3.2.2.1 Web Servers
One of the early uses of Linux was for web servers. A web server hosts content for web pages, which are viewed by a web browser using the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or its encrypted flavor, HTTPS. The web page itself can either be static or dynamic. When the web browser requests a static page, the web server sends the file as it appears on disk. In the case of a dynamic site, the request is sent by the web server to an application, which generates the content.
WordPress is one popular example. Users can develop content through their browser in the WordPress application, and the software turns it into a fully functional dynamic website.
Apache is the dominant web server in use today. Apache was originally a standalone project, but the group has since formed the Apache Software Foundation and maintains over a hundred open source software projects. Apache HTTPD is the daemon, or server application program, that “serves” web page requests.
Another web server is NGINX, which is based out of Russia. It focuses on performance by making use of more modern UNIX kernels and only does a subset of what Apache can do. Over 65% of websites are powered by either NGINX or Apache.