PHP & MySQL® Web Development All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies®

Chapter 4. Installing a Web Server

In This Chapter

• Checking whether Apache needs to be installed

• Obtaining and installing Apache on Windows, Mac, or Linux

• Configuring Apache

• Installing IIS

A Web server is software that delivers your Web pages to the world. When a browser requests a Web page file, the Web server receives the request and responds by sending the Web page to the requesting browser. The browser then displays the Web page, based on the code in the Web page file.

Two Web servers deliver Web pages for over 90 percent of Web sites on the Web:

• Apache: An open source Web server that powers over 60 percent of the Web sites on the World Wide Web.

• Internet Information Services (IIS): A Web server produced by Microsoft that powers almost 30 percent of the Web sites.

To install a Web server, first test whether a Web server is already running on your computer. If it isn't, install either Apache or IIS. In most cases, Apache is the better choice. It's the choice for most Web sites because it's very reliable.