Web Server:

Web server is a program which processes the network requests of the users
and serves them with files that create web pages.

This exchange takes place using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

Basically, web servers are computers used to store HTTP files which
makes a website and when a client requests a certain website, it delivers the
requested website to the client.

For example, you want to open Facebook on your laptop and enter the URL
in the search bar of google. Now, the laptop will send an HTTP request to
view the facebook webpage to another computer known as the webserver.
This computer (webserver) contains all the files (usually in HTTP format)
which make up the website like text, images, gif files, etc. After processing
the request, the webserver will send the requested website-related files to
your computer and then you can reach the website.
Different websites can be stored on the same or different web servers
but that doesn’t affect the actual website that you are seeing in your
computer.

The web server can be any software or hardware but is usually a software
running on a computer. One web server can handle multiple users at any
given time which is a necessity otherwise there had to be a web server for
each user and considering the current world population, is nearly close to
impossible. A web server is never disconnected from the internet because if
it was, then it won’t be able to receive any requests, and therefore cannot
process them.

There are many web servers available in the market both free and paid.
Some of them are described below:
 Apache HTTP server: It is the most popular web server and about 60
percent of the world’s web server machines run this web server. The
 Apache HTTP web server was developed by the Apache Software
Foundation. It is an open-source software which means that we can
access and make changes to its code and mold it according to our
preference. The Apache Web Server can be installed and operated easily
on almost all operating systems like Linux, MacOS, Windows, etc.

 Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS): IIS (Internet Information

Services) is a high performing web server developed by Microsoft . It is
strongly united with the operating system and is therefore relatively easier
to administer. It is developed by Microsoft, it has a good customer support
system which is easier to access if we encounter any issue with the
server. It has all the features of the Apache HTTP Server except that it is
not an open-source software and therefore its code is inaccessible which
means that we cannot make changes in the code to suit our needs. It can
be easily installed in any Windows device.

 Lighttpd: Lighttpd is pronounced as ‘Lightly’. It currently runs about 0.1

percent of the world’s websites. Lighttpd has a small CPU load and is
therefore comparatively easier to run. It has a low memory footprint and
hence in comparison to the other web servers, requires less memory
space to run which is always an advantage. It also has speed
optimizations which means that we can optimize or change its speed
according to our requirements. It is an open-source software which
means that we can access its code and add changes to it according to
our needs and then upload our own module (the changed code).

 Jigsaw Server: Jigsaw has been written in the Java language and it can
run CGI (common gateway interference) scripts as well as PHP programs.
It is not a full-fledged server and was developed as an experimental
server to demonstrate the new web protocols. It is an open-source
software which means that we can access its code and add changes to it
according to our needs and then upload our own module (the changed
code). It can be installed on any device provided that the device supports
Java language and modifications in Java.

 Sun Java System: The Sun Java System supports various languages,
scripts, and technologies required for Web 2.0 such as Python, PHP, etc.
It is not an open-source software and therefore its code is inaccessible
 which means that we cannot make changes in the code to suit our needs.

History of the Web Browser

The first web browser WorldWideWeb was invented in the year of 1990 by
Tim Berners-Lee. Later, it becomes Nexus.
In the year of 1993, a new browser Mosaic was invented by Mark
Andreessen and their team. It was the first browser to display text and
images at a time on the device screen.
He also invents another browser Netscape in 1994.
Next year Microsoft launched a web browser Internet Explorer which was
already installed in the Windows operating system.
After this many browsers were invented with various features like Mozilla
Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, etc.

How does a Web Browser Work?

A web browser helps us find information anywhere on the internet. It is

installed on the client computer and requests information from the web
server such a type of working model is called a client-server model.

Client-server model

The browser receives information through HTTP protocol. In which

transmission of data is defined. When the browser received data from the
server, it is rendered in HTML to user-readable form and, information is
displayed on the device screen.

Website Cookies
When we visited any website over the internet our web browser stores
information about us in small files called cookies. Cookies are designed to
remember stateful information about our browsing history. Some more
cookies are used to remember about us like our interests, our browsing
patterns, etc. Websites show us ads based on our interests using cookies.

Some Popular Web Browsers

Here is a list of 7 popular web browsers:

 Google Chrome: Developed by Google, Chrome is one of the most
widely-used web browsers in the world, known for its speed and
simplicity.
 Mozilla Firefox: Developed by the Mozilla Foundation, Firefox is an
open-source browser that is known for its privacy features and
customization options.
 Apple Safari: Developed by Apple, Safari is the default browser on Mac
and iOS devices and is known for its speed and integration with other
Apple products.
 Microsoft Edge: Developed by Microsoft, Edge is the default browser on
Windows 10 and is known for its integration with other Microsoft products
and services.
 Opera: Developed by Opera Software, Opera is a web browser that is
known for its speed and built-in VPN feature.
 Brave: Developed by Brave Software, Brave is a web browser that is
focused on privacy and security and blocks third-party ads and trackers
by default.
 Tor Browser: Developed by The Tor Project, Tor Browser is a web
browser that is designed for anonymous web browsing and is based on
Mozilla Firefox.
These are some of the most popular web browsers, there are other browsers
available such as Vivaldi, Brave, and so on. The choice of a web browser
depends on the user’s preference and requirements.