What is a web server, what is it for, how does it work and what types are there? - Definitive guide

Web servers are essential to be able to access the internet, without them you would not be able to enjoy browsing all the websites available on the internet. Since web servers are so important, we will explain in this post what is a web server, what is it for, how it works and the types that exist.

What is a web server and what is it for?

The first thing to know before define what a web server is ; is that when we speak of a web server we are not referring to a server (a computer designed to store a variety of programs, which are then used by other computers); there is a big difference between a web server and a server.




A web server or HTTP server is a software costs. which uses the HTTP protocol (Hipertext Transfer Protocol), responsible for storing information contained on websites, including videos, images, text, among others. Furthermore, it provides this information securely and constantly to Internet users through the search browser where I request the information.

What is a web server, what is it for, how does it work and what types are there? - Definitive guide

A web server basically deals with searching the Internet for the information requested through a browser; and then sends the results of that search directly to the browser that the user used. That is, it generates the connection between users and websites, using the browser.

If you still don't understand, we recommend that you do some more research on what the HTTP protocol is for and how it works. This will definitely help you better understand what a web server is.

How does a web server work and what types are there?

  1. Each user enters the information to search for in the browser of your choice (Opera, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari or other).
  2. Your computer, tablet or smartphone does query with a DNS server to locate the server that contains the required information.
  3. When the location of the server is known, the execution of the HTTP protocol begins, which is different from the HTTPS protocol; which consists of the browser used that requests the desired information from the web server.
  4. The server immediately begins processing the requested information; To do this, it first determines the domain and then the type of information required (static or dynamic).
  5. The web server send the search result to browser used by the user.

If a user requests to search for a website, but is not authorized to access that website, the server will not allow him to access that page.




The whole process may seem long and complicated, but it happens in seconds; thus, you can enjoy your search results in no time.

Tipi on the web server

There are many web servers in the world, but for this article we have collected the most popular web servers.

  • Apache

This is the most popular server and is compatible with Windows, Linux, Unix and iOs operating systems. This server is free, Safe, easy to set up and very robust; It also stands out for being open source. While Apache web servers sometimes need to be restarted, this is also a simple process.

  • Niginx

It is an open source server free which it has a design light, simple and a lot sure ; and also fast and very solid. It adapts to any technology, which is why it is compatible with platforms such as Windows, Unix, Linux, among others. Its great advantages have made it Apache's number 1 competitor.


What is a web server, what is it for, how does it work and what types are there? - Definitive guide


  • Microsoft IIS

This server was created by Windows, so it is compatible with the technology that the company has available. This server offers its users un software costs. easy to use, sure e fast ; but it's not free and doesn't support many languages.

  • lighttpd

It is a very light open source server and is available for operating systems such as Mac Os / X, Windows, Linux. This server was designed to be fast and consume little RAM and CPU.


Anyone who has a website must be part of a web server. Therefore, they should choose a server that is suitable for their operating system, compliant with security protocols, and that offers good publishing and research tools. But if you can't find the ideal one for you, you can create your own webpage server.

Thanks to web servers we can access social networks, read news, play games, listen to music, watch movies and browse all the web pages we want quickly and safely; then thanks to the web servers we have in front of us a virtual world tightness

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