WHAT IS A SERVER?

In computing, a server is a piece of computer hardware or software that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called “clients”. This architecture is called the client–server model.

A server is also a computer that serves information to other computers. These computers, called clients, can connect to a server through either a local area network or a wide area network, such as the internet. A server is a vital piece of your IT infrastructure

FEATURES OF A SERVER?

Key Features of a Server

All servers have some key components as well as other, optional components. Since we all enjoy servers each time we go online, it is a good idea to gain a basic overview of how they work by looking at their individual components.

Motherboard

First, there’s the motherboard. The most basic way to think of the motherboard is a circuit board which connects every component of the server. The motherboard, more than any other element, is the heart of the server. Most users of servers won’t need to know much about the motherboard, except that it dictates the amount of RAM, the type of CPU, and the number of hard drives that can connect to the server.

It’s also in charge of all I/O and a few other important bits that the average person won’t need to know.

Central Processing Unit (CPU) / Processor

The next critical component of a server is a central processing unit (CPU). This is also known as a processor. If the motherboard is the computer’s heart, the processor is its brain.

When it comes to the performance, the processor is often the first component which comes to mind. It’s not the only component that affects performance, but its importance isn’t to be trivialized. You’ll need to learn a good deal about processors to ensure you’re getting a good deal on a server. This is because hosts may offer consumer-grade processors or outdated models in place of current gen server-grade CPUs.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

They would not be complete without a healthy dose of memory, especially one that’s going to be responsible for hosting a website. Memory in a server doesn’t refer to the hard drive, but instead RAM.

RAM, standing for random access memory is like our brain’s short-term memory. It’s critical to the performance of your server and the amount you use will need to scale up with your specific hosting needs. Besides quantity, there are quality differences in RAM. RAM currently has 4 generations with newer gen RAM running faster than older sticks. You’ll want to ensure your server is running the latest generations (DDR4 right now, though most servers are still DDR3, and that’s okay too). This will result in the best performance and bang for your buck.

Hard Drive

Nowadays, SATA drives are the standard for hard drives. These offer good performance and reliability but are already being replaced by up and coming hard drive technology. You may have already heard of it as it’s also making waves in consumer markets. If you guessed SSD (Solid State Drives) you’re right.

SSDs are becoming more and more common. All server hosting types from dedicated servers to the cloud are beginning to support it or even offer it standard. They offer far superior read and write speeds and their reliability is amazing. If you can get an SSD, you won’t be disappointed as it’ll be a significant increase in server performance.

Network / Port

Another vital component is the network connection. Most servers are connected to a port which’s speeds can vary and be set by the host. These ports can range in speeds all the way up to a Gigabit connection, but most start at 10Gbps.

Power Supply

Finally, there’s the power supply. You don’t need to know much about the power supply of a server except that it’s there, and it’s what powers all the components in your server.

WHAT IS BACKEND?

The back-end is the code that runs on the server, that receives requests from the clients, and contains the logic to send the appropriate data back to the client. The back-end also includes the database, which will persistently store all of the data for the application. This article focuses on the hardware and software on the server-side that make this possible.

WHAT IS A BACKEND SERVER?

The backend (or “server-side”) is the portion of the website you don’t see. It’s responsible for storing and organizing data, and ensuring everything on the client-side actually works. The backend communicates with the front-end, sending and receiving information to be displayed as a web page.

What is front end server and backend server?

The term “front–end” refers to the user interface, while “back-end” means the server, application and database that work behind the scenes to deliver information to the user. The user enters a request through the interface.

IMPORTANCE OF BACKEND SERVER

Normally, frontend code creates interfaces through which the application interacts with the users. On the other hand, the backend code interacts with the server, and delivers content or data to be displayed to the users. So the backend code deals with the application as well as the web server and database. The combination of application, server and database makes the backend coding both complex and important.

Why Developers Must Pay More Attention to Backend Web Development?

Information Exchange

As noted earlier, backend consists of three key elements of a website, i.e., application, web server and database. While accessing the user interface of a website, each user is required to provide his login id and password. The login id and password provided by the user is validated by the backend. Likewise, any information submitted by the user is stored in the databases through the backend code. Also, the backend retrieves information from the database, and sends the information to the user interface for displaying to the user. Hence, the backend of a website acts as its structure and facilitate information exchange.

Various Environments

Nowadays, businesses deploy websites and web applications in a number of environments. For instance, some enterprises prefer running websites on web servers, while others deploy web applications in the cloud. At the same time, many businesses even combine both hosting options to avail benefits like enhanced performance and scalability. The web server setup varies from one network to another. Also, the programmers often distribute server-side workload over multiple machines. The varying hosting environments make it essential for developers to customize the backend of websites.

The Application Logic

Most programmers nowadays keep the user interface and application logic of a website separate to simplify its development and maintenance. In addition to including the domain and infrastructure components of an application, the application logic also performs the routine data processing required by each business. The backend of a website contains its application logic. Hence, the developers must focus on backend web development to switch from one frontend to another seamlessly, and make multiple user interfaces access the same application logic.

Adding Utility to Each Frontend Functionality

While developing a website, programmers are required to write backend code to add utility to each frontend functionality. For instance, they have to write code using a server-side programming language to add functionality to a user login form. Each time a user enters his login credentials, the backend code will collect the values, and compare them with the login data stored in databases. Likewise, backend code also adds functionality to various forms, profiles and accounts. Hence, no website can function without quality backend code.

Impacts the Website’s User Experience

The usability and user experience of a website impacts its popularity in the longer run. As noted earlier, all tasks required to make a website function are performed at the backend. So the user experience delivered by a website will be impacted by the quality of backend code. Any issues in the backend code can result in frequent website crashes, running the website slowly, and similar performance issues. At the same time, minor defects in the backend code can make the website vulnerable to targeted malware and security attacks.

It is important for the developers to focus on the quality and structure of the backend code to make the website deliver richer user experience without any interruptions. It is also important for the developers to effectuate backend web development by picking the right programming language and framework. As they have option to choose from many server-side programming languages, the programmers must pick the language that meets all needs of the project. Likewise, they also need to pick the right web development framework and tools according to the specific server-side programming language.

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