5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Web Server | Drawbacks & Benefits of Web Server

What is Web Server ?

Web server is a type of hosting where Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used to respond requests made by the clients. The response is shown in the form of a webpage. It is a must for the computers to have a web server programs whenever they are hosting websites. Besides that, a web server can also function as a data storage. 

What are the examples of Web Server ?

Microsoft internet information server, google web server, Apache are the popular examples for the web servers. Under normal circumstances, it is very effective compared to other types of hosting. Particularly, web professionals use web servers to create and test HTML pages. Although a web server offers many benefits for the development environment, it aren't flawless. For selecting the best web server software, the users needs to be familiar with the pros and cons.

In this article, I will be describing about 5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Web Server | Drawbacks & Benefits of Web Server. Through this post, you will know the pros and cons of using web server.

Let's get started,

Advantages of Web Server

1. Interactions

A web server always provides the opportunity to interact with the hosting provider. For instance, if the user needs to know the mechanism behind the web server, they will be able to communicate and get the knowledge. 

2. Configurations

The log files present in a web server is made easy to configure. They can be configured to an order preferred by the user. Configuring web files paves the way for analyzing operations within an operating system and web traffic. 

3. Flexibility

Hosting through a web server is far more flexible compared to a clustered web hosting. The flexibility is even more when using a dedicated web hosting server. Meaning, there is better control over services.

4. Download Capabilities

If you own a website that has frequent downloading links, then web servers will be the best option to be used. A website using web server experiences less number of bandwidth restrictions. And also, users can easily monitor the speed and performance of web applications that is been used on a web server.

5. Sharing Resources

Whenever there is new requests, a web server does not allow sharing of resources such as processor, hard drive or the bandwidth with others since it is not a shared host. Even under the condition of obtaining virtual internet hosting.

Disadvantages of Web Server

1. Cost

The expenses involved in a web server is far more greater compared to an electronic web hosting method. Always a local web server is equipped with monthly costs which is usually expensive. Depending on the type of resources and the infrastructure, the price varies.

2. Security

Using web servers also brings many security concerns. Some of the web servers allow HTTP traffic rather than HTTPS. The transactions that is taking place through the HTTP is known to undergo a process known as network packet sniffing.

3. Convenience

The convenience of web servers depends on the type of website you are using. It will be convenient as far as the website is an online enterprise. Most web servers doesn't seem to work well for websites with customized design and style. In that case the only option will be using a clustered web hosting machine.

4. Web Reference

The contents on the web is edited frequently. As a result, it becomes impossible for the web servers to work without an internet access. Sometimes the references that is available on a webpage will be disappeared once the page is closed.

5. Traffic Congestion

In some instances, there can be hardware failures, software errors, updates or maintenances in the web server which causes partial availability of it. As a result, all the remaining web servers undergo traffic congestion. Which means that the web server receives more traffic than normal.