Web developmentLesson 1 of 2 in the course HTTP and web servers

Web Servers: Requests, Content Delivery, Performance, and Scaling

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces what a web server is, how it communicates with clients, and how the first web server emerged.

A web server is software that accepts requests made using HTTP or its secure variant, HTTPS, and sends back a response. That response may contain the requested resource, such as a web page, or an error message explaining why the request could not be completed.

All flashcards

What is a web server?
Software that accepts HTTP-family requests and returns resources or other responses, including errors.
What is a user agent?
Software that makes requests on behalf of a user or automated process.
How do URL mapping and path translation differ?
Mapping selects a resource or handler; translation resolves a URL path to a local file-system path.
What distinguishes static content from dynamic content?
Static content is served from an existing resource; dynamic content is generated in response to a request.
Why do web-server hardware requirements vary?
Required resources depend on workload factors such as request volume, concurrency, and resource sizes.

Quiz questions

  1. What does URL mapping determine when a server receives a request?Answer: Which resource or handler should process the URL.
  2. Which description best characterizes FastCGI communication?Answer: The program commonly persists, and its connection to the server remains established.
  3. What does requests per second (RPS) measure in a web-server benchmark?Answer: The number of requests handled per second under stated conditions.
  4. How can a load balancer help a website handle increased demand?Answer: It distributes requests among multiple web servers.
  5. Why can a slow database contribute to web-server overload?Answer: Requests may wait longer, leaving more connections open.

Based on the Wikipedia article Web server, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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