What Is A Web Server And How Does It Function

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What Is A Web Server And How Does It Function?
Anyone who uses the internet, whether to access a
website, check emails or interact on a social
network, is interacting in some way with a web
server. Originally called as a server, it is
responsible for responding to all requests made
to an Internet address. The web server is the
heart of any website hosting company. Without it,
the internet as we know would probably not
exist. In this article, we will find out what a
web server is and what it is for. If you want
to know more about it, stay with
us! Differentiating a web server from a
server! In a simplified way, we can say that a
web server is a computer that hosts one or more
sites/applications on the internet. However, the
term web server may refer to both the hardware
and the software contained in this equipment. It
is also common to find the term referring to
both cases (hardware and software).
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The differentiation between server equipment and
a server program will be made based on the
context in which the expression is used. Lets
understand how to identify each case. Web
Server Equipment A website consists of a
compilation of digital files that are interpreted
by the browser and displayed on the screen of a
computer/device. To be accessible by anyone, a
sites files need to be stored somewhere. More
precisely, on a computer that is connected to
the internet 24 hours a day. This computer is
known as Web Server. A server has internal
components similar to those found on a personal
computer, such as an HD, RAM, motherboard, etc.
However, its architecture is optimized for the
task of being a server. Thus, there is
specialized equipment in this function, as we
will see next. Rack and Tower Physical-type
servers are found in two different forms tower
and rack. For years, tower-type servers were the
standard. However, with increasing demand and the
creation of large data centers, rack-type
servers have become much more popular. The
reason is the high capacity of expansion that the
rack format provides, since it is possible to
group and interconnect, in a single rack column,
dozens of servers.
Just like on a personal computer, a web server
has an operating system and several programs can
be installed on it. This includes specific
programs to perform certain tasks, such as
sending pages from a website over the Internet,
sending and receiving
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• emails, storing and delivering files, and more.
  To these programs, we also assign the web server
  name, as we will see later.
• Can I have a server at home or at my company?
• Anyone could, if you wish, host a website at
  home, making your personal computer a server.
  However, this practice is not recommended as it
  involves a lot of care and constant maintenance.
• This includes, among other things, ensuring that
  the server is always on and working 24 hours a
  day (despite possible drops in the light supply)
• That the internet connection will always be
  working
• And several other technical details that do not
  fit here.
• In addition, the server manager would have to
  stand by to provide support to his customers (if
  any) if there is any instability or problem
  related to machine operation.
• For these reasons, it is more convenient (and
  safe) to outsource the maintenance of a web
  server with a company that specializes in the
  subject. And there are many nowadays. A web
  server is usually allocated in a data center
  managed by a hosting
• company.
• Web Server Program
• When accessing a website, the browser (Chrome,
  Firefox ) communicates with the server,
  requesting and receiving the data of the page in
  question. As mentioned, the physical server has
  specific programs to respond to the type of
  request made. In the case of a website, this
  request is made through a protocol known as HTTP
  (hypertext transfer protocol). All websites on
  the internet travel using this protocol (or its
  secure version known as HTTPS). Thus, there are
  specific programs to respond to HTTP requests.
  This type of program is also known as a web
  server.
• For other requests, different types of web server
  are used, such as for sending and receiving
  emails. A web server that sends and receives
  emails can be installed on the same computer
  (server) used for HTTP requests.
• Here are some examples of web servers (software)
  commonly found on web servers (hardware)

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• Email server Sends, receives, and stores
  e-mails.
• Database server Stores data in a specific
  structure.
• So, when we request a page on the internet, the
  request will be sent to the server that contains
  the files of the site in question. When the
  request arrives at the server, the software
  contained therein will be responsible for
  processing the requested information and
  responding accordingly.
• A web server can receive requests and send files
  to thousands of users simultaneously or in a
  short time.
• Types of Web Server
• There are several types of web server available
  in the market, including free and paid software.
  Among the most popular, we can mention Apache,
  Nginx and Microsoft IIS as the most used today.
  According to W3 Techs data from July 2017, Apache
  is the leader, being used in 49 of all sites on
  the internet. It is followed by Nginx, which is
  present in 34 of sites, and by IIS, which is
  present on 11 of sites. Of the three, only the
  Microsoft product is paid, the others being a
  free and open source.
• The list also included others such as LiteSpeed,
  Google Servers, Tomcat, and Node.js.
• All these types of web servers have differences
  between them, but it is important to know that
  they are used for similar purposes, which is to
  serve content based on HTTP requests.
• Operational System
• As for the operating system, although there are
  several, we usually find two types of OS on web
  servers Linux or Windows. Linux servers are
  present on most web servers in the world.
  Microsoft servers are only used in scenarios that
  depend on applications based on Microsoft
  technologies, such as sites and systems that use
  the ASP.NET language.
• To illustrate, while 66 of Internet sites are on
  servers with a Unix-derived operating system,
  only 33 run Windows IIS.

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and cloud) the web server is offered as an
inherent part of the product. Likewise, the user
of this type of service will also often have FTP
service, database, programming language, among
others, included in the provision of the
service. Likewise, the user of this type of
service will also often have FTP service,
database, programming language, among others,
included in the provision of the service. To
define the type of hosting needed in each case,
many factors must be taken into account, such as
the purpose, type of site (whether dynamic or
static), audience, among others. Conclusion If
you got here, you already know what a web server
is and that this term can refer to both the
equipment and the software. In addition, we have
seen that servers are critical for the internet
to function the way we know it today. Do you
have any questions or want to add some
information? Leave a comment and we will be
happy to help you!
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