A server is a computer machine or program that provides data or functionality to other machines or programs. We call other devices or programs “clients”. Most commonly, this term refers to a computer that provides data to other computers. Data may be made available to systems on a Wide Area Network (WAN) over the Internet. In addition, it can provide data to LAN systems. LAN stands for local area network. Servers are the backbone of any network. They provide shared resources that network users need like email, web services, databases, file storage, etc.
Webopedia has the following definition of the term:
“A server is a type of computer or device on a network that manages network resources. Servers are usually dedicated, which means they don’t perform any other tasks than the server’s. However, on multiprocessor operating systems, a single computer can run multiple programs at the same time.
In a non-computer situation, the server is the person or thing serving. This article focuses on the meaning of this term in computer situations.
Server vs Client
In the computer world, client and server are computers that we use for different purposes.
- clients
A client is a computer or software that accesses a service provided by a server. In most cases, the servers are located on separate computers. The client accesses the server through the network.
- Servers
A server is a computer that runs services to meet the needs of other computers. For example, there are home media servers, web servers, and print servers. There are also file servers and database servers.
For example, a company employee can log on to a client computer to access files and applications running on the server. We call this two-tier architecture the client-server architecture.
Server vs Hosts
In computing, a server is a computer connected to a network. A server, on the other hand, is a hardware or software device that provides services to other computers or programs in the network.
Software includes all programs, i.e. instructions and code of the computer. The computer itself – the physical component of any device – is the hardware.
Each computer connected to the network acts as a server for other peers on the same network.
According to Learntomato.flashrouters.com:
“A host is a computer, connected to other computers to which it provides data or services over a network. In theory, each computer connected to the network acts as a host for other peers on the network. Basically, a server reflects the logical relationship of two or more computers on a network.
Let’s say you want to download a document from another computer. This computer is on the same network as your computer. This computer “stores” documents. Hence, it is the “host”. On the other hand, if it’s the opposite – it wants to upload from your computer – then your machine will be the “server”.
