Web Server is a program that uses HTTP to distribute files that generate web pages in response to user queries. In simple terms, a web server delivers the web pages for others to see and if the server is down, the users cannot view the page. Hosting is a process by which a hosting provider rents space on a server for clients. A web hosting company manages multiple domains on a server known as shared hosting. While a personal or dedicated server offers better traffic management and security.

The process of how web servers work can be explained in 4 steps:

1. Accessing IP address from the domain name - The web browser accesses the IP address from the domain either by searching the cache or by requesting one or more DNS servers.
2. Browser requests for the full URL - The browser requests for the full URL after obtaining the IP address.
3. Web Server responding to request - The web server responds to the request by sending the designated pages and if the page is not available or down, the server will respond with an error message.
4. Browser displaying the web page - The browser will display the pages or the error message if the page is not available.

The 5 Leading Web Servers

1. Apache HTTP Server
   

Apache is one of the widely used servers. Being an open-source web server it supports almost all OS like Windows, Linux, Apple Mac OS, Unix, and others. Apache is easily customizable so that you can make changes to the server according to your project requirements. It is also highly stable when compared to other web servers and the latest version of Apache HTTP Server offers more flexibility.


2. Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
   

Like Apache, IIS is not an open-source web server. Owned by Microsoft, IIS has certain limitations and cannot be modified according to project requirements. The server works well with any device using Windows OS and Microsoft ensures quality customer support to help the user’s with any queries related to the server.


3. Lighttpd
   

Lighttpd’s small CPU load and speed optimizations help the server to run a large number of connections at the same time. They also provide facilities like Auth, URL rewriting, flexible virtual hosting, servlet support (AJP), HTTP proxy support, etc to the user. It is perfectly suitable for servers suffering from load problems.


4. Nginx Web Server
   

Nginx is an open-source web server. The significant features of Nginx are great performance, low resource usage and simple configuration. Some of the features of the Nginx Server includes caching, media streaming, load balancing, handling of static files, auto-indexing. The server handles requests in a single thread rather than creating a new process for each request.


5. Sun Java System Web Server
   

A web server providing high performance, scalability, and reliability with multithreading and multiprocessing capacity. The server also provides data security and command-line interface support. The latest version of the server was released with no HTTPServerAdmin support. But a built-in migration tool is integrated for the migration of apps, websites, and it’s configurations from the older to a newer version of the server.

Web Hosting Companies choose web servers based on the following criteria:

• Client requirements
• Number of clients on a single server
• Applications and software the clients use
• Amount of traffic that could be handled by the Webserver

So choosing a web server meeting your requirements or a web hosting provider who provides you with an efficient web server is the best option for promoting your business growth online.