What Is A Web Server?

Date First Published: 25th March 2024

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Services

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 4/10

CONTENTS

How Do Web Servers Work?
Uses Of Web Servers
Security Practices

Learn about what a web server is in this article.

A web server is a computer system that stores webpages, images, and other files, and provides them to the client when it receives a request. In addition to webpages and images, web servers are used for other purposes, including storing files through a cloud storage service.

Web servers run web server software, such as Apache or Microsoft IIS, which provide access to hosted pages over the internet. Web server hardware is connected to the internet and allows data to be exchanged with other connected devices, whilst web server software controls how a user accesses hosted files.

How Do Web Servers Work?

Any computer can act as a web server as long as it is connected to the internet and has the right software installed. However, when a computer acts as a server, it might not have the necessary resources to handle all of the requests, such as bandwidth, especially if the service becomes popular.

Most web servers are 1U rack-mounted systems. These are flat, trimmed-down computers that can be mounted on a server rack. Most web hosting companies have several server racks, which contain multiple servers, which is the most space-efficient way to host a large number of websites from a single location.

Web server software is accessible through the domain names of websites and ensures that the website content is provided to the requesting client. When a web browser needs a file that is hosted on a web server, the browser will request the file by HTTP. When the request is received by the web server, the HTTP server will accept the request, find the content and send it back to the browser through HTTP.

Uses Of Web Servers

Web servers are often used for hosting webpages. Some may only host a few websites, whilst others may host thousands. Web servers that host websites for multiple users on a single server are known as shared hosts. System resources, such as storage space, CPU, and RAM, are shared amongst users.

Web servers that only host websites for specific users are known as dedicated hosts. These types of web servers are more suitable for large, high-traffic websites that require custom server modifications. They are more reliable than shared hosts because the hosted website cannot go down due to another website using excessive system resources.

Security Practices

Web servers need to be kept secure from threats to provide a safer experience. Examples of security practices include:

Keeping web servers patched and ensuring that it is not vulnerable to bugs.
Network monitoring to ensure that there is no unauthorised activity.
Using a firewall as they can monitor web traffic.
SSL/TLS to keep data secure.
Access restriction through processes, such as limiting the web host's access to infrastructure machines.