A web server is a software or hardware component that handles HTTP requests and responses.
An application server is responsible for executing the business logic of a web application and managing dynamic content.
Web Server: Deals with static content like HTML, CSS, images, and simple request/response handling.
Application Server: Executes server-side applications, managing dynamic content generation and business logic.
Web Server: Directly handles HTTP requests, often serving as a reverse proxy to route requests to an application server.
Application Server: Focuses on executing application-specific tasks and may rely on a web server to manage incoming HTTP requests.
Web Server: Lightweight, designed for static content delivery and basic request handling.
Application Server: More robust, capable of executing complex business logic, handling database queries, and generating dynamic content.
Web Server: Often used in conjunction with application servers to serve static files and manage basic HTTP requests.
Application Server: Handles the core application logic, processing dynamic content, and interacting with databases.