Difference between apache tomcat server and apache webserver

In this article, we will discuss the apache tomcat server and apache web server along with their comparison. Both are important terms and are tricky to understand. Some of us are familiar with these terms, but some are not. So, before jumping directly to the comparison, let's first see a brief description of both terms.

Let's first see a brief of Apache.

What is Apache?

apache tomcat server vs apache webserver

Apache is developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. Its official name is Apache HTTP Server. It is a software of web server that is free and open-source used by approximately 40% of websites worldwide.

It is called as "web server" because it permits the owners of the websites to serve content over the web. One of the most reliable and old versions of the Apache webserver was published in 1995.

Apache tomcat server

"Apache Tomcat" was released in 1998 for the very first time, and was developed in an open environment. The Apache Tomcat is actually a server and a servlet container.

Tomcat is an open-source Java servlet container. It implements many Java Enterprise Specs such as the Websites API, Java-Server Pages, and the Java Servlet.

It is a web container that allows the execution of Servlet and Java server pages based on web applications. Apache can be defined as cross-platform software, so it can work on Windows servers and UNIX. In comparison to the other web servers, tomcat is less configurable. It has various performance issues on extremely heavy traffic websites.

Apache webserver

Web server is software that responds to the request for web resources. Apache HTTP Server is an open-source, cross-platform web server that was released under the license of Apache 2.0. It is developed and maintained by an open community of developers under the apache software foundation. It can be installed on almost all operating systems like Windows, FreeBSD, LINUX, UNIX, and many more.

A web server is dedicated software that runs on the server-side. When any user requests their web browser to run any web page, the webserver places all the data materials together into an organized web page and forwards them back to the web browser with the help of the Internet.

The intercommunication of a web server with a web browser is done with the help of a protocol named HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

Apache tomcat server v/s Apache webserver

Now, let's see the comparison chart between both terms. We are comparing both terms based on some characteristics.

Based on	Apache tomcat server	Apache webserver
Basic	It is a JSP or servlet container.	It is an HTTP server that serves the file via HTTP protocol.
Use	We can use it to host code based on Java.	We can use it to host applications written in any programming language.
Handle	Apache tomcat server can be used to handle both static and dynamic pages. Pages generated using HTML are static pages, and the pages generated using Servlet and JSP are dynamic pages.	It can be used to handle static pages. Dynamic pages coded in Ruby, PHP, or other languages can also be handled by an apache web server via add-on modules offered by Apache or any other client.
Configurable and robust	It is not more configurable and robust.	It is more configurable and robust.
Written	It is written in Java.	It is written in the C programming language.
Speed	When it comes to serving static content, it is slower.	When it comes to serving static content, it is faster.

The apache software foundation maintains both the apache tomcat server and the apache web server. So, that's all about the article. Hope your facts about both tomcat and web server get clear by reading this article, and you found it helpful and informative.

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