# Web server

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-server/190553>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [June 22, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-server/190553 "2010-06-22T18:28:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-server/190553/1 "2010-06-22T18:28:42Z")

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Just have a small question especially I’m new to RoR and web  
programming. When we say that the application runs on a web server. Does  
that mean for example when I run my application at:  
[http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000), the web server is my local machine?

And, since a server is a bundle of HW + SW, what is the SW part of the  
server?

Is it only “Mongrel”?

Can you kindly explain what exactly is a web server?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-server/190553/2 "2010-06-22T18:39:31Z")

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On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 9:28 AM, Abder-rahman Ali [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> Just have a small question especially I’m new to RoR and web  
> programming. When we say that the application runs on a web server. Does  
> that mean for example when I run my application at:  
> [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000), the web server is my local machine?

Yes.

> And, since a server is a bundle of HW + SW, what is the SW part of the  
> server?
> 
> Is it only “Mongrel”?

If that’s what you have installed and are using, yes.

> Can you kindly explain what exactly is a web server?

You could google ‘what is a web server?’ for some existing answers 🙂

–  
Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid  
twitter: @hassan

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-server/190553/3 "2010-06-22T23:48:39Z")

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The web server simply looks at the information you submit ( a page for  
example) and routes it to the proper destination in rails. With me  
it’s frequently error pages though.

Rails comes with a web server named webrick which works nicely enough  
for learning about Rails. Mongrel is a separate, higher performance  
web server that you can install via gem.

Keep plugging away at it with sample apps untill you feel confident  
enough to write something of your own.

And - don’t stop asking questions

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**Author:** ![swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@swengineer](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/swengineer)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/web-server/190553/4 "2010-06-22T23:54:03Z")

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Bb Serviss wrote:

> The web server simply looks at the information you submit ( a page for  
> example) and routes it to the proper destination in rails. With me  
> it’s frequently error pages though.
> 
> Rails comes with a web server named webrick which works nicely enough  
> for learning about Rails. Mongrel is a separate, higher performance  
> web server that you can install via gem.
> 
> Keep plugging away at it with sample apps untill you feel confident  
> enough to write something of your own.
> 
> And - don’t stop asking questions

Bb Serviss,

Thanks so much. I appreciate your nice reply.