basic-server.txt

A server takes in requests over some protocol and returns information. For
example, a database server using SQL returns the information stored in the
database. This _can_ be on your local computer. A WEB server (as opposed to
a database server, ssh server, etc) is typically run with:
 a) Apache HTTP Server
 b) Nginx, or
 c) Oracle HTTP Server

These three options make up the majority of web servers. There are a good few
others out there, including Caddy, thttpd, AOLserver, and Boa. But the main 
three are up there. Running a _web_ server means that your machine can be
accessed with the HTTP internet protocol, or others from the TCP/IP suite. 

To run a basic web server, I'm going to use apache. Some things are very
helpful to know when it comes to servers, so before jumping in let's cover
our bases.

The key to internet protocols is being able to access computers with their
own unique address.