What is Apache web server used for?

When hosting online websites or running ecommerce businesses, the technology choices made are important to the success of your endeavors. It’s expected that business owners want the fastest, most affordable server solutions. When considering which server solution to go with, many individuals prefer for the most popular web servers given their years with a proven track record.

Apache is a quite popular web server that is fast, reliable, and considered secure platform on which to run your website — no matter the volume of traffic you expect. As one of the industry’s most widely used software solutions, nearly all web hosting companies offer Apache web server to their customers.

Reading this blog, you will learn what an Apache web server is and the advantages and disadvantages of using it. Kindly reach out to our team of seasoned hosting advisors if you have any Apache-related questions or concerns not covered in this article.

Key points of this post

Here are the main points readers of this webpage’s content will be learning about:

• Learning the backstory regarding what Apache web server is in the context of web hosting
• Defining the term web server and what a web server is used for
• Overview of the Apache HTTP Server platform
• Describing the Apache Software Foundation
• Reviewing what is Apache web server at its core — a look at the primary features
• What is an Apache web server with regard to advantages and disadvantages
• More information about the Apache HTTP Server Project
• Understanding Apache limitations and performance issues
• Optimizing Apache Server performance
• Examining some common Apache use cases
• When to consider an alternate web server solution
• Knowing in wonderful detail what Apache web server is — and where to host it when you’re ready

The backstory regarding what Apache web server is for the internet community

Also known as Apache HTTP Server, Apache web server is a free and open source hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) web server commonly used on Linux and Microsoft Windows platforms. Created by American software developer, Robert McCool, it was released in 1995 and quickly obtained a majority hold on the web server market. The primary advantage of what Apache web server is for the community that it is generally free and typically packaged as one-fourth of the LAMP stack.

Apache is currently one of the most widely used web servers on the Internet and is very secure, fast, and reliable. The Apache web server application helps serve web content that is accessible through the Internet. Apache accepts directory or HTTP requests from Internet users and sends the desired information back in the form of files and Web pages.

What are web servers?

If you’ve dabbled in web development, then you already know what a web server is, but server software is crucial to running websites on the internet. A web server is a program used to store, process, and deliver web pages. The basic function is for web hosting, and the protocol used for the web pages is HTTP.

Web servers primarily serve webpages to clients. They often interact with other servers, such as database servers and email servers, to deliver dynamic content and services. Typically, a web server acts as a messenger between files and the web browser or application.

When a user requests information from the website, the server pulls content from a database and presents it to the user. The trick for every web server is doing this simultaneously for thousands of users at a time. Web servers are tasked with hosting these files and dealing with multiple programming languages.

Overview of what the Apache web server software is all about

Apache is a free, open source software technology that can deploy websites on the internet. Apache software is specifically designed to serve web content, making an Apache web server distinct from other types of servers, such as email or file servers. Apache Server is web server software that can run on both physical and virtual servers.

The job of an Apache web server is to serve content, acting as a conduit between the server hardware (or virtual machine) and the client, which can be an internet browser or any other client that uses HTTP or HTTPS. The web server does this for each visitor and sends a response containing files back and forth through the virtual environment. To better understand an Apache web server, learn more about Apache software.

What is the Apache Software Foundation?

As one of the oldest server technologies in the industry, Apache is used by many hosting companies. The first version of Apache was released by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) in 1995. The ASF remains involved in many open source projects available to anyone — and hosts conferences, writes comprehensive reports, and fosters a community full of guidance and mentoring opportunities. Read on to learn more about Apache and how it has become such a driving force in many applications today.

What is Apache web server at its core — a review of the primary features

Apache web servers support all the operating systems (Linux, Windows, macOS, Free BSD, and the majority of other OSs in existence. Here is an itemized list of what Apache Server give you in terms of key features and functionality:

• It has a modular structure, so customization is easy.
• It is easy to solve administrative issues.
• It is a more stable web server when compared to other web servers.
• It manages load balancing.
• It supports URL rewriting.
• It supports .htaccess.
• It manages Gzip compression/decompression.
• It supports HTTP/2.
• It supports FTP.
• It manages IPV4 and IPV6.
• It supports session tracking.
• It offers the WebDAV extension.
• It offers geolocation based on IP address.
• It has a simplified configuration.
• It has native Windows NT Unicode Support.
• It supports common language interfaces, including Perl, Python, TCL, and PHP.
• It supports a variety of popular authentication modules like mod_auth, mod_access, mod_digest, and others.

What is an Apache web server and what are its advantages?

An Apache web server is a virtual Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server that manages a connection between a server and the application, which is mostly websites. Apache was designed to be compatible with any operating system, so any Apache-based services can run on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Apache Web Servers are versatile, which makes them ideal for websites.

When using an Apache web server, the client (such as browser or phone application) communicates with the server using HTTP or HTTPS protocols. The web server is responsible for maintaining a stable connection, but it can also manipulate your site’s functionality. Apache web servers can safely manage password authentications, caching needs, and security features.

Apache has been around a long time, which means the software is heavily integrated into many types of technologies. While this remains true today, using an Apache web server has many advantages.

Free and open source

Much of the best technology still in use today is free and open source. Apache is readily available, provides great flexibility, and the opportunity for unlimited growth. No two Apache web servers are the same, and, thanks to its customizability, anyone with a vision and a bit of determination can manage and create applications.

High compatibility

There’s a reason that experience and longevity are great qualities, especially in programming software. Since Apache has firm roots in the origination of the internet, it’s capable of running PHP, Python, Perl, and many other programming languages. This compatibility leads to better scalability and stability for your online applications, and it’s ideal for those new to web development.

Great for WordPress and Commercial Use

Open source technology is a blessing in many ways; the same can be said for an Apache web server. Have you ever noticed that your WordPress websites and plugins update quite frequently?

Remaining up to date is a crucial requirement for Apache web servers and WordPress sites. It’s also necessary to have an updated website when running an online business. Apache can deliver static files and optimize your site’s performance by running PHP and Python. Consistent updates and beneficial partnerships are the backbone of the Apache software and demonstrate the dedication to creating a freely available source code for HTTP server deployment. In this effort, the project continues, but why does it continue?

What is the Apache HTTP Server Project?

Maintaining Apache is an effort that requires the constant dedication of thousands of software developers united under a common goal. This goal or effort is the Apache HTTP Server Project, and it represents an ongoing responsibility for those volunteers to sustain the project indefinitely. The original group was made up of eight members who decided to continue improving upon the public domain HTTP daemon developed by Rob McCool.

The original eight members used httpd 1.3 as a framework and implemented fresh enhancements while testing the fruits of their labor. In less than a year, the new Apache server became the number one server on the internet. Since then, the effort has expanded, and users have contributed their findings, code base, and any other documentation to the project.

Disadvantages of an Apache web server

Apache web servers and the programming software are under constant scrutiny and development as anyone can take the code base, make their own changes, and share their data with the project. While customizations and free, open source software are undoubtedly positive, it’s a double-edged sword. Apache’s advantages can also lead to some disadvantages due to software limitations and the consequences of a customizable code base.

Modifications can lead to insecurities

Many consider Apache’s customizable nature to be a positive factor in its development capacity. While the ability to modify Apache’s configuration is a positive feature, customizations and add-ons can lead to new security threats, bugs, and errors in the code. These additional hurdles waste resources and time.

Apache can buckle under pressure

Commercial applications change the nature of web servers and how they operate, usually in the form of heavy traffic. While an Apache web server is optimized and compatible with many programming languages, it’s still subject to traffic load. Because of Apache’s framework, it can struggle to maintain heavy traffic on websites. This phenomenon is otherwise known as the c10K problem.

Over time, users have discovered Apache’s limitations and have worked to find ways to improve its performance issues. To develop solutions for performance issues, you need to understand these issues first.

Understanding Apache limitations and performance issues

Apache does come with some advantages over its competitors due to its simple configurations, module customizations, and beginner-friendly structure. Still, Apache runs into some performance limitations; it uses a thread-based structure, which isn’t a problem for medium websites. When considering high-traffic applications, though, performance becomes a problem.

But there are more issues when considering the processing architecture. Apache creates a new thread for each connection, which demands more resources and computing power to deliver results. Operations like this cause a website to slow down. The good news is that there are solutions to optimize an Apache server’s performance.

Practical solutions for optimizing Apache web server performance

While there are alternatives to running an Apache web server, there are practical ways to optimize it. Here are some tips for optimizing your Apache server.

Implement KeepAlive

Heavy traffic produces too many requests for Apache to handle since it must create a separate process for each request. Developers can bypass this functionality by enabling KeepAlive. The KeepAlive function will allow a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection to send/receive multiple HTTP requests/responses, which will reduce the overhead of establishing a new connection for each request/response pair.

The feature also keeps the server from establishing the connection for every request. With this option, the load on the Apache web server is reduced substantially, and the applications won’t lag as they try to load. Users can implement this function using a variable of the mpm_event module or Apache Multi-Processing Module (MPM).

Optimize the configuration

Because Apache can be easily configured by even the newest web developers, it’s easy enough to optimize the configuration to improve performance issues. Mainly, users can adjust the number of requests for each connection, modify how many threads there are, and how many connections there can be for the server.

Compressing files

Optimizing configurations and equipment are options, but so is modifying file sizes. By compressing the files on the server, users can reduce the load time for rendering a webpage when they need it. GZIP compression is ideal when you want the files to transfer quickly and notice a lagging webpage. There are other ways to improve Apache’s performance, but sometimes an alternate solution is the best route to move forward.

Examining some common Apache use cases

What is Apache used for, and why use it? System administrators might use Apache because of its longevity, free price tag, cross-platform nature, and the fact that it works on both Linux-based and Windows servers. It is also customizable due to its open source code and structure. Apache is beneficial because it supports server-side languages like PHP, Python, Perl, and TCL.

Apache is straightforward to configure and relatively beginner friendly. In addition, it is highly stable and has been for years. Most importantly, it is highly optimized for WordPress websites. While this is not an exhaustive list, here are four specific use cases for Apache:

Finance

Financial institutions can use Apache web servers to fight cyberfraud by identifying and preventing unauthorized transactions.

Healthcare

A data scientist can use dedicated servers running Apache to help in data processing for research on topics ranging from the common cold to immunotherapy cancer treatment.

Ecommerce

Most websites today use WordPress. Adding WooCommerce to the mix provides a great eCommerce solution. By using WooCommerce with Apache’s WordPress optimization, eCommerce brands fuel their websites and applications to serve users worldwide.

Travel

Travel websites help users plan the perfect trip. These brands can use Apache web servers for serving multiple user requests.

When to consider an alternate web server solution

Apache is not the only web server software available on the market. The thing about web servers is there’s more to them than just sending HTML files to your web browser. It’s necessary to consider what you need from your websites before settling on Apache. Depending on maintenance, configurations, and customer requirements, a different web server solution may be better.

Some of the best alternatives for Apache include:

• NGINX
• Lighttpd
• LiteSpeed
• Node.js
• Cherokee
• Microsoft IIS
• Appweb

For Java-based web applications, particularly those that use Java Servlet, JSPs, or JSTL, Apache Tomcat is a popular choice. As with an Apache web server, other server alternatives have pros and cons, but many companies still default to using Apache HTTP Server as a best practice.

Bottom line on Apache web servers

What is Apache web server? It is an HTTP web server that has proven to be a reliable component in many popular server stacks and the early internet’s backbone. To date, Apache still plays a vital role in many technology stacks and companies. Even as new server technologies emerge, Apache remains a web server that every developer should learn how to handle and configure.

When users search for website files in the web browser address bar, the web server takes the request over the Internet to its respective server. From there, it returns the target files to the web browser from which they were searched. Apache web server is one for best platforms in existence for those essential tasks, period.

If your business is looking for a stable web server with an easy-to-configure framework, then it’s hard to go wrong with Apache. Apache is ingrained in online applications and serves as a collaborative effort to better technology for everyone. Liquid Web utilizes Apache web servers in customized hosting plans.

Get started with Liquid Web

Now that you know what is Apache used for, Liquid Web stands ready to support your Apache web server hosted on our infrastructure. We have VPS hosting that is perfect for your next project. Contact our sales team for assistance getting started.

Any open source technology requires a devoted team, and the Liquid Web team is prepared to support your online business in all its endeavors. For over 25 years, Liquid Web has provided customized hosting solutions that are stable and have the functionality for any thriving business.

Check out our plans or contact us today for advice on customized hosting platforms for your business. Our popular dedicated hosting and VPS hosting provide reliable server options for your next website development project. Our sales staff is available 24/7 for any assistance you might need getting set up. Contact them today.