Internet, Networking, & Security Home Networking 73 73 people found this article helpful Apache Web Server Apache helps power the internet By Bradley Mitchell Writer An MIT graduate who brings years of technical experience to articles on SEO, computers, and wireless networking. our editorial process LinkedIn Bradley Mitchell Updated November 03, 2019 Hoxton / Tom Merton / Getty Images Home Networking The Wireless Connection Routers & Firewalls Network Hubs ISP Broadband Ethernet Installing & Upgrading Wi-Fi & Wireless Tweet Share Email Apache HTTP Server (usually called Apache) is a fast and secure software package that provides a full range of features, including CGI, SSL, and virtual domains. It also supports plug-in modules for extensibility. The Apache web server runs more than half of the web servers around the globe. It's been the world's most popular web server since 1996, one year after it was first released. Apache is open-source software distributed by the Apache Software Foundation, which promotes other free and open-source advanced web technologies. Although Apache was designed for Unix environments, more than 90% of installations run on Linux. It's also available for Windows and other operating systems. What Is an HTTP Server? A server is a remote computer that serves files to requesting clients. A web server is an environment in which a website runs; it's the computer that serves the website. A web server delivers content using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). For example, when you visit Lifewire.com in a web browser, you're contacting the web server that hosts this website so that you can communicate with it, request web pages, and view those pages in a web browser. Why Use Apache HTTP Server? One of the most significant benefits to Apache is that it's free for both personal and commercial uses, so you never pay for it. Along with being free, Apache is a reliable software framework that is actively maintained. Frequent feature upgrades, security patches, and vulnerability improvements are ongoing. Apache is one of the most feature-filled HTTP web servers available, which is another reason it's popular. Apache Extensibility Modules add more functions to the software. Apache supports: Password authentication and digital certificatesCustomizable error messagesVirtual hosting capabilitiesProxy servicesSSL and TLSGZIP compression to speed up web pages Apache Features Here's a handful of Apache's other features: IPv6XMLFTPPerl, Lua, and PHPBandwidth throttlingWebDAVLoad balancingHTTP/2.htaccessMultiple Request Processing modesURL rewritingSession trackingGeolocation based on IP address If you're new to Apache, you'll find answers to virtually any question online in the users' forums and websites. If you're experienced with Apache, check in with the forums and websites to stay current. Apache is a regularly updated solution that continues to evolve along with the internet.