from caching and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), which distribute static files in different locations to enhance global access speed.
Dynamic Web Servers
Web servers that run dynamic web pages process server-side scripts to create dynamic content on the fly.
These are servers using languages such as PHP, Python, Ruby, Node.js, etc., to query databases and respond with custom content based on user input or other logic.
Modern web applications (like webshops, social networks, and SaaS platforms) are driven by dynamic servers.
These servers usually use a backend framework or a CMS like WordPress, Laravel, Django, or Express.js to create more sophisticated, interactive experiences.
They are more computationally expensive than other methods; however, they are more versatile.
Popular Web Server Software
There are various web server software available, with varying features and targeted for different use cases.
Apache HTTP Server
Apache is the most popular open-source web server software.
It is lauded for its versatility, reliability and compatibility across various operating systems.
Apache is modular, so it's easy to add extra features.
It supports .htaccess for directory-level configuration and works with PHP, MySQL, and most CMSs such as WordPress.
Shared hosting companies especially love Apache.
Nginx
Nginx (pronounced "engine x") is a high-performance and small memory footprint server.
It is very good at concurrency (concurrent connections) which makes it an excellent choice as a high-traffic web server.
In addition to being a standard web server, Nginx can also be used as a load balancer or reverse proxy.
Nginx uses less memory than Apache, and can serve static files faster.
It’s also popular in DevOps pipelines and containerized environments such as Docker and Kubernetes.
Microsoft IIS
Internet Information Services (IIS) is the web server operated by Microsoft.
It is integrated with other Microsoft programs, including Microsoft Office, and it is often utilized in organizations running on MS Server.
ASP.NET is best suited for use with IIS and integrates with Windows authentication, Active Directory, and SQL Server.
It also comes with a graphical interface, which makes managing the server easier.
LiteSpeed
LiteSpeed is a commercial web server that has good speed with low memory usage.
It is very often used as a drop-in replacement for Apache; both serve from the same configuration files, and Nginx is faster in rendering pages.
As it also has integrated caching, DDoS protection, and HTTP/3 support, LiteSpeed is a common option among hosting services providing high-performance services.
Securing a Web Server
Security is paramount for web servers, as they are a frequent target for attackers.
The following are some of the key security considerations for any web server:
Include HTTPS: Protect your server with an SSL/TLS certificate.
This is to keep the server–client data exchange secure and prevent third-party intrusions.
Update frequently: With known bugs being the most common form of website attack, it's important to update your server’s software and plugins as often as you can.
Use Firewalls: Set up firewalls for blacklisting malicious IP addresses and restricting access to critical points.
Shut Down Unused Services: Close down services and ports not needed to limit attack surface.
Grant Correct File Permissions: Limit access of files and users by not allowing read, write or execute for all.
Log Monitoring: Be vigilant in analyzing server logs for any unusual activity or access trends.
Lastly, you should license regular penetration testing and vulnerability scans to identify holes before someone else exploits them.
Web Server vs Application Server
Web Server vs App Server The web server vs application server aren't opposing each other, they're cooperating.
A web server listens for HTTP requests and then serves up pages, such as HTML, images, and CSS.
An application server, on the other hand, generates dynamic content based on the user input, and often connects to a backend database to store user information.
These two can work together in that the web server can provide client interface on the front end, while passing information to the application server in the back end.
For example, when a user completes a form on a website, the web server collects the form input, forwards it to an application server (which will insert the form input into a database table) and then receives a confirmation message of success.
Choosing the Right Web Server
Choosing the best web server
depends on several factors:
Traffic load: If you expect huge traffic, Nginx or LiteSpeed could be faster.
Apache and Nginx are cross-platform, IIS is Windows only.
Ease of Use: Good documentation and widespread community support.
Language Support: Think about which languages or frameworks you’ll be using.
Technical Environment: A VPS, shared hosting, cloud hosting, or dedicated server will all have unique requirements and capabilities.
If you are thinking to scale up fast, handling international traffic, then you should combine the best of both worlds, i.e., a web server and a reverse proxy to get better performance along with flexibility.
Why Understanding Web Servers Matters
If you’re a developer, a website owner, or a digital marketer hoping to improve the quality of service on the server, hosting environment, etc.,
then you can more clearly decide about hosting, scale, security and other factors.
It empowers you to improve your site’s performance, diagnose problems, and secure it.
That said, knowing how web servers talk to database servers, or CDNs, or caching systems will help you build faster, more efficient websites as well.
In short, it’s important in an age where user experience directly affects conversion rates and search engine results.
Conclusion
The web servers are the heart of the contemporary web.
They are at the heart of the web and they deliver everything from simple static websites to mission-critical web applications – and everything in between.
By learning what makes web servers work, the different kinds that exist, and how to select and secure one, you will be in a better position to create and maintain productive online projects.
Whether you’re starting your own blog or running a high-traffic online store, your understanding of web servers will prove to be an invaluable asset in today’s digital world.
With the evolution of the internet still happening, knowing server technologies will be one of the most valuable skills for all web developers and online entrepreneurs.
