What is a Web Server?

A web server refers to a software application or hardware device responsible for hosting, processing, and delivering web content to users’ web browsers. When a user requests a web page or resource through their browser, the web server retrieves the requested content and sends it back to the user’s device over the internet. Web servers are a fundamental component of the World Wide Web, serving webpages, images, videos, and other web-based applications to users worldwide. Popular web server software includes Apache, Nginx, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), and others.