What is: Web Server

All websites, not just WordPress ones, rely on a web server. A server is, essentially, a machine (a computer) that delivers or “serves” content to users when they visit your site.

The term “web server,” as you might imagine, refers to a machine or computer that serves information over the internet to your visitors using HTML.

Most web servers in use today use a software called Apache, an open-source commercial-grade product that can operate on machines using Windows, Unix, Linux, and the Macintosh operating systems.

Although it’s possible for you to create and design your own web server, most people are better off purchasing the use of web hosting from a company. Each web server company or “host provider” will offer different packages for different prices and include services such as maintenance, bandwidth, uptime, and the ability to choose which hardware you want to use.

If your WordPress website is operating on WordPress.com, you won’t have to worry about hosting or web servers as WordPress.com will take care of that for you. For independent websites running WordPress software, however, you will have to select a host provider in order to secure a web server to deliver your site to your visitors.