What are Servers: What exactly do Servers Do? Meaning and Types

Servers are programs or devices used to manage network resources. With a server, you can control access to the network, send/receive email, or host websites. 

Many companies most likely already use servers to run their business. A good server can provide various advantages for a business. Some of them such as preventing data loss, providing a central place to store business information, allowing you to provide high-speed internet access, and many more.

If we look at its role, the server can be said to be a powerful program. It's no wonder that now more and more companies are using it. So what exactly is a server? How does it work? Check out the following explanation.

A server is a computer, device, or program dedicated to managing network resources. This type of technology is referred to as the "server" because it serves or provides services to other computer programs and users or is also known as a client.

In theory, whenever a computer can share resources with a client machine, it is considered a server. A device can indeed act as a client and a server at the same time. This happens because an individual system can provide resources and use resources from other systems at the same time.

To understand what a server is, you need to know that currently there are several categories of servers. Some of them are print servers, file servers, network servers, database servers, and others. few servers are referred to as dedicated servers because they only perform specific tasks and have no other task than working as a “server”. 

A dedicated server is basically a computer device that is used exclusively by one company to host its website, data, or applications. This server is only dedicated to one client and cannot be shared with other clients. However, nowadays many shared servers perform various tasks such as managing email, DNS, FTP, and several websites (web servers).

Each server runs different software. For example, a web server will run Apache HTTP Server or Microsoft IIS to provide website access over the internet. Another example is a mail server running a program like Exim to provide SMTP services to be able to send and receive email. 

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A database server is a server dedicated to providing database services. This type of server is used to store and manage data stored on the server and to provide data access for authorized users. Database Server will store large-scale data in a central location and perform regular backups.

A company can manage large amounts of data and most of the data will be stored in databases. With a database server, users can access and obtain the data they need by running a special query language such as SQL. Some examples of database server software are MySQL, Oracle RDBMS, SQLite, Informix, DB2, and others.

What is a file-type server? A file server is a central server on a computer network that provides a file system or part of a file system for connected clients. So, this type of server offers a place for central file storage that can be accessed by all authorized clients. 

File Servers can be hardware or software. A file server is connected to the internet network and has been properly configured, so users can not only access files via the local network but also remotely or remotely. This allows users to easily access and store files on the file server anytime and anywhere.

A web server is a type of server that is used to display various website content such as text, images, videos, and others to clients who request it. In general, the client that makes the request is a web browser program. So, when a user clicks on a link or downloads a document on a web page, the web browser will request data from the web server so that the content can be displayed.

Every time the browser needs a file that is hosted on a web server, it will make a request and communicate with the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). When the request reaches the web server, then the HTTP server (software) accepts the request and finds the requested document, and then sends it back to the browser to be displayed. However, when the server does not find the requested document, it will return the request with a 404 response.

Some examples of web servers are Apache, Nginx, IIS, Tomcat, and others. 

A mail server is a server used to send and receive emails. This server works using email protocols such as SMTP to handle outgoing mail, as well as POP3 and IMAP protocols to handle incoming mail. 

Although the concept of how the mail server works looks simple. But in it, there is a process that is quite complex so that a message can be received or sent. So, after you finish writing the message and press the “send” button, the email client (example: Gmail) will connect to the SMTP server. 

The email client will communicate with SMTP and provide some info such as your email address, the email address of the message recipient, and the message body. SMTP then processes the recipient's email address, if the recipient's domain name is the same as that used by the sender, the message will be routed directly to a POP3 or IMAP server.

Next, the sending SMTP server communicates with DNS so that DNS can retrieve the recipient's email domain name and translate it into an IP address. Once SMTP has an IP address then a new SMTP can scan incoming messages.

What is a proxy-type server? Broadly speaking, a proxy server acts as an intermediary between the client and the server. When you use a proxy server and open a web page, the traffic that occurs will flow through the proxy server and be forwarded to the web server.

In this condition, the proxy server will act as a firewall and web filter so that users and internal networks can be protected from bad things such as attacks from cyber hackers. In addition, a proxy server can provide high privacy protection because it is able to change your IP address so that the web server will not know your location.

As the name implies, an application server is a server designed to install, operate, and host applications. These servers are usually used for various purposes such as running web applications, distributing and monitoring software updates, and hosting hypervisors that manage virtual machines. 

Some examples of application servers are J2EE, WebLogic, Glassfish, and others.

Cloud servers are virtual servers (not physical servers) that run in a cloud computing environment. These servers are built, hosted, and delivered via a cloud computing platform with an internet connection. 

These servers are constructed, facilitated, and conveyed by means of a distributed computing stage with a web association. In general, the essential capability of a cloud server is for stockpiling which permits it to be gotten from a distance. 

Moreover, cloud servers are likewise thought to be a strong IT framework that can oblige information, applications, data, and different parts.

Currently, there are several cloud server service providers that you can use. To understand what a cloud-type server is, you can look at some examples, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, and many more.

A Domain Name System (DNS) server is a server that contains a database of public IP addresses and host names. This kind of server is utilized to change over site space names into IP tends that PCs can comprehend. 

In this way, when a client enters a space name or web URL in the program, DNS will make an interpretation of it into an IP address so that pages can be shown. This server is required on the grounds that without DNS, the client should recall a confounded IP address each time he needs to get to the site address.

From the explanation above, you can understand what a server is and its important function for a company. Currently, there are various types of servers, if your company can use a server that suits your business needs then you can get various benefits. Some of them such as:

At this stage, you ought to have the option to the more likely to know what a server is. A server is a PC, gadget, or program committed to overseeing network assets and serving PC, client, or client programs. At present, the kinds of servers are progressively different. Organizations can pick the kind of server that best suits their necessities.

The undeniably cutting-edge innovation gives different arrangements so that organizations can deal with their business really and effectively. As an entrepreneur, you unquestionably must have the option to adjust and exploit this innovation to energize business improvement.