Both web and application servers respond to user requests for content. However, there are several key differences between these two server types, and understanding these differences can help you configure the right software and hardware infrastructure for your needs.
What is the difference between a web server and an application server? Read on to learn about the differences between web servers and application servers and their day-to-day use cases, and see which one is better for your business needs.
Comparison of the differences between web servers and application servers
Which is better, web server or application server? Here’s an overview of the key differences between an app and a web server:
| Web server | Comparison points | Application server |
| Host websites and respond to simple web requests | Primary purpose | Host applications and provide complex interactions with business logic |
| Serve static content via HTML only | Content type | Deliver static and dynamic content |
| HTTP/HTTPS protocol only | agreement | Client-server interactions can take place over a variety of protocols, including HTTP/HTTPS |
| No | App connections | yes |
| Static databases can be accessed | Database connection | You can access the application database |
| Web browser | Typical customers | Serves web and mobile apps and web browsers |
| Multithreading is not supported | Multi-threaded | Use multithreading to process multiple requests in parallel |
| Facilitate traffic that doesn’t consume a lot of resources | Resource consumption | Facilitate resource-intensive processes |
| Web containers only | container | Web Containers (Servlets, JSPs, JSFs, Web Services), EJB Containers (JTA), Application Client Containers (DI, Security) |
| Very low | capacity | tall |
| A hypertext document that displays information on the browser | Interaction results | Files that contain data and serve a specific purpose according to customer needs |
What is a web server?
A web server is a computer system that stores, processes, and delivers web pages to clients. The client is almost always a web browser or a mobile app. Depending on the settings, a web server can store one or more websites.
This type of server only serves static HTML content, such as:
- file
- Image
- film
- font
Web servers and application servers have one thing in common – they require a dedicated server to run the software.
Traditionally, web servers don’t handle dynamic content or server-side programming. The web server only accepts and fulfills Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) requests. Alternatively, you can add components that work with dynamic content.
What is an application server?
What is the difference between a web server and an application server? An application server is a software framework that provides content and assets to client applications. Clients include web-based apps, browsers, and mobile apps.
The application server provides clients with access to business logic. Through business logic, the application server transforms the data into dynamic content and enables the functionality of the application. Examples of dynamic content are:
- A trading result
- Decision support
- Real-time analytics
This server type is the main link between client-side and server-side code. Typical tasks for an application server include:
- Transaction management
- safe
- Dependency Injection (DI)
- Concurrent
The application server also handles processes such as clustering, failover, and load balancing.
Overlap between web and application servers
Web server vs. application server differences: When a web browser becomes the primary application client, the line between an application and a web server becomes blurred.
Most web servers have plugins for scripting languages (ASP, JSP, PHP, Perl, etc.) that support dynamic content generation. For example, if we add a .NET plugin to an IIS environment, we can connect the web server to the server-side code and serve dynamic content to the client.
There is also overlap on the application server side. Many application servers provide web server functionality and use HTTP as the primary protocol.
Due to the overlap of use cases and technologies, the most popular servers are a mix of these two types. A hybrid solution combined with server functionality ensures optimal system speed and functionality.
For an inexpensive way to host a static website, consider using Object Storage.
The most popular web servers
Here’s an overview of the most popular web servers:
nginx
Nginx is an open-source web server that can also act as a reverse proxy, email proxy, and load balancer. Nginx is event-driven, highly scalable, and can handle multiple requests at the same time.
To get started with Nginx, see our guide on how to install Nginx on Ubuntu 20.04 or how to install Nginx on CentOS 8.
Apache HTTP server
The Apache HTTP Server (also known as Apache only) is a free, open-source web server. Apache is part of the LAMP stack, which powers about 40% of the websites on the Internet.
Apache offers a rich selection of features, including htaccess, IPv, FTP, HTTP/2, bandwidth throttling, and load balancing.
For an in-depth comparison of Nginx and Apache, read our article Nginx vs Apache.
Microsoft IIS
Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services) is a free web server package for Windows Server. IIS only runs on the Windows operating system.
Jetty
Jetty is an open-source project that provides an HTTP server, an HTTP client, and a javax.servlet container. While primarily a web server, Jetty can also facilitate machine-to-machine communication.
LiteSpeed
LiteSpeed is a web server with superior performance and scalability. LiteSpeed offers a wide range of features and has an easy-to-use network management console.
The most popular application servers
Here are the most widely used application servers on the market:
Apache Tomcat
Apache Tomcat is an open-source application server, often used in conjunction with Apache HTTPD.
Tomcat can execute Java servlets, deliver pages using JavaServer Page code, and service Java EE (Java Enterprise Edition) applications.
If you’re new to Tomcat, visit our tutorials on how to install Tomcat on Ubuntu or how to install Tomcat on CentOS.
Oracle WebLogic Server
Oracle WebLogic Server is an application server for deploying distributed applications using the Java EE standard. WebLogic is fully integrated with Oracle’s portfolio of products and cloud services.
Glassfish
Glassfish is an open-source Java EE application server that supports Java Servlets and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB). Glassfish can also be used as a web server.
JBoss
JBoss Application Server is an open-source platform for building, deploying, and hosting Java applications. JBoss runs cross-platform and you can use it on any operating system that supports Java.
Application Servers vs. Web Servers: Which One Is Right for Your Business?
Which is better, web server or application server? Now that you understand the difference between a web server and an application server, it’s easier to see which one is more suitable:
- If you only serve static web pages, use a web server.
- If your application requires JSPs and servlets, use a simpler application server such as Jetty or Apache Tomcat.
- If your application has complex features such as distributed transactions and messaging, use a mature application server such as JBoss or Oracle WebLogic.
Another option is to use a plugin to add functionality to the web server. In this case, the web server can delegate dynamic response generation to server-side technology options, such as CGI scripts, JSPs, servlets, ASPs (Active Server Pages), or server-side JavaScript.
Use both server types in the same system
What is the difference between a web server and an application server? A popular setup is to deploy both a web server and an application server in the same system. This setup makes sense for websites that serve both static and dynamic content. In this case, the web server becomes a subset of the application server, and both services run on the same hardware.
The main reason for deploying these two types of servers is to improve system performance. Each server focuses on its benefits, and you can prevent simple web requests from impacting the performance of your application server.
For example, consider an e-store that provides real-time pricing information. Such sites often have forms that users can use to purchase products. When a user submits a query, the site looks it up and returns the result set in an HTML page.
This feature can be run with and without an application server.
Scenario 1: Use only a web server with plugins
Which is better, web server or application server? The web server provides e-shop functionality:
- The server receives the request and passes it to the server-side program.
- The server-side program looks up pricing data from a database or flat file.
- The server-side program formulates an HTML response.
- The web server sends the response back to the web browser.
Scenario 2: Use both a web server and an application server
The business logic for applying the server storage pricing lookup. The web server delegates response generation, but the script calls the application server’s lookup service and then formulates the HTML response.
By placing the pricing logic in the application server, that logic can be reused across different parts of the application. In our first scenario, the pricing lookup service is not reusable because the data is embedded in an HTML page.
Summary of the differences between web servers and application servers
The overlap between the application and the web server means that there are several effective solutions for each use case. Most systems can run using a web server, an application server, or a combination of both.
However, not all settings are equally excellent. Understanding the differences between the two server types can help you save money, scale more easily, and choose a server that better suits your use case.
