Application Servers
Introducing major server software and middleware in the Application Servers category.
| No | Name | Description | Trend | Difficulty | Ecosystem | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spring Boot | Framework for creating production-ready Spring-based applications with minimal configuration. Easy Spring application creation with minimal setup. Supports embedded web servers. | Most popular framework for Enterprise Java development. Optimized for modern development with GraalVM, Virtual threads, and microservices support. Spring Boot 4.0 planned. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 2 | Express.js | Minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework. Lightweight and fast with rich middleware ecosystem. Event-driven architecture. | Most widely used Node.js framework. Chosen by developers from beginners to experts for low learning cost and practicality. 1.8M+ npm package ecosystem. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 3 | Apache Tomcat | Open-source Java web application server implementing Jakarta EE specifications. Pure Java HTTP web server environment. Lightweight and efficient execution. | Widely adopted as Java web application server. Supports Jakarta EE migration, maintains stability with continuous updates. Proven track record in enterprise environments. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 4 | Nginx | High-performance, lightweight web server and reverse proxy server. High concurrent connection handling with event-driven architecture. Specialized in static content delivery. | 50% share in Japan, high share globally. Standardly adopted in large-scale and high-traffic sites. Higher processing capability than Apache. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 5 | Gunicorn | Simple and easy-to-use WSGI HTTP server for Python applications. Most documented Python web server. Features easy configuration and management. | Most widely used Python web server. Often chosen when simplicity is prioritized. Easier to configure than uWSGI though less performant. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 6 | uWSGI | High-performance and feature-rich Python WSGI/HTTP server. Detailed configuration with 120+ parameters. HTTPS support, dedicated uwsgi protocol, spooler functionality. | Adopted for high-performance Python applications. In maintenance mode but chosen when high performance is required. Outperforms Gunicorn in benchmarks. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 7 | Kestrel | High-performance cross-platform web server for ASP.NET Core. Provides optimal performance and memory usage. Optimized for containers and edge devices. | Standard web server for .NET development. Recommended to combine with reverse proxy in production. Supports Windows, Linux, macOS. | intermediate | growing | Official |
| 8 | Apache HTTP Server | World's most widely used web server with extensive track record. All-around functionality, rich module support, default script language support including PHP. | Web server with long track record, still one of the two major players with Nginx. Common to use Nginx-Apache combination. Average performance, feature-rich but heavier than Nginx. | intermediate | growing | Official |