A server is a computer in a network that provides services and data to other devices. Websites need it to store pages, respond to access requests, and it also handles computing and storage tasks.
Three common forms
By form, there are currently three types that enterprises encounter most:
- Physical server: A standalone physical machine with fully exclusive resources. It offers stable performance and strong controllability, but procurement and maintenance costs are relatively high, and you usually need to handle operations and maintenance yourself.
- Virtual server: Several independent environments partitioned on a single physical machine, each running without affecting the others. The cost is lower than a physical machine, and configuration is relatively flexible.
- Cloud server: Computing resources allocated on demand by a service provider, with configurations that can be adjusted at any time and billing by duration or usage. Elasticity is its most obvious advantage, and it also makes it easy to gradually scale capacity as the business grows.
For most small and medium-sized enterprise websites, cloud servers or virtual servers are more common starting points. The reason is not stronger performance, but that the investment is easier to match to the business scale.
What it consists of
- Processor: Handles computing tasks; the number of cores determines parallel processing capability.
- Memory: Stores temporary data in operation; capacity affects the number of requests that can be handled simultaneously.
- Storage: Saves data over the long term. Mechanical hard drives offer large capacity, while solid-state drives read and write faster; most scenarios use a combination.
- Network interface: Determines the bandwidth and stability of network access.
- Power supply and redundancy design: Affects availability during failures.
What to look at when choosing for a website
- Traffic scale: Daily traffic determines the baseline configuration, and spare capacity should also be left for peaks during campaigns.
- Scalability: Whether the configuration can be adjusted at any time directly affects how you respond to subsequent business growth.
- Availability and backup: Whether there is a failover mechanism, what the backup strategy is, and how often data is backed up.
- Location and access speed: The geographical distance between the server and main visitors affects opening speed.
- Cost structure: Look not only at the unit price, but also at renewal prices, bandwidth billing methods, and operations and maintenance investment.
- Technical support: The response channels and response times when problems occur.
Two things that are easily overlooked
The first is security. A server that provides services externally is itself a target for attacks. Protection configuration, permission management, and patch updates need someone to be responsible for them, rather than stopping once the purchase is complete.
The second is ownership. Server accounts, like domain names, are part of an enterprise's basic digital assets. Who the account is registered under and who keeps it can have a real impact when cooperation changes, so it is recommended that the enterprise hold it itself.