Web Servers Revisited 🌐💻

This overview provides a scientific perspective on web servers, their functionality, and their role in serving web content.

Platform Services and Web Servers 🛠️

• Platform Services: Provide a framework for developers to build and deploy applications without managing OS maintenance, server hardware, or networking.

• Web Server: A platform service that stores and serves content to clients over the Internet. Examples include hosting websites and web applications.

Functionality of Web Servers 🖥️

• Role: Stores web files and runs HTTP server software to handle HTTP requests and responses.

• HTTP: Protocol used for transferring web pages and formatting content.

HTTP Server Software 📦

• Apache HTTP Server:

  • Description: One of the most widely used HTTP server software. Free and open source.

  • Usage: Serves a significant portion of web pages on the Internet.

Setting Up a Web Server 🛠️

1. Installation: On a Linux machine, you can install Apache HTTP Server using:

   sudo apt-get install apache2

   This command installs the server software and starts hosting web content.

2. Local Hosting:

   • Access: You can access your local web server via IP address 127.0.0.1 or the hostname localhost.

   • Web Content: Default content from Apache can be replaced by uploading your own files to the appropriate directory.

DNS and Web Servers 🌍

• DNS: Domain Name System used to map a domain name to an IP address. For a web server to be accessible publicly, DNS configuration is necessary.

Responsibilities of System Administrators 🧑‍💻

• Content Management: System administrators ensure that web content is available and accessible but do not create the content themselves.

• IT Support: Understanding the basics of web servers is crucial for managing and supporting web services effectively.

Summary 📝

• Platform Services: Facilitate development and deployment of applications without hardware or networking concerns.

• Web Servers: Store and serve web content via HTTP protocols. Apache is a common example.

• Installation: Simple setup on Linux with commands like sudo apt-get install apache2.

• Local Hosting: Access via 127.0.0.1 or localhost. Upload content by replacing default files.

• DNS: Essential for making web servers publicly accessible.

• Admin Responsibilities: Focus on availability and management rather than content creation.

This summary provides a clear understanding of web server operations, installation, and management. 🖥️🌐