Server (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what a server is, its main characteristics and what it is for. Also, what is a web server, classification and examples.

Server - Internet — Servers operate based on a client-server communication model.

What is a server?

In computing, a computer that is part of a computer network and provides certain services to the rest of the computers in it, called stations or clients, is known as a server. Said computer must have a specific application capable of meeting the requests of different clients and provide them with a timely response, so in reality several simultaneous servers (software) can operate within the same physical computer (hardware), as long as they have the necessary logistical resources.

Servers operate based on a client-server communication model (or “architecture”). distributing tasks among available resource providers thus offering its clients the opportunity to share data, specific information and access to certain software and hardware resources, such as a specific application or peripheral. This is how, for example, web pages and email services work.

Typically, servers can be classified according to their availability as dedicated and shared. Dedicated servers are those that have all their hardware and processing resources to meet client requests; while shared servers are those that, while receiving requests from clients through the network, attend to processes locally, outside the network.

Characteristics of a server

Since servers are computers in charge of meeting the demands of network clients, one of their main characteristics is that they must constantly have their resources available so that the network is operational all the time. I mean, must always be on, always available. This is why sometimes a web page or its resources cannot load: if a server crashes or breaks down, a certain segment of the network it is in charge of will no longer be available to its clientele.

What is a server for?

game server — Game servers allow access to a recreational program.

The servers, as we have said, are responsible for responding to the requests of the clients of a given network, and managing the resources available to it so that each client can access the information or peripherals it needs. In that sense, servers can have very different functions, such as:

File servers They store files or information files and feed them to a network.
Active Directory/Domain Servers They manage information related to the network, its users, teams and internal groups.
Print server Manages a set of printers available for a network, granting access to them and managing the print queue.
Mail server It manages the flow of email between, from and to clients on a network, sending and receiving messages and storing their history.
Proxy Server Its role is as a backup, storing for a time and in cache a copy of the web pages available on the network, to speed up access to them or allow data recovery if the original goes down.
Web server It stores the content necessary for one or more web pages and manages ordered access to it, so that client browsers can “render” a website.
DNS server It stores the information necessary to associate a domain name with a series of IP addresses of the computers linked to it (its web servers).
DHCP server In charge of assigning dynamic (changing) IP addresses to clients connecting to a network.
FTP server It stores specific user information and allows private access to it between teams.
Game server Those specifically dedicated to storing information so that clients can access a recreational program at the same time (generally massive video games).

web server

Web servers are programs (software) in everyday use on the Internet, which intermediate between the server on which the data requested by the client is hosted and their own computer allowing connections through various data protocols, such as the well-known HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol). In other words, these are programs that mediate between an Internet user's browser and the place where the information they are looking for or need resides.

This term is also used to refer to computer itself (hardware) on which the files that make up a website are stored along with the software necessary to comply with the web data connection.

Continue in: Web server

Types of web servers

Web servers can be of two classes, depending on their content:

Static servers This is the name given to the computers where the information the user is looking for is stored and to the HTTP server that responds to the data request protocols. The requested files are sent as they are stored, whether or not there are errors, and that is where the name comes from.
Dynamic servers In this case, these are servers identical to the static ones, but they contain additional software (such as applications and databases), which allows them to update the information requested by the client before sending it through the web.

Examples of web servers

Some of the most used web servers are the following:

Nginx A web server and Proxy developed by the company of the same name in 2004.
Apache An open source HTTP web server, developed in 1995 and maintained by a community of users that make up the Apache Software Foundation.
Internet Information Services or IIS A web server and set of services designed for Microsoft Windows that was originally included in its NT version.
Cherokee A cross-platform web server written in the C language, available under the GNU General Public License (free software).
Tomcat A 1999 Apache distribution, also known as Jakarta Tomcat, which operates on the servlet (Java) principle.