Web Server

A web server handles HTTP requests and serves responses. It typically serves static content and forwards dynamic requests to application servers.

What Web Servers Do

1. Serve static files — HTML, CSS, JS, images, fonts
2. Handle SSL/TLS — Encrypt HTTPS connections
3. Load balancing — Distribute traffic across servers
4. Caching — Cache static assets and responses
5. Compression — gzip/brotli compress responses
6. Reverse proxy — Forward requests to backend services

Popular Web Servers

Server	Language	Strengths
Nginx	C	High performance, reverse proxy, load balancing
Apache	C	Mature, flexible .htaccess configuration
Caddy	Go	Automatic HTTPS, simple configuration

Nginx Configuration Example

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name api.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/key.pem;

    # Serve static files
    location /static/ {
        root /var/www;
        expires 30d;
    }

    # Proxy to application server
    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Web Server in Backend Architecture

Client --> Web Server (Nginx) --> Application Server (Tomcat)
                |                         |
                +--> Static files         +--> Database
                +--> SSL termination
                +--> Load balancing

When You Need a Web Server

• Serving static assets (images, CSS, JS)
• SSL/TLS termination
• Load balancing across multiple app servers
• Rate limiting and security filtering

Key Principles

1. Follow SOLID principles
2. Write clean, readable code
3. Test thoroughly
4. Document decisions
5. Monitor in production

Implementation

• Start simple, refactor as needed
• Use established patterns
• Consider trade-offs
• Review with peers

Continuous Improvement

• Learn from incidents
• Update documentation
• Share knowledge
• Mentor others

Key Points

• Understanding Web Server is essential for production systems
• Always consider scalability and maintainability
• Test thoroughly before deploying to production
• Monitor performance and set up alerting

Common Patterns

1. Validation: Always validate input at the boundary
2. Error Handling: Use structured error responses
3. Logging: Log key events for debugging
4. Testing: Unit, integration, and load tests
5. Documentation: Keep docs updated with code changes