Apache HTTP Server
Use Cases: Suitable for most web applications and websites.
Nginx
Nginx is known for its high performance, scalability, and efficient use of resources. It can function as a reverse proxy and load balancer in addition to serving static content.
Use Cases: High-traffic websites, reverse proxy, load balancing, serving static files.
LiteSpeed
LiteSpeed is a commercial web server that offers excellent performance, security features, and support for modern web technologies (like HTTP/3).
Use Cases: High-performance, scalable, and secure hosting environments.
Cherokee
Cherokee is a fast and lightweight web server with a focus on speed and simplicity. It supports dynamic content via FastCGI and other technologies.
Use Cases: Fast web applications with minimal resource usage.
Tomcat
Apache Tomcat is a web server and servlet container that specializes in serving Java applications. It’s widely used to run Java-based web applications (like those using JSP and Servlets).
Use Cases: Java-based web applications, enterprise applications.
Node.js
Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime that is often used with the Express framework to build web servers that handle HTTP requests. It’s event-driven and non-blocking, making it suitable for real-time applications.
Use Cases: Real-time applications (e.g., chat, gaming), APIs, microservices.
Caddy
Caddy is a modern web server that automatically configures SSL/TLS (HTTPS) and is easy to set up. It’s designed to work well for modern web applications and microservices.
Use Cases: Websites that require automatic SSL configuration, modern web apps.
Apache TomEE
TomEE is a Java EE (Enterprise Edition) certified web server built on top of Apache Tomcat. It supports Java EE features like EJB, JPA, and others.
Use Cases: Java EE-based enterprise applications.
GWS (Google Web Server)
GWS is a custom web server used by Google for its web applications. It is not available for public use but is known for serving Google’s high-traffic websites with extreme efficiency.
Use Cases: Internal use by Google.
OpenResty
Use Cases: Dynamic content serving, API gateway, real-time applications.
Sun Java System Web Server
A web server developed by Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle). It’s designed to handle heavy traffic and Java applications.
Use Cases: Enterprise and Java-based applications.
Varnish
Varnish is a high-performance HTTP accelerator used primarily as a reverse proxy and cache to improve the speed of web applications.
Use Cases: Caching content, improving performance, serving static assets.
IIS
IIS is a web server developed by Microsoft for Windows Server. It integrates tightly with Windows operating systems and is often used in enterprise environments.
Use Cases: ASP.NET applications, Microsoft-centric environments.