A Web server is a program that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to serve web pages to users as per requests, which are forwarded by their computers' HTTP clients. Dedicated computers and appliances may be referred to as Web servers as well. A web server like Apache which has been the most popular web server on the internet since 1996, handles your communications with the website, handles your requests, makes sure that other staff (modules) are ready to serve you. It is also clear the memory, cache, modules after using it. Apache is the most widely used Web Server application in the world with more than 50% share in the commercial web server market and also in Unix-like operating systems but can be used on almost all platforms such as Windows, OS X, OS/2, etc. The word, Apache, has been taken from the name of the Native American tribe ‘Apache’, famous for its skills in warfare and strategy making.
So, Why Use Apache HTTP Server?
There are a number of benefits to the Apache HTTP Server. These are -
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it's entirely free for both personal and commercial uses, so there is no need to ever worry about to pay for it.
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It is an open-source platform. So, the source code is visible to anyone and everyone, which basically enables anyone to adjust the code, optimize it, and fix errors and security holes. People can add new features and write new modules.
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It's also a reliable software and is updated often since it's still actively maintained and it will keep updating to provide security patches and vulnerability improvements.
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Apache can be used for small websites of one or two pages, or huge websites of hundreds and thousands of pages, it can be suited for all needs. It serves millions of regular visitors each month as both static and dynamic content.
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Although it's a free and updated product, that doesn't mean it skip on features. In fact, it's one of the most feature-filled HTTP web servers available in the market.
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Its modules are used to add more functions to the software. Password authentication and digital certificates are also supported in it.
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It allows you to customize error messages.
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It delivers multiple websites with its virtual hosting capabilities and proxy modules are also available on it.
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It supports SSL and TLS, and GZIP compression to speed up web pages.
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Apache server can allow users to download files to their computers, which Apache will also handle via HTTP. These include audio files, movie files or certain documents such as Word documents or PDF.
How does Apache web server work?
Apache web server’s job is basically to accept requests from clients and send responses to those requests. The web server gets a URL, translates it to a filename for static requests, and sends that file back over the internet from the local disk. It translates a URL to a program name for dynamic requests, executes it, and then sends the output of that program back over the internet to the requesting party. If the web server was not able to process and complete the request for any reason, it instead returns an error message. The web server can refer the word to the computer or hardware itself, or the software that receives requests and sends out responses. The main purpose of this server is to store website files and broadcast them over the internet for you as the site visitor to see. In essence, the web server is simply a powerful computer that stores and transmits data via the internet. When someone visits a web page on your site their browser communicates with your web server, sending and receiving information that ultimately dictates what appears on the visitor’s computer screen. It can store and transfer website data upon the request of a visitor’s browser.
