Difference between Web Server and WAS
Introduction.
A Web server (Web server) is a computer program that receives HTTP requests from Web browser clients and serves static content (HTML, CSS, images, etc.). A Web Application Server (WAS), on the other hand, is a server that runs applications that generate dynamic content; it takes requests from a Web browser, runs the application, and returns the results to the Web browser.
In the course of web application behavior, the web server is responsible for serving static content or forwarding requests to the WAS for dynamic content delivery. To generate dynamic content, the WAS runs the relevant applications and delivers the results to the web server.
This article first describes the concepts, roles, and main functions of web servers and WAS in detail, and then compares the reasons for operating them separately and their advantages and disadvantages. It also explains how web servers and WAS work together in a web service architecture and how they operate.
Web servers - what they are and how they work
A web server is a computer program that receives HTTP requests from web browser clients and serves static content (HTML, CSS, images, etc.) or forwards requests to a WAS for dynamic content processing. The primary function of a web server is to process requests from clients based on the HTTP protocol. For static content requests, the web server provides the resources directly, but when dynamic content is required, it forwards the request to a WAS and sends the results of the WAS’s processing to the client. Common web server software includes Apache Server, Nginx, and IIS (Windows only).
Web servers - key features
The main features of a web server include
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serving static content: The web server quickly delivers static files such as HTML, CSS, and images to clients. Static content processing is fast because it serves resources directly without going through WAS.
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Enhance security: Web servers use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption to enhance data transmission security. Decryption processing is performed on the web server to increase security.
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Load balancing: The web server provides load balancing capabilities to distribute the load across multiple WAS. This allows you to efficiently distribute traffic and increase availability.
With these features, Web Server improves the performance and reliability of web applications by making static content delivery more efficient, secure, and available.
Web servers - typical web server software
Popular web server software includes Apache and Nginx.
Apache HTTP Server is an open-source web server and is currently the most popular. It is highly reliable and scalable, and its modular architecture supports a wide range of features. However, it is less capable of handling static content than Nginx.
Nginx is a lightweight, high-performance web server that is optimized for serving static content. It operates on an asynchronous event-driven basis, making it highly resource efficient, and it also offers reverse proxy functionality. However, its handling of dynamic content is somewhat limited compared to Apache.
Both web servers have their advantages and disadvantages, so they are often chosen and used separately or operated together depending on the nature of the service and its requirements. A popular approach these days is to utilize Nginx as a reverse proxy and Apache for dynamic content handling.
Web Servers - Pros and Cons
Web servers have the advantage of being optimized for static content delivery, providing fast response times. They also offer increased security through SSL encryption and increased availability through load balancing. However, their ability to handle dynamic content is limited compared to WAS. They also run the risk of service interruption in the event of a single server failure.
WAS - What is it and how does it work?
A Web Application Server (WAS) is an application server created to serve dynamic content that requires DB queries or various logic processing. It is middleware that runs web applications on a computer or device over HTTP, sometimes referred to as a “web container” or “servlet container”. The primary role of a WAS is to provide an environment to run web applications, such as JSPs or servlets.
A WAS has the functionality of both a web server and a web container. It receives HTTP requests from clients through the web server function, and runs related web applications through the web container function to create dynamic content. Its main functions include providing a program execution environment and DB access, managing transactions, and performing business logic. Typical WAS products include Tomcat, JBoss, and WebSphere.
WAS - Key Features
A Web Application Server (WAS) plays a key role in generating dynamic content and performing business logic. Its main functions include, first, generating dynamic content. WAS generates dynamic content by running web applications, such as servlets or JSPs, in response to requests received from a web server. This allows you to process data fetched from a database or process complex logic and serve the results as web pages.
WAS also provides the ability to manage multiple transactions. A transaction is a logical unit of work that must either all succeed or all fail to maintain consistency in the data. WAS uses transaction management to ensure data integrity, handle concurrent access control, and more.
In addition, WAS provides resource pooling to efficiently manage system resources. By staging resources such as database connections and threads in advance, and then fetching, using, and returning them when needed, you can reduce the cost of creating and removing resources. In this way, WAS provides features such as dynamic content generation, transaction management, and resource pooling to increase the reliability and performance of web applications.
WAS - Typical WAS products
Popular WAS products include Tomcat, JBoss, and WebSphere.
Tomcat is an open-source WAS developed by the Apache Software Foundation and is popular for developing Java web applications due to its lightweight nature. It is free and platform-agnostic.
JBoss is an open source WAS that can run J2EE-based applications. It is highly performant, scalable, and offers clustering capabilities, making it ideal for large systems. It also has a commercial suite.
WebSphere is a commercial WAS product developed by IBM that offers high availability and manageability. It is suitable for developing enterprise applications such as EJBs, web services, and messaging, but it is expensive.
WAS - Pros and Cons
A WAS performs the core functions of a web application by being dedicated to dynamic content generation and business logic processing. It operates separately from the web server for better load balancing and scalability, and its transaction management and resource pooling capabilities make it more reliable. Multiple WASs can also be linked together for failover and uninterrupted operation.
However, WAS can be complex to install and operate and can be resource intensive, resulting in high operating costs. Security vulnerabilities can also cause significant damage.
Web server vs. WAS - compare features and roles
Here’s a comparison of the key features and roles of a web server and a WAS.
A web server is responsible for receiving HTTP requests and serving static content (HTML, CSS, images, etc.) quickly. It also uses encryption and load balancing to increase security and availability. Dynamic content processing, on the other hand, is responsible for delivering requests to the WAS.
The WAS runs web applications that generate dynamic content and performs core functions such as database integration, transaction management, and business logic processing. In other words, its primary role is to run web applications such as servlets and JSPs to generate dynamic content in response to requests received from the web server.
By separating these roles, the web server is optimized for static content processing, while the WAS can focus on dynamic content generation and business logic processing. This makes the entire system more efficient, scalable, and available.
Web Server vs. WAS - Different Purposes and Use Cases
Web servers and WAS have different roles and characteristics, which distinguish their purpose and use cases. Web servers are optimized for serving static content (HTML, CSS, images, etc.) quickly. For static content-heavy websites, such as image galleries and news articles, a web server can be sufficient.
A WAS, on the other hand, is responsible for generating dynamic content and processing business logic. WAS plays an important role in web applications that require DB integration and complex programming logic, such as shopping malls, financial and reservation systems. Given the different characteristics of static websites and dynamic web applications, it is important to separate the web server and WAS to efficiently utilize resources and maximize performance.
Separating the web server and WAS also has benefits in terms of SSL encryption, load balancing, and failover. The web server can be encrypted for added security and load balanced across multiple WAS to increase availability. For large-scale web services, separating the web server and WAS is beneficial for non-disruptive operation and failover.
Web server vs. WAS - how they work together
The web server and WAS interact with each other in the process of handling client requests. When a web server receives an HTTP request from a client, it immediately serves a static file if the request is for static content. However, if dynamic content is required, it forwards the request to the WAS, which runs the relevant web application to generate the dynamic content and sends it back to the web server. The web server sends the dynamic content it receives from the WAS to the client. In this way, the web server and WAS share roles and work together seamlessly to process client requests to deliver web application services.
Web Server vs. WAS - An Introduction to Integrated Solutions
There are also solutions that combine the functionality of a web server and a WAS. Popular integrated solutions include Apache Tomcat and JBoss EAP. These solutions combine the functionality of a web server and a WAS into a single product, making it easier to install and manage. However, for large-scale web services, there are performance, scalability, and availability advantages to operating a web server and a WAS separately. Therefore, depending on the requirements and scale of your service, you can choose to separate the web server and WAS or use an integrated solution.
Conclusion. –.
To summarize the key differences between a web server and a WAS: A web server serves static content quickly, while a WAS generates dynamic content and handles business logic. By keeping your web server and WAS separate, you can offload your server and increase security and availability.
As you can see, web servers and WAS play a critical role in modern web application development, as they work together to improve the performance and reliability of web applications. Looking ahead, web server and WAS technologies are expected to evolve to optimize for cloud environments and microservices architectures. As lightweight and flexible web server and WAS products emerge, web applications will become more scalable and reliable.
