With more people than ever going online as their first port of call for information about companies or to buy goods and services, it's obviously essential that you have a quality website in order to attract visitors. Technology news and information publication Ars Technica noted it's no longer enough to rely on social networks to provide your online presence - if you want to compete, you need to be running your own web servers so you have full control over your operations.
But this can be a tricky step for those without experience in the area and there are many things to consider. For instance, one of the big decisions if you want to run a web server is your choice of software to use as a platform. There are a few options available, but Ars Technica observed the main two you should be choosing between are Apache and Nginx. Both of these are open-source and between, them they're the power behind the vast majority of sites on the web.
Apache could be a great choice if you want a flexible solution that you can customise to your exact needs and make changes to whenever you require. It has a huge third-party ecosystem of add-ons and modules, so if you have a particular or niche aim in mind, chances are you'll find the tools to do it with Apache. By comparison, Nginx doesn't have this level of support and it's not as flexible, but Ars Technica stated its can't be beaten for its efficiency and speed. The publication explained that not only will it typically be faster at servicing requests than Apache, it'll also consume less resources when doing so.
It stated that if you have a need for advanced options, Apache might be the best solution, but if you're just looking to build a basic website, the performance of Nginx might win out. While Nginx may have a more limited range of functions, it will perform most of them more effectively than Apache.
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