DevOps Sessions - Week 3 - Web & Application Servers

Welcome to Week 3 of our “Becoming a DevOps Engineer” series! This week, we will focus on web and application servers, critical components for delivering web applications and services. Understanding how to configure, manage, and optimize these servers is essential for ensuring high performance, reliability, and scalability in any DevOps environment. Let’s get started!

Session Overview

1. Introduction to Web & Application Servers

• What are Web Servers?
• What are Application Servers?
• Importance in DevOps

2. Popular Web Servers

• Apache HTTP Server
• Nginx

3. Popular Application Servers

• Tomcat
• Jetty
• WildFly

4. Configuring Web Servers

• Basic Configuration of Apache
• Basic Configuration of Nginx

5. Configuring Application Servers

• Basic Configuration of Tomcat
• Basic Configuration of Jetty

6. Optimizing and Securing Servers

• Performance Tuning
• Security Best Practices

1. Introduction to Web & Application Servers

What are Web Servers?

Web servers are software that serve web pages to users upon request. They handle HTTP requests from clients (browsers) and deliver the corresponding web content. Examples include Apache HTTP Server and Nginx.

What are Application Servers?

Application servers provide an environment to run web applications. They handle not just web content but also business logic and interactions with databases. Examples include Tomcat and WildFly.

Importance in DevOps

In DevOps, web and application servers are vital for deploying and running web applications. They ensure that applications are accessible, performant, and secure. Mastery of these servers allows for efficient deployment, scaling, and management of applications.

2. Popular Web Servers

Apache HTTP Server

Apache is one of the oldest and most reliable web servers. It is highly configurable and supports a wide range of features through modules.

Nginx

Nginx is known for its high performance, stability, and low resource usage. It is often used as a reverse proxy and load balancer.

3. Popular Application Servers

Tomcat

Tomcat, developed by the Apache Software Foundation, is a widely used application server for running Java Servlets and JSPs.

Jetty

Jetty is another lightweight application server suitable for running web applications and services.

WildFly

WildFly, formerly known as JBoss, is a powerful, flexible application server for Java applications.

4. Configuring Web Servers

Basic Configuration of Apache

1. Installation:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install apache2

2. Basic Configuration: Edit the Apache configuration file, typically found at /etc/apache2/apache2.conf.

   Example Virtual Host configuration:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
       DocumentRoot /var/www/html
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>

3. Starting Apache:

   sudo systemctl start apache2

Basic Configuration of Nginx

1. Installation:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install nginx

2. Basic Configuration: Edit the Nginx configuration file, typically found at /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.

   Example Server Block:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name example.com;
       location / {
           root /var/www/html;
           index index.html index.htm;
       }
   }

3. Starting Nginx:

   sudo systemctl start nginx

5. Configuring Application Servers

Basic Configuration of Tomcat

1. Installation:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install tomcat9

2. Configuration: Edit the Tomcat configuration file, typically found at /etc/tomcat9/server.xml.

   Example configuration:

   <Connector port="8080" protocol="HTTP/1.1"
              connectionTimeout="20000"
              redirectPort="8443" />

3. Starting Tomcat:

   sudo systemctl start tomcat9

Basic Configuration of Jetty

1. Installation:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install jetty9

2. Configuration: Edit the Jetty configuration file, typically found at /etc/jetty9/jetty.xml.

   Example configuration:

   <Configure id="Server" class="org.eclipse.jetty.server.Server">
       <Set name="port">8080</Set>
       ...
   </Configure>

3. Starting Jetty:

   sudo systemctl start jetty9

6. Optimizing and Securing Servers

Performance Tuning

• Caching: Use caching mechanisms to reduce load and improve response times.
• Load Balancing: Distribute traffic across multiple servers to ensure reliability and performance.
• Resource Allocation: Adjust memory and CPU allocations based on the application requirements.

Security Best Practices

• Updates: Regularly update your servers to patch security vulnerabilities.
• Firewalls: Use firewalls to restrict access to your servers.
• SSL/TLS: Enable SSL/TLS to encrypt data between the server and clients.

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By mastering the configuration and management of web and application servers, you are well on your way to becoming a proficient DevOps engineer. Stay tuned for next week’s session, where we will delve into databases. Happy learning!