What is a computer that serves web pages?
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Let us look at the topics we will be discussing in this blog:
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A website’s content is stored and delivered with the help of a web server. All images, texts, videos, application data, and anything else that is needed by the user, is delivered with the help of a web server. Whenever a user clicks on a link or starts a download, the web server calls for the data from the website. To help you better understand it, let us take a look at the definition of a web server. Web Server DefinitionIt consists of the hardware and software that is responsible for responding to requests on the World Wide Web, with the use of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and other protocols. These requests are made by clients. The main thing that it is responsible for, is displaying the contents of a website to each user who requests it. This process involves storing, processing, and delivering data. The exchange of data among devices is facilitated by a web server’s hardware. The software component of a web server controls the users’ access to the hosted files. All systems that host websites need to have the web server software. Functions of a Web ServerTo understand all aspects of a web server, it is important to start with an understanding of its various functions. Web servers have the following functions in general:
Want to Pursue a career in Cyber Security? Check out our Cyber Security Course in collaboration with IIT Guwahati! How Does a Web Server Work?A web browser uses HTTP to request a file hosted on a web server. The HTTP server accepts this request, finds the file, and then sends it back to the browser using HTTP. Let us take a look at all the steps involved in the process:
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Check out our Cyber Security Tutorial to learn more about Cyber Security! Examples of Web Server UsesWeb servers are a component of a larger internet and intranet package. They can be used for:
Server-side scripting is also supported on a lot of web servers. It employs scripts on a web server and can help personalize the response for the clients. The server machine is used to run server-side scripting. The process uses various scripting languages such as Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), etc. HTML documents can be created dynamically by using the same process. Types of Web ServersHere you will see few types of Web Servers. ApacheLaunched in 1996 and is currently maintained by the Apache Foundation, Apache Web Server is one of the most popular web servers in the world today. It is a freeware. It is one of the top web server examples to be compatible with platforms such as Linux, Windows, Mac, and more. IISKnown widely with its abbreviation, Internet Information Services (IIS) is a web server that is owned by Microsoft. IIS comes with the Windows Server Operating System and can be configured via a graphic interface. NGINXNGINX was developed in 2002 by Igor Sysoev. It is a web server that works as a proxy server as well. This means that it, just like Apache, can work along with another web server. Its primary job is to handle hundreds of concurrent connections. Apache TomcatApache Tomcat is a free web server that specializes in Java Servlets. Apache Tomcat is popularly known as a Java container. It can work under Port 8080 and supports PHP, ASP.net, Perl, Python, and more. lighttpdlighttpd was developed in 2003. This web server requires low memory and CPU and disk space. Web cameras, internet routers, and other things of a similar nature use lighttpd as their web server. Static Web Server vs Dynamic Web ServerWeb servers can serve both static and dynamic content. Static content is shown as it is, while dynamic content keeps changing. A static web server has a computer along with an HTTP software. When the server sends the hosted files to the browser, they are sent without any changes. On the other hand, a dynamic web server has a computer and other software such as a database and an application server. The application server can update the hosted files at any time before they are sent to the browser. This web server can also generate content whenever it is requested from the database. This provides flexibility but also makes the process more complex. Web Server ArchitectureWeb server architecture is the layout of a web server. These are developed, designed, and deployed based on the web server architecture. All the essential components of a web server, which are required for delivering web-server-based operations and services, are defined in the architectural layout. There are certain parameters that are defined in the web server architecture, including:
There are two approaches to web server architecture:
Concurrent ApproachWith the concurrent approach, a web server can handle multiple client requests at the same time. One of the following three methods can be used to achieve that:
Multi-processA single parent process creates various single-threaded child processes and then distributes all the incoming requests to the child processes. All the child processes handle one request at a time. The parent process is responsible for monitoring the load and deciding if a process needs to be forked or filled. MultithreadedMultiple single-threaded processes are created to handle various requests. HybridThis approach combines the above two approaches. Multiple processes are created that initiate multiple threads. One thread handles one connection. Single-process-event-driven ApproachIn the single-process-event-driven (SPED) approach, a single process performs all client processing and activity, in an event-driven manner. It uses a single event-driven server process, and is responsible for processing multiple HTTP requests concurrently. Web Server SecurityIt is very important to keep your web server secure. With the absence of web server security, your web server is vulnerable to various attacks such as DoS attacks, SSoS attacks, SQL injections, unpatched software, cross-site scripting, and much more. You can protect your web server in the following ways:
ConclusionA web server is important for your business’ website. The overall wellness of this determines the quality of your website to a great extent; the wellness of your web server influences data privacy and much more. Make sure to implement web server security systems to make the best use of your web server. In this blog we have explained “What is a Web Server? It’s Type, Architecture etc”. If you have any doubts? Drop it on our Cyber Security Community! What is a web server used for?The primary role of a web server is to store, process, and deliver requested information or webpages to end users. It uses: Physical Storage: All website data is stored on a physical web server to ensure its safety.
What is a server in computer?A server is a computer program or device that provides a service to another computer program and its user, also known as the client. In a data center, the physical computer that a server program runs on is also frequently referred to as a server.
What is web browser and web server?A web browser is basically the software that we use for browsing on the internet and displaying pages. Conversely, a web server refers to the software that provides its users with the documents they request via their web browsers.
Which of the following is a web server?Eclipse is a web server (Java HTTP server). Apache Tomcat, is a web server which is also known as Tomcat server. BlueGriffon is an IDE.
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