Nginx and Apache are undoubtedly the two most used web servers worldwide. Each of them holds about a third of the market. According to W3Techs’ data, Nginx holds about 34.2% of the market and Apache about 31.2% — 28.9% and 22.6% respectively according to Netcraft’s data. This list includes some of the most popular web servers according to W3Techs and Netcraft statistics regarding the usage of web servers.
What is a web server?
A web server is a software used for serving files to websites on the Internet. The web server software is responsible for ensuring the communication between the server and the client is secure and flawless. The software works as a link between two machines (a physical server and a user’s device). When a user makes a request, the web server grabs the files from the physical server and delivers them to the user. So, web servers must serve different pages to different users at the same time.
Most popular web servers
According to the W3Techs’ statistics, the top 3 web servers — as of September 2022 — are Nginx, Apache and Cloudflare Server. According to Netcraft’s statistics, the 3 most used web servers — as of August 2022 — are Nginx, Apache and OpenResty.
Nginx
Nginx is an open-source, high-performance web server, released in 2004. It has become one of the most used web servers, together with Apache. Nginx is an ideal solution for managing high-traffic websites. Many high-visibility websites and applications, such as Netflix or Pinterest, use the Nginx web server. As of September 2022, Nginx holds 34.2% of the market according to W3Techs and 28.9% according to Netcraft.
Its great success lies significantly on its ability to tackle the c10k problem — which stops some web servers from managing more than 10,000 simultaneous connections. It has two different versions: OSS Nginx and Nginx Plus. Nginx is often used as a software load balancer and works smoothly with PHP-FPM.
Some of Nginx’s main features
- Free and open-source
- Asynchronous, event-driven architecture
- High-performance
- Low memory consumption
- Compatibility with IPv6
Nginx versions history
Nginx has two branches in the NGINX Open Source code repository:
- Mainline releases.
- Stable releases.
Mainline releases
Mainline releases feature an odd number in the second part of the version number. They are actively developed, with releases every four to six weeks, and add the latest features and bug fixes.
| Nginx mainline releases | Release date |
| Nginx 0.1.x | October 2004 |
| Nginx 0.3.x | October 2005 |
| Nginx 0.5.x | December 2006 |
| Nginx 0.7.x | May 2008 |
| Nginx 0.9.x | November 2010 |
| Nginx 1.1.x | August 2011 |
| Nginx 1.3.x | May 2012 |
| Nginx 1.5.x | May 2013 |
| Nginx 1.7.x | April 2014 |
| Nginx 1.9.x | April 2015 |
| Nginx 1.11.x | May 2016 |
| Nginx 1.13.x | April 2017 |
| Nginx 1.15.x | June 2018 |
| Nginx 1.17.x | May 2019 |
| Nginx 1.19.x | May 2020 |
| Nginx 1.21.x | May 2021 |
Stable releases
Stable releases feature an even number in the second part of the version number. They only receive updates for high-severity bug fixes.
| Nginx stable releases | Release date |
| Nginx 0.2.x | September 2005 |
| Nginx 0.4.x | August 2006 |
| Nginx 0.6.x | June 2007 |
| Nginx 0.8.x | June 2009 |
| Nginx 1.0.x | April 2011 |
| Nginx 1.2.x | April 2012 |
| Nginx 1.4.x | April 2013 |
| Nginx 1.6.x | April 2014 |
| Nginx 1.8.x | April 2015 |
| Nginx 1.10.x | April 2016 |
| Nginx 1.12.x | April 2017 |
| Nginx 1.14.x | April 2018 |
| Nginx 1.16.x | April 2019 |
| Nginx 1.18.x | April 2020 |
| Nginx 1.20.x | April 2021 |
| Nginx 1.22.x | May 2022 |
Apache HTTP Server
The Apache web server, officially known as Apache HTTP Server, was released in 1995. Apache is a free, open-source web server; developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF). It is one of the most popular web servers around the world. As of September 2022, Apache holds 31.2% of the market according to W3Techs and 22.6% according to Netcraft.
Apache is highly flexible and customizable; functionalities can be easily turned on and off. It offers a lot of modules for security, authentication, caching, URL rewriting, etc. Besides, it allows custom server configurations using the .htaccess file. It also supports many applications: CMS, ERP, web frameworks, programming languages… Apache HTTP Server is a stable solution and one of the most reliable web servers.
Some of Apache’s main features
- Free and open-source
- Module-based architecture
- Easy configuration and customization
- Regular updates and security patches
- Big community of developers
- Compatibility with IPv6
The Apache HTTP Server Project aims to develop and maintain a commercial-grade, open-source server for modern operating systems. It also aims to provide a secure, efficient and extensible web server which provides HTTP services while meeting the current HTTP standards. The Apache HTTP Server project is part of the Apache Software Foundation, the world’s largest open-source foundation.
Apache HTTP Server versions history
| Apache HTTP Server releases | State |
| Apache 1.3.x | Historical release |
| Apache 2.0.x | Historical release |
| Apache 2.1.x | Historical release |
| Apache 2.2.x | Historical release |
| Apache 2.3.x | Historical release |
| Apache 2.4.x | Current stable release |
| Apache 2.5.x | Current development version |
The last stable release of Apache HTTP Server, as of September 2022, is Apache HTTP Server 2.4.54.
LiteSpeed Web Server
LiteSpeed is a paid, proprietary web server developed by LiteSpeed Technologies; released in 2003. It has three licenses available: Free Starter, Site Owner and Web Host. It is a paid alternative for high-traffic websites, offering high-performance and great scalability. As of September 2022, LiteSpeed holds 12.2% of the market according to W3Techs and 5% according to Netcraft.
The LiteSpeed web server is optimized to securely handle thousands of concurrent customers, without consuming a lot of memory and CPU resources. It is compatible with many popular control panels — such as Plesk and DirectAdmin — and with many features which are commonly used in Apache, for instance, mod_security, mod_rewrite and .htaccess configuration.
Some of LiteSpeed’s main features
- Event-driven architecture
- Lightweight
- Easy configuration
- Built-in anti-DDoS features
- Zero-downtime maintenance
LiteSpeed Web Server versions history
| LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) releases | Release date |
| LSWS 1.0.x | July 2003 |
| LSWS 1.1.x | October 2003 |
| LSWS 1.2.x | November 2003 |
| LSWS 1.3.x | February 2004 |
| LSWS 1.5.x | June 2004 |
| LSWS 2.0.x | March 2005 |
| LSWS 2.1.x | September 2005 |
| LSWS 2.2.x | August 2006 |
| LSWS 3.0.x | March 2007 |
| LSWS 3.1.x | May 2007 |
| LWS 3.2.x | July 2007 |
| LSWS 3.3.x | November 2007 |
| LSWS 4.0.x | March 2009 |
| LSWS 4.1.x | April 2011 |
| LSWS 4.2.x | September 2012 |
| LSWS 5.0.x | April 2015 |
| LSWS 5.2.x | July 2017 |
| LSWS 5.3.x | August 2018 |
| LSWS 5.4.x | July 2019 |
| LSWS 6.0.x | March 2021 |
The latest release of LiteSpeed Web Server, as of September 2022, is LSWS 6.0.12.
Microsoft-IIS
Microsoft-IIS or Microsoft Internet Information Services is a web server released by Microsoft in 1995. It was developed to be used with Windows NT. Its modular architecture allows adding and removing extensions/modules easily. It also includes multiple built-in security features and authentication mechanisms. Microsoft-IIS is often used to host ASP.NET web applications and static sites. As of May 2022, Microsoft-IIS holds 5.9% of the market according to W3Techs and 3% according to Netcraft.
Some of Microsoft-IIS’ main features
- Module-based architecture
- Security and control
- Remote management
Microsoft IIS versions history
| Microsoft IIS releases | Release date | End date |
| Microsoft IIS 6.0 | May 2003 | July 2015 |
| Microsoft IIS 7.0 | May 2008 | January 2020 |
| Microsoft IIS 7.5 | October 2009 | January 2020 |
| Microsoft IIS 8 | October 2012 | October 2023 |
| Microsoft IIS 8.5 (Windows 8.1) | November 2013 | January 2023 |
| Microsoft IIS 8.5 (Windows Server 2012 R2) | November 2013 | October 2023 |
| Microsoft IIS 10.0 | July 2015 | |
| Microsoft IIS 10.0 (Windows Server 2016) | October 2016 | January 2027 |
| Microsoft IIS 10.0 (Windows Server (Semi-Annual Channel)) | October 2017 | |
| Microsoft IIS 10.0 (Windows Server 2019) | November 2018 | January 2029 |
The latest release of Microsoft Internet Information Services, as of September 2022, is Microsoft IIS 10.0 version 1809.
OpenResty
OpenResty is a web server, with an event-driven architecture, based on Nginx and LuaJIT. It is able to handle thousands of connections at the same time, as it is designed for building scalable, high-performance web applications and services. As of May 2022, OpenResty holds 8% of the market according to Netcraft.
Some of OpenResty’s main features
- Event-driven architecture
- High performance
OpenResty versions history
| OpenResty releases | Release date |
| OpenResty 0.8.54.x | June 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.4.x | July 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.5.x | August 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.6.x | September 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.8.x | October 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.9.x | November 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.10.x | November 2011 |
| OpenResty 1.0.11.x | February 2012 |
| OpenResty 1.0.15.x | April 2012 |
| OpenResty 1.2.1.x | June 2012 |
| OpenResty 1.2.3.x | August 2012 |
| OpenResty 1.2.4.x | October 2012 |
| OpenResty 1.2.6.x | January 2013 |
| OpenResty 1.2.7.x | February 2013 |
| OpenResty 1.2.8.x | April 2013 |
| OpenResty 1.4.1.x | July 2013 |
| OpenResty 1.4.2.x | August 2013 |
| OpenResty 1.4.3.x | October 2013 |
| OpenResty 1.5.8.x | January 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.5.11.x | March 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.5.12.x | April 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.7.0.x | June 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.7.2.x | July 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.7.4.x | August 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.7.7.x | November 2014 |
| OpenResty 1.7.10.x | February 2015 |
| OpenResty 1.9.3.x | July 2015 |
| OpenResty 1.9.7.x | December 2015 |
| OpenResty 1.9.15.x | December 2015 |
| OpenResty 1.11.2.x | August 2016 |
| OpenResty 1.13.6.x | November 2017 |
| OpenResty 1.15.8.x | November 2018 |
| OpenResty 1.17.8.x | June 2020 |
| OpenResty 1.19.3.x | June 2021 |
| OpenResty 1.19.9.x | August 2021 |
| OpenResty 1.21.4.x | May 2022 |
The latest release of OpenResty, as of September 2022, is OpenResty 1.21.4.1.
This list includes some of the most used web servers, but there are many other alternatives available. The perfect choice will depend on the project requirements and goals, since a static website for a small business won’t demand the same features as a high-traffic site built on WordPress.
