Introduction of Apache webserver

• ·       Software that accepts your request to access a web page of web sites and provides them.  
• ·       Works just like a restaurant host.
• ·       Performs tasks as host and server.
• ·       Most widely used webserver software.
• ·       Developed and maintained by Apache software foundation.
• ·       The name originated from the respect of the native American tribe for its resiliency (flexibility) and durability.
• ·       An open-source software, runs on 67% of all webservers in the world.
• ·       Fast, reliable, and secure.
• ·       Highly customized for different environments by using extensions and modules.
• ·       Mostly use WordPress for hosting.
• ·       Load dynamic modules.
• ·       Processing multiple requests modes (MPMS) [event-based/ a-sync]
• ·       Highly scalable (easily handles more than 10,000 simultaneous connections)
• ·       Handling of static, index, and auto-indexing files.
• ·       Load balancing (the process of distributing a set of tasks over a set of resources, main aim:- overall processing more efficiently.)
• ·       Fault tolerance and failover with automatic recovery.
• ·       Name- and IP address-based virtual servers
• ·       A large public library of apache add-ons
• ·       Ipv6-compatible
• ·       Http/2 support
• ·       GZIP compression and decompression
• ·       URL rewriting
• ·       Headers and content rewriting
• ·       Custom logging with rotation
• ·       Concurrent connection limiting
• ·       Request processing rate limiting
• ·       Bandwidth throttling
• ·       Server-side includes
• ·       Ip address-based geolocation
• ·       User and session tracking
• ·       Embedded PERL, PHP scripting
• ·       Real-time status views
• ·       XML support
• ·       FTP support
• ·       Password authentication and digital certificate authentication.
• ·       Source code is freely available
• ·       Supports various dynamic protocols:-  

o   TLS:- (transport layer security, a security protocol for privacy and data security in communications over the internet.)

o   SSL:- (secure sockets layer, cryptographic protocols-  communications security over a computer network.).

o   SNI (server name indication:-  an extension to the SSL/TLS protocol, allows multiple SSL certificates to be hosted on a single unique IP address. ).

o   SCGI(simple common gateway interface:- for applications to interface with HTTP servers, as an alternative to the CGI protocol. Similar to FASTCGI.).

o   Fast CGI (common gateway interface:- allowing a server to handle more web page requests according to the unit of time. )

o   Web socket ( a computer communications protocol, providing full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection.).

Apache pros and cons

Pros:

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

2.    Reliable, stable software.

3.    Frequently updated, regular security patches.

4.    Flexible due to its module-based structure.

5.    Easy to configure, beginner-friendly.

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

7.    Works out of the box with WordPress sites.

8.    Huge community and easily available support in case of any problem.

Cons:

1.    Performance problems on extremely traffic-heavy websites.

2.    Too many configuration options can lead to security weaknesses.

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