11 Apache & Microsoft IIS web servers

Both Apache and Microsoft IIS are HyperText Transfer Protocol or HTTP server software programs used to direct traffic and run web pages.  Apache has been available considerably longer than Microsoft IIS. 

APACHE

Apache is a public-domain open source Web server developed by a loosely-knit group of programmers first developed in 1995. Because the source code is freely available, anyone can adapt the server for specific needs, and there is a large public library of Apache add-ons.

Apache used on a variety of operating systems.  The original version of Apache was written for UNIX, but there are now versions that run under OS/2, Windows and other platforms.  Apache is notable for playing a key role in the development of the World Wide Web due to its early development and easy of use.

Apache supports a variety of features, many implemented as compiled modules which extend the core functionality. There are also popular compression methods available for Apache. Although the main design goal of Apache is not to be the "fastest" web server, Apache does have performance similar to other "high-performance" web servers. Instead of implementing a single architecture, Apache provides a variety of Multiprocessing Modules (MPMs) which allow Apache to run in a process-based, hybrid (process and thread) or event-hybrid mode, to better match the demands of each particular infrastructure. This implies that the choice of correct MPM and the correct configuration is important. Where compromises in performance need to be made, the design of Apache is to reduce latency and increase throughput, relative to simply handling more requests, thus ensuring consistent and reliable processing of requests within reasonable time-frames.

As a result, Apache is considered the most popular HTTP server software in use.  As of March 2012 Apache was estimated to serve 57.46% of all active websites and 65.24% of the top servers across all domains. The main reason why Apache Server is the main and principal product used in the internet is because the great advantages it offers for both users and developers.  It has advanced features, it is flexible and easy to administer having a list of well documented configuration files.  It is also free. The main disadvantage is that the program is written by geeks for geeks.  If you run into configuration problems there is no centralize support staff to call on.

WINDOWS IIS

Since Windows NT 4.0 launched, Microsoft IIS has been available as an optional feature on Windows Server operating systems.  At the time, IIS 3.0, was a basic application and didn’t really get its push as a true platform until IIS 4.0.   The Microsoft server took off with the release of Windows Server 2003 and IIS 6.0, which was far more superior to previous editions.  With the recent release of Windows Server 2008, IIS 7.0 was introduced, unleashing power and performance that would make it one of the most effective web servers on the market.  Unlike Apache, Microsoft IIS is not open source and will only run on windows operating systems.  However, Microsoft IIS is easy to install and use.  It provides instant access to databases and is backed by lots of programmers ready to design dynamic pages for you. Unlike Apache, Microsoft IIS is not free and can be costly, but IIS comes with most Windows OS.  The programing is not as fast or stable as Apache and uses up much more system resources.

It is apparent that Apache is a capable Web server.  Over the past years Microsoft has invested heavily in the development of IIS which has proven to be not only as capable as Apache, but also able to host a greater variety of applications such as SharePoint, Outlook Web Access, and ASP.NET sites.  IIS also hosts popular PHP applications, such as Wordpress, Drupal, phpBB, and MediaWiki..  In addition to being highly secure and reliable, IIS is easy to manage through administrative Graphic User Interfaces or GUIs and scripts.  It runs many Web sites that have extremely high performance and availability requirements. In the end the fundamental differences between Apache and IIS mainly lie in the associated dynamic components.  Apache integrates with open-source technologies, such as Perl and Python, while IIS was specifically designed for Microsoft’s Active Server Pages and the wide range of languages it supports.