Application Server
An application server is a server specifically designed to run applications. The "server" includes both the hardware and software that provide an environment for programs to run.
Application servers are used for many purposes. Several examples are listed below:
- running web applications
- hosting a hypervisor that manages virtual machines
- distributing and monitoring software updates
- processing data sent from another server
Why Use an Application Server?
A web server is designed – and often optimized – to serve webpages. Therefore, it may not have the resources to run demanding web applications. An application server provides the processing power and memory to run these applications in real-time. It also provides the environment to run specific applications. For example, a cloud service may need to process data on a Windows machine. A Linux-based server may provide the web interface for the cloud service, but it cannot run Windows applications. Therefore, it may send input data to a Windows-based application server. The application server can process the data, then return the result to the web server, which can output the result in a web browser.
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