Named after a fierce and proud Native American tribe, the Apache HTTP Server (simply known as “Apache”) is the world’s most popular web server software. There are some who believe that the name was derived from the bastardization of “a patchy server” because it was built from an amalgamation of patches that were contributed by various developers – but they all tend to agree on its global domination.
What is certain is that sometime in 2009, Apache became the first web server software to serve over 100 million web sites. At present, it is estimated that about 60% of all websites and 49% of the top websites on the internet use Apache as their server software. The list of users includes corporate giants like Apple Inc., PayPal, BBC, Wikipedia and Adobe.
Being an open source software, Apache is available for free. While most people would think that this is the reason the software dominates the market, it isn’t fully true. Apache being open sourced also means it’s open for tinkering, tuning and tweaking by developers. These developers are under the umbrella of the Apache Software Foundation and have managed to push the functionality of the software to the cutting edge of technology. After all, who would pass on superb quality that also happens to be available for free?
History
The Apache Web Server is the invention of a group of developers who used abandoned patches of code from a National Center for Supercomputing Applications project. The original “Apache Group,” which consisted of 8 members, took the code created by Robert McCool for the first project and brought the first version of Apache to life in April, 1995.
Four years later, in June of 1999, The Apache Software Foundation was established and incorporated as a non-profit organization.
OS Versions
The first version of the Apache Web Server was intended to be used on UNIX servers. Soon, newer versions came out enabling it to run on almost any server operating system: OS/2, Windows and many more.
Where to Find Apache
Apache is a free server software that can be downloaded from numerous locations on the internet. The most common sites are:
Advantages of Using Apache over Other Servers
There are many more advantages to choosing Apache over any other web server, apart from it being free for everyone to use.
Let us have a look at a few:
- The Quality: For a server application that is developed and configured by coders who only have love for their job, Apache is an amazing work of art. It has features that would put most of its premium-priced competitors to shame. Apache totes fully-customizable error messages and authentication schemes. Virtual hosting permits for the running of multiple websites on one server. It has Domain Name Service, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) features and many more third-party applications can be added to expand its usability.
- Easy Customization: Any server owner can customize their Apache installation with relative ease. This makes it the most popular web server for hosting providers: The easier it is for them to customize Apache, the better they can meet their clients’ unique demands.
- Lightness: Apache is a light and non-resource-intensive server application. It performs just as well on a desktop computer as it would on a blade server.
- The Impeccable Support: One of the biggest advantages of working with an open source server application is that it has many users across the globe, which in turn means that there is a vast pool of knowledge to draw from. There are thousands of websites on the internet that are dedicated to sharing and resolving Apache issues.
- Fast Patching-up: Whenever there is a bug detected, it is instantly shared among the Apache community. Since it is an open source software. anyone who wants to can work to create a patch, thus cutting the time for a fix.
- Best Security Out There: We need not mention any names, but everyone knows about some web server applications that never seem to get it right. They keep getting hit over and over again by hackers and viruses. Their fixes take months to develop, but not that long for hackers to circumvent. Not in Apache’s case: Its security functions have been described as “reliable” and “robust”. Apache has proven time and time again to be the ultimate in data damage and theft prevention.
And there you have it. The next time you are in the market for a web server application, make sure you opt for Apache Web Server. So far, its track record (and continuing trend) indicates that it doesn’t get much better than what Apache has to offer.
