A web server is software that listens for incoming HTTP requests and serves content such as HTML, static files, or API responses. Web servers handle routing, manage connections, apply caching rules, and often sit in front of an application server. Popular web servers include NGINX, Apache, and Caddy. Web servers may also serve as reverse proxies, load balancers, or SSL terminators.
Why it matters
Web servers ensure that users can access web applications reliably and efficiently. They improve performance, security, and scalability by offloading responsibilities from backend application code.
Examples
Serving static assets with NGINX or hosting a simple website via Apache. Lessons like How Servers Send Responses explain request handling.