What is a web server? How a web server works

Web Server is used to store data and run online software and applications. Over the years, information technology has produced many new methods and technologies to support storage. So What is a web server? Are server systems still relevant today, and when should you use a web server to get the best results?

What is a web server?

Web Server is defined as the the web server, powerful computers or clusters of computers that serve many different purposes on the web.

A web server can act as a hosting (storing or running) a website, but it can also run a company's system applications. Online games run on server systems too.

A web server receives requests from clients (the user's side), processes them and sends back a response. Those requests can come from a computer or a smartphone, but most often they come from a web browser.

A web server also stores the database of the websites and applications it runs.

Components of a web server

To do all this, a web server needs two components: hardware and software.

Web server hardware

Web servers are computers or clusters of computers with very strong specifications: large storage for databases and, above all, high processing speed.

Some popular websites receive thousands of visits in a single minute, and an online game can see far more. Each visitor can send many requests to the server, so the workload it has to handle is very large.

Of course, a small website or app with little traffic can still run on an average computer, but in general a web server has far better specifications.

Software includes the stored files such as HTML, CSS, images and JavaScript files.

Web server software

The other component of a web server is the web server software. It turns any computer into a fully working web server that can store files and receive and handle requests from clients.

With web server management software,running a web server becomes easier and more efficient. The most important benefit, though, is that you can manage the server server management remotely, which is essential because most servers sit in a data center somewhere underground that you cannot touch "directly".

How a web server stores files

A web server stores the data files of a website, including all related files such as HTML, CSS, images, JavaScript, fonts, videos and so on.

You could keep all of these files on your own computer. To make things easier and save your computer's storage, though, you should have a dedicated web server with these characteristics:

• It runs all the time and stays available without interruption
• It must use a an IP address
• It must always be connected to the internet
• A third party maintains the system for you

A web server is where the data files are stored

How HTTP communication works on a web server

Besides storing data, a web server also communicates over HTTP. Specifically, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connects two devices, here two computers. HTTP is also a plain-text, stateless protocol.

• Textual: It is plain text, so people can read it easily;
• Stateless: Earlier exchanges between the server and the client are not remembered.

HTTP sets clear rules between the user and the server's communication system. Keep the following in mind:

• Only the client can send requests to the server, and only the web server can answer the requests the client has sent.
• When they exchange files over HTTP, the client must supply the exact name (URL, short for uniform resource locator (URL) of the file.

The web server must respond to every HTTP request, especially with files that report errors.

When requests arrive at the server, HTTP is responsible for processing and answering them. When a request comes in from a client, the HTTP server first checks whether the URL matches an existing file. 

• If it does, the server returns the information the client asked for. 
• If it cannot fulfill the request, the server has to create a file that returns an error message (and make sure the user can see it). 

For example, 404 errors a Not Found error when the system cannot process the client's request.

How a web server system works

Even though web servers play a major role in running large websites and applications, the way they work is simple. One cycle of a web server has two steps:

• Step 1: when a user types a website's domain name into the address bar, the web browser (the client) resolves that domain into an IP address and sends an access request to it. The recipient is the web server.
• Step 2: the web server processes the request and sends back a response containing the website's data (HTML, CSS and other files). The browser then compiles those files and shows the website on the user's screen.

The web server repeats these steps for every request a client sends.

Popular web servers

Apache

Apache, whose full name is Apache HTTP Server, is web server software from the Apache Software Foundation. It has a long history and is very widely used, holding more than 45% of the web server software market.

NGINX

Compared with Apache, NGINX Colocation is a web server software is more modern and fits current needs better. NGINX handles larger numbers of connections more efficiently thanks to its distinctive asynchronous, event-driven architecture. That is why large, complex sites and companies such as Google, WordPress and Netflix rely on it.

LightTTPD

Although it is less popular, this web server LightTTPD is still trusted by many people because it is very flexible and uses very few system resources. LightTTPD suits small and medium static and dynamic websites best, saves setup time and effort, and makes switching or editing much easier.

There are other notable web server software options as well, such as LiteSpeed and Microsoft IIS, used for a variety of specific purposes.

Things to note when using a web server

When you work with a web server, keep the following in mind:

• You need a computer with large storage and high specifications that can handle many users visiting the website at the same time. When you build a web server, you are building an application that lets visitors find and look up results on your website quickly.
• For your web server to work well, it has to run 24/7 without interruption, so the website stays online and keeps providing information to your customers.

That is why choosing the right server provider matters so much. To keep up with changing market and business needs, web server providers keep growing and expanding, which creates a wide range of plans. Businesses still need to be careful to choose the plan that fits them.

Web server are powerful web machines that run websites, online games and large system applications. They are the backbone of the internet, keeping it running and making our lives more convenient and comfortable. A good web server needs to meet hardware requirements and use a web server software that fits the purpose and direction of the work it has to do.