Web Servers
Introducing major server software and middleware in the Web Servers category.
| No | Name | Description | Trend | Difficulty | Ecosystem | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nginx | High-performance web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer. Handles many concurrent connections efficiently using asynchronous event-driven architecture. Designed to solve the C10K problem and is the standard choice for Docker environments. | Maintains leading position with 23.21% market share (2024). Continues expansion with 900% growth rate. Established as de facto standard with HTTP/3 support in cloud-native environments. | intermediate | mature | Official |
| 2 | Apache HTTP Server | Established open-source web server developed since 1995. Known for rich modules and high extensibility. Offers flexible configuration with .htaccess support and mod_rewrite functionality. | Maintains second position with 20.70% market share (2024). Despite 24.8M site decline, remains important in legacy systems and enterprise environments. Valued for modular architecture extensibility. | intermediate | mature | Official |
| 3 | Cloudflare Server | Edge computing platform with integrated CDN and security features. Delivers high-speed content through global network. Integrates DDoS protection, WAF, and AI defense capabilities. | Rapidly growing with 23.9% annual growth rate and expanding market share. 22.07% share in top million sites (1st position). Establishing security leadership with AI defense and bot protection. | beginner | enterprise | Official |
| 4 | LiteSpeed Web Server | Commercial high-performance web server. Maintains Apache compatibility while achieving significant speed improvements. Particularly excels with WordPress sites. Features event-driven architecture and early HTTP/3 adoption. | Rapidly growing (1% in 2010 → 14.18% in 2024). Established as Apache alternative with 1800% growth rate. HTTP/3 benchmarks show 2x+ performance vs Nginx. WordPress optimization with LSCache integration. | beginner | growing | Official |
| 5 | OpenResty | High-performance web platform integrating Nginx and LuaJIT. Achieves native C-level performance while using scripting language. Specialized in API Gateway, microservices, and dynamic content processing. | Rapidly growing, achieving 13.02% market share as 3rd position (2024). 55% usage increase. Gaining attention for cloud-native and API Gateway use cases. Rich lua-resty library ecosystem. | advanced | rich | Official |
| 6 | Microsoft IIS | Microsoft's Windows-specific web server. Features deep Windows integration and .NET application support. Modular architecture with full ASP.NET integration. | Continues usage in Windows environments, maintaining 6.78% market share (2024). Used by 75% of Windows servers. Modernizing with Azure integration and container support. Remains important in enterprise environments. | intermediate | enterprise | Official |
| 7 | Caddy | Modern web server developed in Go. Eliminates complex SSL certificate management with automatic HTTPS functionality. Features zero-configuration SSL support and early HTTP/3 support. | Popular among developers with growing market share. Established early advantage with HTTP/3. Gained support from modern developers with automatic HTTPS and simple configuration. Security-first approach. | beginner | growing | Official |
| 8 | Traefik | Reverse proxy specialized for cloud-native environments. Enables dynamic configuration management through Docker and Kubernetes integration. Automatic service discovery and load balancing capabilities. | Growing demand with container environment proliferation, recording 2+ billion downloads. Enhanced Middleware capabilities in v3. De facto standard for microservices and Kubernetes environments. | intermediate | cloud-native | Official |