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Apache HTTP Server vs Microsoft IIS: What are the differences?
# Introduction
1. **Scalability**: One key difference between Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft IIS is in terms of scalability. Apache is known for its ability to handle a large number of requests efficiently, making it a preferred choice for high traffic websites. On the other hand, IIS is considered to be more suitable for smaller to medium-sized websites due to its limitations in handling a high volume of requests.
2. **Operating System Compatibility**: Another significant difference between the two web servers is their compatibility with different operating systems. Apache HTTP Server is known for its cross-platform support, working seamlessly on various operating systems such as Unix, Linux, Windows, and more. In contrast, Microsoft IIS is primarily designed for Windows operating systems, making it a popular choice for organizations that use Windows servers.
3. **Configuration Management**: Apache HTTP Server is known for its flexibility and extensive configuration options using text-based configuration files. This allows users to customize and fine-tune the server settings according to their specific needs. In comparison, Microsoft IIS offers a user-friendly graphical interface for configuration management, making it easier for users who prefer a more visual approach to server configuration.
4. **Open Source vs. Proprietary**: Apache HTTP Server is an open-source software maintained by the Apache Software Foundation, which means it is free to use, modify, and distribute. On the other hand, Microsoft IIS is a proprietary web server developed by Microsoft and requires a license to use in a production environment. This difference in licensing models can influence the choice of web server depending on the organization's budget and preferences.
5. **Support for Technologies**: Apache HTTP Server is known for its strong support for a wide range of programming languages and technologies, making it a versatile choice for hosting different types of websites and applications. In contrast, Microsoft IIS offers tighter integration with Microsoft technologies such as .NET framework, ASP.NET, and Microsoft SQL Server, making it a preferred option for organizations that heavily rely on Microsoft technologies for their web development.
6. **Security Features**: When it comes to security, both Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft IIS provide robust security features to protect websites from various threats. However, IIS is often perceived to have tighter integration with Windows security features such as Active Directory, making it a preferred choice for organizations looking for seamless integration with their existing Windows security infrastructure.
In Summary, the key differences between Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft IIS lie in their scalability, operating system compatibility, configuration management, licensing models, support for technologies, and security features.
I am diving into web development, both front and back end. I feel comfortable with administration, scripting and moderate coding in bash, Python and C++, but I am also a Windows fan (i love inner conflict). What are the votes on web servers? IIS is expensive and restrictive (has Windows adoption of open source changed this?) Apache has the history but seems to be at the root of most of my Infosec issues, and I know nothing about nginx (is it too new to rely on?). And no, I don't know what I want to do on the web explicitly, but hosting and data storage (both cloud and tape) are possibilities. Ready, aim fire!
I would pick nginx over both IIS and Apace HTTP Server any day. Combine it with docker, and as you grow maybe even traefik, and you'll have a really flexible solution for serving http content where you can take sites and projects up and down without effort, easily move it between systems and dont have to handle any dependencies on your actual local machine.
From a StackShare Community member: "We are a LAMP shop currently focused on improving web performance for our customers. We have made many front-end optimizations and now we are considering replacing Apache with nginx. I was wondering if others saw a noticeable performance gain or any other benefits by switching."
I use nginx because it is very light weight. Where Apache tries to include everything in the web server, nginx opts to have external programs/facilities take care of that so the web server can focus on efficiently serving web pages. While this can seem inefficient, it limits the number of new bugs found in the web server, which is the element that faces the client most directly.
I use nginx because its more flexible and easy to configure
I use Apache HTTP Server because it's intuitive, comprehensive, well-documented, and just works
For us, NGINX is a lite HTTP server easy to configure. On our research, we found a well-documented software we a lot of support from the community.
We have been using it alongside tools like certbot and it has been a total success.
We can easily configure our sites and have a folder for available vs enabled sites, and with the nginx -t command we can easily check everything is running fine.
- Server rendered HTML output from PHP is being migrated to the client as Vue.js components, future plans to provide additional content, and other new miscellaneous features all result in a substantial increase of static files needing to be served from the server. NGINX has better performance than Apache for serving static content.
- The change to NGINX will require switching from PHP to PHP-FPM resulting in a distributed architecture with a higher complexity configuration, but this is outweighed by PHP-FPM being faster than PHP for processing requests.
- The NGINX + PHP-FPM setup now allows for horizontally scaling of resources rather vertically scaling the previously combined Apache + PHP resources.
- PHP shell tasks can now efficiently be decoupled from the application reducing main application footprint and allow for scaling of tasks on an individual basis.
I was in a situation where I have to configure 40 RHEL servers 20 each for Apache HTTP Server and Tomcat server. My task was to 1. configure LVM with required logical volumes, format and mount for HTTP and Tomcat servers accordingly. 2. Install apache and tomcat. 3. Generate and apply selfsigned certs to http server. 4. Modify default ports on Tomcat to different ports. 5. Create users on RHEL for application support team. 6. other administrative tasks like, start, stop and restart HTTP and Tomcat services.
I have utilized the power of ansible for all these tasks, which made it easy and manageable.
Pros of Microsoft IIS
- Great with .net83
- I'm forced to use iis55
- Use nginx27
- Azure integration18
- Best for ms technologyes ms bullshit15
- Fast10
- Reliable6
- Performance6
- Powerful4
- Simple to configure3
- Webserver3
- Easy setup2
- Shipped with Windows Server1
- Ssl integration1
- Security1
- Охуенный1
Cons of Microsoft IIS
- Hard to set up1