Question

Discuss the functioning of a web server.

Answer 1

A web server functions through a continuous cycle of listening, receiving, processing, and responding to client requests:

• Listen: Runs continuously in the background on a host machine, monitoring designated network ports (like port 80 for HTTP and 443 for HTTPS) for incoming connection requests.
• Receive: Accepts incoming HTTP/HTTPS requests from web browsers and reads the request method, target path, and headers.
• Process: Determines whether the request requires serving a pre-existing file directly (static content) or running backend scripts and database queries to build a page on the fly (dynamic content).
• Send: Packages the requested content into an HTTP response along with a status code (such as 200 OK or 404 Not Found) and transmits it back to the browser.