Web server

A web server is computer software that accepts requests using a special system called HTTP, or its safer version HTTPS. This system was created to share web content across the Internet. When you want to see a web page or get some information, something called a web browser or a web crawler asks the web server for that information. The server then sends back the information or tells the browser there was a problem.

The kind of machine used to run a web server depends on how many people are asking for information at the same time. Small devices, like the router in your home, can run a tiny web server to help you set things up. But big websites that lots of people visit might need many powerful computers working together to keep up with all the requests.

Web servers can send different kinds of information. Sometimes they send files that are already stored, which is quick and easy. Other times, they create new information just for you when you ask for it. This lets web servers do many different jobs besides just showing web pages.

History

See also: History of the web browser, History of the World Wide Web, and History of the Internet

The story of web servers began in 1989 when Sir Tim Berners-Lee proposed a project to share information among scientists using a special system called hypertext. By 1991, he and his team created the first web server and browsers to help people access and share information online.

As the web grew, many new web servers were developed. In the early days, servers like CERN httpd and NCSA httpd were popular. Later, Apache HTTP server became very widely used because it was reliable and had many useful features. Other servers like IIS from Microsoft and Netsite also joined the competition. Today, many different web servers exist to meet the needs of millions of websites around the world.

Technical overview

A web server is a special kind of computer program that helps people get information from the internet. When you type a website address into your web browser, it sends a request to a web server. The server then finds the requested webpage or file and sends it back to your browser so you can see it.

Web servers can handle many different types of requests and perform several tasks. They can serve simple webpages (called static content), generate pages on the fly based on data (called dynamic content), and even manage security for websites. They also keep records of who visited and what they looked at, which helps website owners understand how people use their sites.

Most web servers can do basic jobs like showing webpages and handling common requests, but they can also do more advanced things like caching content to make pages load faster and redirecting requests to different addresses when needed.

Performances

To make the web work well, a web server needs to answer questions from users quickly. This means it should send back what someone asks for as fast as it can, keeping the total waiting time very short.

How well a web server works can be checked in several ways, like how many questions it can answer each second, how fast it sends the answers, and how quickly it responds even when many people are using it at the same time. These checks help make sure the web stays fast and smooth for everyone.

Load limits

A web server has limits on how many requests it can handle at the same time. These limits depend on the server's operating conditions, its resources, and the number of connections it can manage. When a server reaches or goes over these limits, it can become slow or unresponsive.

Web servers can get overloaded for several reasons, such as too much regular traffic, attacks that try to stop the server from working, or problems with connected computers. When this happens, users might experience delays, error messages, or interrupted connections. To prevent overload, websites use techniques like improving server settings, caching content, managing network traffic, and adding more servers or resources.

Market share

Further information on HTTP server programs: Category:Web server software

Here are the newest numbers showing which web servers are most used on the Internet, based on data from Netcraft. The tables below show the top web servers and their share of all websites. Some percentages are rounded to whole numbers because the exact decimal values are not shared by the source.