Web Servers Features

Although web servers differ in specifics there are certain basic characteristics shared by all web servers. These basic characteristics include HTTP and logging. As previously mentioned HTTP is the standard communications protocol for processing requests between client browsers and web servers. This protocol provides the standardized rules for representing data, authenticating requests, and detecting errors.

The purpose of protocols is to make data transfer and services user-friendly. In computing, the protocols determine the nature of the connection between two communicating endpoints (wired or wireless) and verify the existence of the other endpoints being communicated with. It also negotiates the various characteristics of the connection. It determines how to begin, end, and format a request. It also signals any errors or corruptions in files and alerts the user as to the appropriate steps to take. HTTP is the request/response protocol used specifically for communicating HTML documents which is the language hypertext or web pages are written in. However, responses can also return in the form of raw text, images or other types of documents.

The other basic web server characteristic is logging. This is a feature that allows the program to automatically record events. This record can then be used as an audit trail to diagnose problems. Web servers log detailed information recording client requests and server responses. This information is stored in log files and can be analyzed to better understand user behavior, such as key word preferences, generate statistics, and run a more efficient web site.

There are many other practical features common to a variety of web sites. Configuration files or external user interfaces help determine how much and to what level of sophistication users can interact with the server. This establishes the configurability of the server. Some servers also provide authentication features that require users to register with the server through a username and password before being allowed access to resources or the execution of requests.

Web servers must also be able to manage static and dynamic content. Static content exists as a file in a file system. Dynamic content is content (text, images, form fields) on a web page that changes according to specific contexts or conditions. Dynamic content is produced by some other program or script (a user-friendly programming language that connects existing components to execute a specific task) or API (Application Programming Interface the web server calls upon). It is much slower to load than static content since it often has to be pulled from a remote database. It provides a greater degree of user interactivity and tailor responses to user requests.

To handle dynamic content, web servers must support at least one of the following interfaces:

JSP (Java Server pages);
PHP (a programming language that creates dynamic web pages);
ASP (Active Server Pages, developed by Microsoft);
ASP.NET (also developed by Microsoft, it is the successor of ASP).

First Page: What are Web Servers?