What is Web server?
The short answer
A web server is software, and the computer running it, that receives requests from browsers and responds with web pages and files.
Web server, explained
Every page view is a conversation: the browser asks for a URL, the server answers with a status code and the file. Common server software includes Nginx, Apache and the runtimes behind serverless platforms.
Modern sites often have no single server you manage; the hosting platform runs your code on demand and serves static files from a global network.
Questions people ask about Web server
What is Web server?
A web server is software, and the computer running it, that receives requests from browsers and responds with web pages and files.
Related terms
Web hosting is the service that stores a website's files on internet-connected servers and delivers them to visitors around the clock.
HTTP and HTTPSHTTP is the protocol browsers and servers use to exchange web pages; HTTPS is the encrypted version, shown by the padlock, and is now the default for every site.
ServerlessServerless means running back-end code as small functions that the host starts on demand, so you pay for use and never manage a server.
CDNA CDN is a network of servers around the world that keeps copies of a site's files and serves each visitor from the location nearest to them.
Part of the Web Encyclopedia by Apex Flow Digital. Definitions are general knowledge, kept current, with no invented statistics.