The 8 Best Open Source Web Servers

It’s been a long journey since the first web server was released back in 1991. For quite a long time, Apache was the only mention-worthy webserver. Over time, however, other open-source web servers have gained traction.

In this guide, we look at some of the best opensource web servers.

1. Apache HTTP Server

Apache HTTP Server, colloquially known as Apache or httpd in Red Hat distributions is a free and opensource web server developed by Apache Software Foundation under Apache License version 2. Released in 1995, Apache has grown in leaps and bounds to become one of the most popular and widely used web servers, powering over 37% of all the websites.

Apache is written in C language and is a highly customizable webserver thanks to its tons of modules that extend the web server’s functionality. These include mod_file_cache for caching, mod_ftp to provide FTP support for file uploads and downloads, and mod_ssl that allows support for SSL / TLS encryption protocols, and many more.

Additionally, given its rich set of modules, Apache provides multi-protocol support such as both IPv4 and IPv6 support and the commonly used HTTP, HTTP/2, and HTTPS protocols.

Apache also offers virtual hosting support that allows you to host multiple domains or websites. Be configuring virtual hosts, a single server can host multiple domains with ease and without any complexities. You can have example.com, example.edu, example.info and so on.

2. Nginx Web Server

Pronounced as Engine-X, Nginx is an opensource high-performance robust web server which also double-ups as a load balancer, reverse proxy, IMAP/POP3 proxy server, and API gateway. Initially developed by Igor Sysoev in 2004, Nginx has grown in popularity to edge out rivals and become one of the most stable and reliable web servers.

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