What is a server? Definition and function simply summarized
The term "server" is often heard and read - for example in connection with "The server is down". But what exactly is a server? We clarify it.
What is a server: definition
A server is a powerful network computer that makes its resources available to other computers or programs. These usually access the data via the network. A server as software is a computer program that communicates with the client (English for customer) and gives it access to the data provided.
Benefits and functions of a server
- When speaking of a server, it can be a computer (hardware) as well as a program (software). The server, in German "waiter or deliverer", comes into contact with the client, in German "customer". Both can communicate with each other via a suitable protocol, since this means that they speak the same "language".
- The client always asks the server for data, which it then delivers. Depending on the type of server, this can be different data. We will explain the individual server types in more detail below.
- First a small example: You are currently surfing the Internet. Your computer is the client, your browser is the client software. In order to open the chip.de website, your client software sends a request to our server and wants the data from the page. The server software then hands them to your browser.
- Web server: The content of websites is stored on such a server.
- Email server: manages, stores and distributes emails.
- File server: Here you will mainly find files that people either share with themselves or for everyone on the Internet.
- Printer server: Manages print jobs and routes them from computers to printers.