What is the Apache web server?
written by Paul DuBois
Apache is the most popular Web server on the planet. Netcraft places it as having more than 60% of the market in December 2000, as the most popular server since mid-1995, and as being more popular than all other servers combined since the beginning of 1999. Think of it this way: Apache powers most of the Web.
Apache is written with robustness, performance, security, and standards-conformance in mind. Apache is also extensible - its capabilities can be augmented through the inclusion of other modules that are not part of the core server. Apache's behavior can be tailored to the requirements of individual sites, allowing it to serve the needs of sites small and large. Administrators for modest sites often find the base server perfectly adequate with no modification whatsoever. Larger or more complex sites require individual customization; Apache gives the webmaster the flexibility needed to achieve this.
Two popular extensions for Apache are the mod_perl and mod_php modules that, in effect, embed the Perl and PHP interpreters into Apache so that it can execute scripts written in these languages directly rather than starting up a separate Perl or PHP interpreter to process them. The immediate result is a dramatic increase in script execution efficiency. Also, your scripts gain access to Apache internal information, allowing you to perform request-handling operations not otherwise possible.
When Apache is coupled with web scripts that have the ability to tap into a database, you gain the ability to make your site highly interactive and display on demand the information your visitors want to see. Conversely, you can use the Web to obtain the information you're interested in collecting. Polls, surveys, shopping carts, reader response forms, product registrations are common applications you can use to make your Web site act as an automated information-gathering engine.
Learn more! We suggest these sites:
- www.apache.org
- perl.apache.org
- httpd.apache.org/related_projects.html
- www.netcraft.com/survey/
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