What is Apache? A Detailed Overview of the Apache Web Server

Apache is one of the most favored web servers among website owners, developers, and even hosting providers, holding a 33% market share across all websites.

At HolyHosting, for example, our hosting infrastructure runs on LiteSpeed, another popular web server. This particular setup significantly enhances the strengths of both servers, allowing us to deliver optimal performance for our users.

Read on to discover what Apache is, how it compares to other web servers like NGINX and Tomcat, and its pros and cons.

What Is Apache?

Apache is free, open-source software that allows users to deploy their websites on the internet. It is one of the oldest and most reliable web server programs, maintained by the Apache Software Foundation, with the first version released in 1995.

What Is a Web Server?

File servers, database servers, mail servers, and web servers all use different types of server software. Each of these applications can access files stored on a physical server for various purposes.

A web server’s job is to serve websites over the internet. To do this, it acts as an intermediary between the server and client machines. It retrieves content from the server with each user request and delivers it to the web.

The biggest challenge for a web server is serving many different web users simultaneously, each requesting different pages. Web servers process files written in programming languages like PHP, Python, Java, and others. They convert these into static HTML files and serve them in the browser for web users. When you hear “web server,” think of the tool responsible for smooth communication between the server and the client.

How Does the Apache Web Server Work?

Although we call Apache a web server, it is not a physical server but software running on an HTTP server. Its task is to establish a connection between a server and visitors’ browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.) while delivering files back and forth (client-server structure). Apache is compatible with any operating system, from Windows to Unix.

When a visitor wants to load a page on your website, for example, the homepage or an “About Us” page, their browser sends a request to your server, and Apache responds with all requested files (text, images, etc.).

The server and client communicate via the HTTP protocol, and the Apache web server ensures smooth and secure communication between the two machines.

Apache is highly customizable thanks to its open-source infrastructure. Developers and users can adapt its source code based on the type of website they are building.

Additionally, Apache provides many modules that allow server administrators to enable or disable additional functionalities. Modules are available for security, caching, URL rewriting, password authentication, and more.

To configure Apache, you’ll need access to the .htaccess file. This Apache configuration file is supported by all HolyHosting web hosting plans.

Apache HTTP Server vs Other Web Servers

Besides Apache, there are many other popular web server options. Each has been created with a different purpose in mind. While Apache is the most widely used, it has several alternatives and competitors.

Apache vs NGINX

NGINX is free, open-source software. Compared to Apache, it is a newer web server application, released in 2004.

NGINX was created to solve the c10k problem, meaning a web server using threads to handle user requests cannot manage more than 10,000 simultaneous connections.

Since Apache uses a thread-based structure, website owners with heavy traffic may experience performance issues. NGINX addresses the c10k problem and is arguably the most successful solution.

NGINX has an event-driven architecture that does not create a new process for every request. Instead, it handles each incoming request in a single thread. This main process manages multiple worker processes that perform the actual request processing.

NGINX’s event-based model efficiently distributes user requests across worker processes, providing much better scalability.

If you need to manage a high-traffic website, NGINX is an excellent choice as it can handle heavy loads with minimal resources. Many high-profile websites like Netflix, Hulu, Pinterest, and Airbnb rely on it.

However, for small- to medium-sized websites, Apache has several advantages over NGINX, such as easy configuration, a wide range of modules, and a beginner-friendly environment.

Apache vs Tomcat

Tomcat is another popular web server developed by the Apache Software Foundation.

Like Apache, Tomcat is an HTTP server. However, its primary functionality is to run Java applications rather than static websites. Tomcat supports multiple Java specifications, including Java Servlet, JavaServer Pages (JSP), Java EL, and WebSocket.

Tomcat is specifically designed to serve dynamic content running in Java applications, whereas Apache is a general-purpose HTTP server.

You can use Apache with different programming languages (PHP, Python, Perl, etc.) with the appropriate Apache modules (mod_php, mod_python, mod_perl, etc.).

Although Tomcat can also serve static web pages, it is less efficient for that purpose compared to Apache. For example, Tomcat preloads the Java Virtual Machine and related Java libraries, which are unnecessary for most websites.

Tomcat is also less configurable. For example, to run WordPress, a general-purpose HTTP server like Apache or NGINX is the best choice.

Pros and Cons of Apache

Apache can be an excellent choice for running a website on a stable and versatile platform, but it also has some drawbacks.

Pros:

• Open-source and free, even for commercial use.

• Reliable and stable software.

• Frequent security patches.

• Flexible due to its modular structure.

• Easy to configure, beginner-friendly.

• Cross-platform (works on Unix and Windows servers).

• Optimal delivery for static files and compatibility with any programming language (PHP, Python, etc.).

• Works seamlessly with WordPress.

• Large community and readily available support.

Cons:

• Performance issues on extremely high-traffic websites.

• Too many configuration options can lead to security vulnerabilities.

  
  

So, What Is Apache?

Apache is one of the most popular web servers, allowing you to run a secure website without too many complications. It’s free and open-source, making it a frequent choice for entrepreneurs and small businesses wanting an online presence.

The Apache HTTP server accepts browser requests (Chrome, Edge, etc.) and converts programming scripts into web pages visible to visitors.

You can install a WordPress website on an Apache server without any customization. Additionally, Apache works perfectly with many other content management systems (Joomla, Drupal, etc.), web frameworks (Django, Laravel, etc.), and programming languages. This makes it a solid choice for all types of hosting platforms, including VPS or shared hosting.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has been helpful! 🚀 Remember, don’t hesitate to ask questions on the HolyHosting Discord or contact our support team.

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Stuffy @ HolyHosting