{"id":23853,"date":"2022-08-25T09:33:02","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T01:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/?p=23853"},"modified":"2022-08-25T09:33:02","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T01:33:02","slug":"what-is-web-server-complete-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/what-is-web-server-complete-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Web Server? A Complete Guide for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-23858 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=696%2C364&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Web Server\" width=\"696\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=1024%2C536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=300%2C157&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=768%2C402&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=696%2C364&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=1068%2C559&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=218%2C114&amp;ssl=1 218w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?resize=803%2C420&amp;ssl=1 803w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Web Server?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A web server is part of a larger web hosting service purchased from a web hosting company.<\/p>\n<p>A web server stores software and uses HTTP or hypertext transfer protocol to respond to web users.<\/p>\n<p>A client-server model is used by a web server where the client is the web user, and the server requests the service from another program.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the most common web server technologies are Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS, Node.js and Tomcat.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly about 65% of all web server deployments <a href=\"https:\/\/kinsta.com\/blog\/nginx-vs-apache\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">are either Apache or Nginx<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These together dominate the web server universe which means 3 out of 5 websites in the world are powered by one of them.<\/p>\n<p>Using a http server, the web server deploys static and dynamic content such as text, images or a computed list of items for purchase.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, the most common type of client in web server are web browsers like google chrome and Firefox.<\/p>\n<p>A correct http server setup is crucial for the clients, and all leading web server providers assist in having posts configured to use the web server easily.<\/p>\n<p>Web servers host multiple websites using a single software and create effective response time for the websites, also known as virtual hosting.<\/p>\n<p>Virtual hosting is a method to host several kinds of domain names on a single web server.<\/p>\n<p>A web server controls enterprise files through host components where the data or files are exchanged through CSS stylesheets, in forms of images, HTML files, texts etc.<\/p>\n<p>Languages like python, PHP, JavaScript etc. support web server\u00a0 and help in delivering dynamic content via an optimized http server protocol through which a web server understands URLs for viewing and working further.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Web Server in Short<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-23492 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps.jpg?resize=696%2C392&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Virtual private server VPS\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=696%2C391&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=1068%2C601&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=203%2C114&amp;ssl=1 203w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?resize=747%2C420&amp;ssl=1 747w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/virtual-private-server-vps-scaled.jpg?w=1392&amp;ssl=1 1392w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>From hardware perspective, a web server is a computer that stores web server software and a website&#8217;s component files (for example, HTML documents, images, CSS stylesheets, and JavaScript files).<\/p>\n<p>It connects to the Internet and supports physical data interchange with other devices connected to the web.<\/p>\n<p>From a software perspective, a web server is nothing but HTTP server protocol that controls how a web user accesses hosted files.<\/p>\n<p>An HTTP server is a software that understands\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developer.mozilla.org\/en-US\/docs\/Glossary\/URL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">URLs\u00a0(web addresses)<\/a> and can be accessed through the domain names of the websites it stores, and it delivers the content of these hosted websites to the end user&#8217;s device.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Relation between Web Server and HTTP Server<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A web server provides support for HTTP as a protocol. The http web service protocol specifies how to transfer hypertext (linked web documents) between two computers.<\/p>\n<p>HTTP provides clear rules for how a client and server communicate. Clients\u00a0make HTTP requests to\u00a0servers. Servers\u00a0respond\u00a0to a\u00a0client&#8217;s HTTP request.<\/p>\n<p>When requesting a file via HTTP, clients must provide the file&#8217;s\u00a0URL.<\/p>\n<p>A web server\u00a0must respond to\u00a0every HTTP request, at least with an error message if incorrect.<\/p>\n<p>On a web server, the HTTP server protocol is responsible for processing and answering incoming requests.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Quick summary<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Upon receiving a request, an HTTP server first checks if the requested URL matches an existing file.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">If so, the web server sends the file content back to the browser. If not, an application server builds the necessary file.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">If neither process is possible, the web server returns an error message to the browser, most commonly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developer.mozilla.org\/en-US\/docs\/Web\/HTTP\/Status\/404\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">404 Not Found<\/a>. The 404 error is so common that some web designers devote considerable time and effort to designing 404 error pages.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Difference between Web Server and App Server<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-23862 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=696%2C364&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Web server versus Application server\" width=\"696\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=1024%2C536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=300%2C157&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=768%2C402&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=696%2C364&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=1068%2C559&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=218%2C114&amp;ssl=1 218w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?resize=803%2C420&amp;ssl=1 803w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Web-Server-versus-Application-Server.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Many users mistake web server for app server and vice versa.<\/p>\n<p>The features of an app server and a web server are different in terms of backups, performance and tolerance.<\/p>\n<p>A web server handles the http server requests for the application programs and browsers, whereas an app server uses business logic to initiate the server request through several protocols.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s understand the features of both the servers in detail to enable us decide on the suitable one.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>App Server Features<\/th>\n<th>Web Server Features<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Delivers dynamic content<\/td>\n<td>Deliver static content<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Running an app server can increase the capacity of intake<\/td>\n<td>Capable to configure multiple websites at one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Data redundancy in web server<\/td>\n<td>High reliability and uptime guarantee in http server<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>A centralized interface and full of resource<\/td>\n<td>Consumers fewer resources by using HTML and HTTP protocols<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Increased tolerance to load and faults<\/td>\n<td>Offers better flexibility, administrative control and support for businesses.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A web server is a computer that processes files with static and dynamic web content and comes with standard features such as storage space, file logging, bandwidth and authentication.<\/p>\n<p>The primary work of the http server is to process the HTTP requests for developing better security and performance for the enterprise.<\/p>\n<p>When a web server is in use for the business, it guarantees better uptime, security, performance and fulfilling the expectations.<\/p>\n<h2><b>How Much Does a Web Server Cost?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Web hosting is cheaper in 2022, and there are a lot of hosting plans available that are customizable as per the needs of an organization.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>There are different prices available for web server hosting according to their types \u2013 shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated hosting, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/managed-vps-hosting-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VPS hosting<\/a> etc.<\/p>\n<p>Visit Exabytes to choose from several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/how-to-choose-web-hosting-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">web server hosting plans<\/a> which are suitable for enterprise business.<\/p>\n<p>Web hosting costs tend to vary according to plans and the pricing of several packs. There might be variables in terms of services and the plan\u2019s consistency<\/p>\n<p>Choosing among these plans for web server hosting comes with additional features and benefits like 100Mbps bandwidth, professional support, and high performance of the organization.<\/p>\n<p>There are few additional specifications of a web server solution like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/web-hosting\/wordpress-hosting\/features\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lightning-fast deployment<\/a>, free backup and multiple dedicated IPs etc. that help make web server a perfect choice.<\/p>\n<p>Connect with the sales team at Exabytes for exclusive offers and packages that\u2019s in store for you.<\/p>\n<p>The Exabytes team will help you evaluate your business requirements and decide the right web server plan that\u2019s suitable.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact Us Now.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Related articles:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/dedicated-server-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When Should I Invest in a Dedicated Server?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/what-is-cloud-server-how-it-helps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Benefits of Using a Cloud Server<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Web Server?\u00a0 A web server is part of a larger web hosting service purchased from a web hosting company. A web server stores software and uses HTTP or hypertext transfer protocol to respond to web users. A client-server model is used by a web server where the client is the web user, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":23858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[294],"tags":[201,244],"class_list":{"0":"post-23853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vps-server","8":"tag-server","9":"tag-web-hosting"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/what-is-web-server.jpg?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbHhPQ-6cJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23853"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23863,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23853\/revisions\/23863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.exabytes.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}