Newcomers to the internet community may hear a lot of terms being thrown around. One concept that drives the internet in its entirety is servers, but, what is a server? There are an unimaginable amount of types of servers.
A server is a computer or software device that is devoted to delivering content to whoever requests it. Again, there are many different types of servers to include but not limited to web servers, network servers, file servers, and mail servers. Each and every one of these serves a different function and does its job in a unique way.
To begin with, a web server will display content to your web browser, whether it is Internet Explorer, Firefox, or your cell phone. When you type in a web address, your computer sends data across multiple network servers to reach a domain name server. This domain server turns the web address you're familiar with into an IP address which will actually be used by your computer or cell phone to get the content.
Once your computer has received this address, it sends out a second set of data to that specific address. Again, this data hops across several network servers to reach the web server. Once your request is received, the website that you had requested is displayed on your screen. Although this is a very broad description of what is occurring, it is still accurate. Moreover, this same pattern is repeated whether you are requesting information from a mail server such as Outlook Express, video clips that are shared on a file server, or content that is being streamed to your phone or other device.
Often times you as a client to the server don't even realize that there is a whole computer dedicated to delivering exactly what you ask for to the door step. Everything you don't see is handled by servers, many of which are as powerful as five or more of the computer you are on right now.
With the constant evolution of the internet, it is inevitable for new and innovative types of servers to be used for a variety of purposes. To answer the initial question of "What Is a Server?", we can sum it up like this. It is a device or software whose sole purpose is to serve and deliver data to you. A real world example is a taxi company. When you call the taxi company, they will dispatch a vehicle to wherever you are. Once they are there, they will bring you to wherever you need to go.
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