A “server” is basically a computer like the one you might find in your home or office, but with special characteristics that depend on its purpose.
There are servers dedicated to medical research, servers for processing movie images that we later see in theaters, or servers for storing and analyzing large amounts of data, such as the license plates of cars traveling on the roads.
In our case, we focus on the web server.
A web server is necessary for a website to be visible on the internet; it is essentially the machine where your website is stored and which other devices (computers, mobiles, tablets) from anywhere in the world query when they want to access your website. This machine handles that request, generates the website, and sends all the necessary files so it can be viewed; without this machine running continuously, the website could not be visited.
So why do we often talk about hosting or web hosting?
A modern web server can handle around 100,000 visits in a day, but visits to many websites are usually lower. To avoid wasting resources and to save money, servers are fragmented into several hosting accounts so they can manage different websites at the same time, where each one pays its share and obtains resources based on the contracted plan.
A data center contains web servers, and a web server contains hostings or web hosting accounts.
Web servers must have the following characteristics:
- 24x7x365-6: The machine must be prepared to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it must be easy to quickly replace a component if it fails.
- Very fast microprocessor: Latest generation, so it can be the fastest at preparing the website.
- Sufficient RAM: The more the better, although it is very expensive and the optimal level of RAM will depend on the server load.
- Medium capacity but fast and secure hard drive: Enterprise-level SSD hard drives are typically used in web servers, providing speeds of up to 1,200 Mbps (compared to the 32 Mbps of a classic hard drive or the 300 Mbps of a standard SSD). RAID systems are also used so that information is duplicated across several disks; this way, if one fails, the information is not lost and the disk can be replaced, while also multiplying the speed at which data is accessed.
- Monitoring: Requires qualified 24/7 personnel to monitor server activity and act in the event of any hardware or software issues.