List of the Top 25 Web Servers for Linux in 2025

The goal of the Apache HTTP Server Project is to develop and maintain an open-source HTTP server that is compatible with modern operating systems like UNIX and Windows. This initiative primarily focuses on providing a secure, efficient, and versatile server that meets current HTTP standards while ensuring dependable HTTP services. Furthermore, it encourages community engagement to persistently enhance and advance the server's features and performance. By doing so, the project not only supports users' needs but also drives innovation within the web server landscape.

Since 2024, Jaisocx has provided support for PHP via HTTP/3, seamlessly transitioning between protocols like HTTP/1.1, H2, and H3 based on negotiations with the HTTP client. A distinctive feature is its charset detection capability, which accurately identifies text content, enabling correct display for languages such as German and French. Additionally, it includes a built-in mechanism to secure endpoints utilizing Basic Auth and JSON Web Token. The platform also offers proxy endpoints, providing a framework-like solution that allows users to publish SQL query results in JSON format with minimal setup required. Comprehensive documentation is readily available on the company’s website, ensuring users can easily navigate its features. Furthermore, this software is available for free, making it accessible to a wide audience. It is also hosted on Docker Hub, and there is a repository on GitHub that showcases basic examples of Laravel, Symfony, and WordPress applications implemented with Docker Compose, allowing developers to get started quickly. This combination of features positions Jaisocx as a versatile tool for modern web development needs.

NGINX Open Source powers more than 400 million websites around the world. Building on this robust foundation, NGINX Plus functions as an all-in-one software solution that combines load balancing, web serving, and content caching capabilities. By choosing NGINX Plus over conventional hardware load balancers, businesses can explore innovative opportunities without the constraints of traditional infrastructure, resulting in savings exceeding 80% while still achieving excellent performance and reliability. This versatile platform can be deployed across various settings, which include public and private clouds, bare metal servers, virtual machines, and containerized environments. Furthermore, the built-in NGINX Plus API streamlines the completion of routine tasks, thereby boosting operational efficiency. In an era where agility is essential, today's NetOps and DevOps teams require a self-service, API-centric approach that integrates smoothly with CI/CD workflows, which not only accelerates application deployments but also enhances the management of application lifecycles. As technology continues to advance rapidly, NGINX Plus emerges as an indispensable resource for improving operational flexibility and optimizing the use of available resources. It is a pivotal asset for organizations aiming to stay competitive in a fast-paced digital world.

Node.js is an event-driven JavaScript runtime that operates asynchronously, making it ideal for building scalable network applications. Whenever a connection occurs, a callback function is activated; in cases where there are no ongoing tasks, Node.js shifts into a dormant state. This method starkly contrasts with the conventional concurrency model that depends on operating system threads, which can often be inefficient and introduce substantial usability hurdles. Furthermore, Node.js developers can avoid the intricacies associated with dead-locking since its architecture is designed without locks. Remarkably, few functions in Node.js perform direct I/O operations, allowing the process to remain unblocked unless synchronous methods from the standard library are called. This non-blocking characteristic significantly enhances the potential for building scalable systems with Node.js. The design principles of Node.js echo those found in frameworks such as Ruby's Event Machine and Python's Twisted, pushing the event model to new heights. Importantly, Node.js integrates the event loop as a core component of its runtime environment instead of simply treating it as a library, thereby increasing both its efficiency and usability. Consequently, this unique design serves to make Node.js a highly appealing option for developers aiming to craft high-performance applications, while also fostering a vibrant ecosystem of tools and libraries that support its capabilities.

Tornado is a Python web framework that doubles as an asynchronous networking library, originally developed at FriendFeed. With its non-blocking network I/O, it can handle tens of thousands of concurrent connections, making it ideal for applications that rely on persistent user connections like long polling and WebSockets. Distinct from most Python web frameworks, Tornado does not adhere to the WSGI standard and typically functions on a single thread per process. While the tornado.wsgi module provides a degree of WSGI compatibility, it is not the primary focus of the framework’s development, and it is recommended that developers utilize Tornado’s dedicated interfaces, such as tornado.web, when creating applications. Additionally, it is crucial to understand that Tornado's code is generally not thread-safe. Since the release of version 5.0, Tornado has been integrated with Python's standard library asyncio module, allowing it to share the same default event loop. This integration facilitates the use of libraries built for asyncio alongside Tornado, significantly enhancing its versatility and overall functionality. Consequently, developers can construct highly efficient applications that harness both the strengths of Tornado and the capabilities of asyncio, leading to more robust and responsive user experiences. The adaptability of Tornado has made it a popular choice among developers who require high performance in their web applications.

OpenResty® is an all-encompassing web framework that merges an improved version of the Nginx core with an optimized LuaJIT, a collection of well-designed Lua libraries, a selection of high-quality third-party Nginx modules, and their necessary external dependencies. The main goal of OpenResty® is to enable developers to seamlessly build scalable web applications, web services, and dynamic web gateways. By leveraging a diverse array of thoughtfully crafted Nginx modules—many created by the OpenResty team itself—OpenResty® effectively turns the Nginx server into a powerful web application server, allowing developers to use the Lua programming language for scripting various existing Nginx C modules alongside Lua modules. This functionality permits the development of exceptionally high-performance web applications capable of handling anywhere from 10,000 to over a million connections on a single server. OpenResty® is engineered to run server-side web applications entirely within the Nginx server, making full use of Nginx's event-driven architecture to support non-blocking I/O with HTTP clients, thereby enhancing both efficiency and responsiveness of applications. Additionally, the platform streamlines the development process for complex web solutions, making it an invaluable tool for developers seeking to optimize their workflow.

The main objective of this project is to specialize in one task: efficiently managing static web directories. Many current solutions are either excessively intricate with unnecessary features like CGI support and dependence on external libraries or they lack critical elements such as TLS, virtual hosting, or partial content handling. Quark intends to find a middle ground by concentrating solely on serving static content while still offering advanced functionalities typically seen in more elaborate systems, all with a focus on security through techniques like chroot, privilege escalation, and rigorous parsing without using dynamic memory. We believe that most of the web can function effectively without dynamic elements, contending that the rising complexity of server-side applications is a key factor in diminishing web efficiency. Today’s approach often involves handling everything on the server side—such as parsing requests, modifying files and databases, and producing HTML—frequently employing unsuitable languages like PHP or JavaScript, which can introduce significant security risks and inefficiencies. By streamlining these operations, we aspire to foster a web environment that is both simpler and more secure, ultimately benefiting users and developers alike. This focus on static content not only enhances performance but also reduces the attack surface for potential vulnerabilities.

H2O is a contemporary HTTP server that notably boosts user response times while reducing CPU consumption when compared to conventional web servers. Developed from the ground up, it takes advantage of the sophisticated features of HTTP/2, including prioritized content delivery and server push, which collectively create an outstanding experience for users visiting websites. The server is designed to offer extensive support for dependency and weight-based prioritization through its server-side configurations. With contributions from the community, H2O can be easily accessed as a binary package across a variety of environments, enabling users to install it initially through their favorite package manager before exploring a source installation. It is generally recommended to utilize LibreSSL for operating H2O due to its enhanced security features compared to OpenSSL and its compatibility with a broader range of ciphersuites. Ultimately, opting for H2O can significantly enhance both the performance and security of your web applications, making it an excellent choice for developers aiming to optimize their services. By embracing this technology, you can ensure that your platform remains competitive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Jetty functions as a web server and servlet container, providing features for HTTP/2, WebSocket, OSGi, JMX, JNDI, and JAAS, among other integrations. These features are open source, which permits free commercial use and distribution. Jetty is employed in a wide array of projects and products in both development and production settings. For many years, developers have favored Jetty due to its proven ability to be easily embedded in devices, tools, frameworks, application servers, and modern cloud services. This framework is robust, compliant with standards, open source, and commercially viable, offering flexibility, extensibility, a minimal footprint, and support for asynchronous processes, all while being scalable for enterprise use and available under both Apache and Eclipse licenses. It is deployed in extensive clusters such as Facebook Presto and in cloud platforms like Google AppEngine. As the Java and JakartaEE landscape evolved in 2020, the recommended version of Jetty now depends on the servlet API version and licensing choices. Jetty's ongoing adaptability ensures it aligns with the shifting demands of contemporary software development, making it a reliable choice for developers. Its strong community support further enhances its appeal, allowing for continuous improvements and updates.

Monkey functions as a streamlined yet powerful web server and development environment specifically designed for Linux and OSX platforms. Its architecture is optimized for outstanding scalability, all while keeping memory and CPU consumption to a bare minimum, making it exceptionally suitable for embedded systems. Supporting ARM, x86, and x64 architectures, Monkey shines in lightweight applications and also serves as a scalable option for high-performance production servers. With a strong emphasis on embedded system efficiency, its structure promotes optimal resource management, ensuring low consumption rates. This server utilizes a hybrid model that incorporates a fixed number of threads, each adept at managing thousands of clients through an event-driven approach with asynchronous sockets. Additionally, the lock-free communication between the scheduler and worker threads significantly boosts performance, minimizing the chances of race conditions and positioning Monkey as an outstanding choice among web servers. Its distinctive features and capabilities not only establish Monkey as a practical solution for embedded devices but also as a powerful player capable of managing the demands of complex server environments. Ultimately, this combination of effectiveness and efficiency makes Monkey an exceptional option for developers seeking reliable web server solutions.

Tengine, created by Taobao, the leading e-commerce platform in Asia, is an advanced web server built on the Nginx HTTP server, offering a variety of sophisticated features. Known for its remarkable stability and efficiency, Tengine powers several of the world’s top 100 websites, including its parent company Taobao and Tmall. Since its transition to an open-source project in December 2011, Tengine has flourished, driven by a committed team comprising core members from Taobao, Sogou, and other internet companies, while also encouraging community contributions from developers around the globe. Importantly, Tengine retains all functionalities from Nginx-1.17.3, ensuring seamless compatibility with its predecessor. It supports the CONNECT HTTP method for forward proxying and enhances operational monitoring with features such as asynchronous logging, rollback capabilities, DNS caching, and memory tracking. Additionally, Tengine significantly boosts performance by permitting unbuffered uploads straight to HTTP and FastCGI backend servers, which minimizes disk I/O operations. The server also integrates various load balancing strategies, including consistent hashing, session persistence, and upstream health checks, establishing itself as a robust option for contemporary web applications. There is no doubt that Tengine represents a vital resource for developers in search of a dependable and comprehensive web server solution.

Kestrel acts as a highly adaptable web server for ASP.NET Core applications and is the standard server included in project templates. It supports multiple protocols, such as HTTPS and HTTP/2, although HTTP/2 is not supported on macOS, and it enables WebSockets through a seamless upgrade feature while also offering Unix socket support to boost performance when used in conjunction with Nginx. This web server is designed to be compatible with all platforms and versions that .NET Core supports. Developers should note that some web browsers require explicit authorization to accept the local development certificate, and the default configuration of project templates is set to use HTTPS, which includes automatic HTTPS redirection and HSTS features. Kestrel additionally provides specific configuration options that are especially advantageous for internet-facing deployments, including unique connection limits for connections upgraded from HTTP or HTTPS to other protocols, particularly during WebSocket requests. Moreover, the server imposes a default maximum request body size limit of around 28.6 MB, or 30,000,000 bytes, which helps in efficiently processing incoming requests. Furthermore, the adaptability of Kestrel empowers developers to customize these settings to meet the particular needs of their applications, ensuring optimal performance and security in various deployment scenarios.

Mongoose is a tool that converts software products, devices, or appliances into web servers that can be accessed via a web browser. One of the key uses of Mongoose is to provide a web-based control panel for a variety of devices. It comes equipped with numerous examples and tutorials that cover features like authentication, live logging, and video streaming. By leveraging Mongoose, individuals can easily create APIs to oversee their devices or applications remotely through a web browser, mobile devices, or automation systems. Moreover, we have introduced a highly efficient and user-friendly JSON library, distributed under the MIT license, to further augment the functionality of Mongoose. This library promotes real-time, full-duplex communication using MQTT or WebSocket protocols, enabling users to send raw data or encapsulate it in JSON for JSON-RPC applications. In addition, Mongoose allows for the seamless uploading of device data to any cloud server of choice, whether it's from a third-party vendor or an in-house solution, making it both flexible and user-friendly. This remarkable adaptability positions Mongoose as a robust solution for contemporary web-connected devices, catering to a wide range of user needs and applications.

Lighttpd, often referred to as lighty, is a web server distinguished by its emphasis on security, speed, compliance, and versatility, which has transformed server efficiency, particularly in high-performance scenarios. It boasts minimal memory consumption relative to other web servers and excels at managing CPU loads, providing a remarkable suite of functionalities such as FastCGI, SCGI, authentication, output compression, URL rewriting, and many others, making it exceptionally suitable for servers facing significant load challenges. Furthermore, as an open-source solution licensed under the revised BSD license, lighttpd is available to a diverse user base. It also serves as the backbone for many prominent Web 2.0 platforms, showcasing its dependability and effectiveness in practical settings. The server's advanced input/output architecture allows websites to achieve outstanding scalability, greatly surpassing competitors while making efficient use of the same hardware. Overall, lighttpd stands out as a preferred option for developers seeking a robust and efficient web server solution.

Hiawatha prioritizes security in its development, resulting in a webserver that is not only well-coded but also equipped with a plethora of security features. It safeguards against various threats, including SQL injections, XSS, and CSRF attacks, along with different types of exploits. Users can benefit from a distinctive monitoring tool that enables real-time oversight of all their webservers. Deploying Hiawatha does not require deep knowledge of HTTP or CGI, thanks to its intuitive and simple configuration syntax. The extensive documentation, paired with practical examples available on the website, equips users with everything needed to set up their webserver within minutes. While it incorporates all the vital components of a contemporary webserver, Hiawatha remains lightweight and efficient, making it suitable for older hardware and embedded systems. Special optimization methods are utilized to ensure low resource usage, which enhances its attractiveness to those with limited hardware capabilities. Furthermore, the balance Hiawatha achieves between security and efficiency makes it a compelling choice for various users. This combination not only addresses security concerns but also ensures optimal performance across different environments.

NGINX Plus functions as a comprehensive software load balancer, reverse proxy, web server, and content cache, delivering the high-quality features and support that enterprises expect. It is especially popular among contemporary application development and infrastructure teams due to its remarkable efficiency. Renowned as one of the fastest web servers available, NGINX Plus builds upon the strengths of NGINX Open Source by adding essential enterprise features such as active health checks, high availability, DNS service discovery, session persistence, and a RESTful API framework. Its design as a cloud-native and user-friendly solution makes it an excellent choice for reverse proxying, load balancing, and serving as an API gateway. Whether you're aiming to improve monitoring, reinforce security protocols, or oversee Kubernetes container orchestration, NGINX Plus guarantees exceptional support that aligns with the NGINX brand. Furthermore, it provides a scalable and reliable high availability system, complete with monitoring tools that aid in troubleshooting and understanding complex application architectures. In addition to its proactive health checks that consistently assess the condition of upstream servers, NGINX Plus empowers teams to identify and resolve potential challenges effectively before they grow into significant problems, ensuring smooth operations and enhanced performance.

Caddy simplifies your infrastructure by taking care of TLS certificate renewals, OCSP stapling, serving static files, reverse proxying, and managing Kubernetes ingress, among other functionalities. Its modular architecture enhances capabilities within a single, compact binary that can be compiled for any operating system. With no dependencies, including libc, Caddy excels in containerized environments, allowing for deployment in virtually any setting. It seamlessly acquires and renews TLS certificates for your websites, incorporating OCSP response stapling as a standard feature. The advanced certificate management features offered by Caddy are some of the most reliable and sophisticated in the industry. Built using Go, Caddy boasts superior memory safety over servers constructed with C. A robust TLS stack, supported by the Go standard library, constitutes the backbone of a significant portion of global Internet traffic. Functioning as both a flexible, efficient static file server and a powerful, scalable reverse proxy, Caddy proves to be a versatile solution for myriad applications. Furthermore, its intuitive configuration and smooth integration processes make it an attractive choice for developers who prioritize both simplicity and effectiveness in their projects. Caddy's capabilities not only enhance performance but also contribute to a more secure online environment.

Cherokee is distinguished as a modern, feature-rich, incredibly fast, and user-friendly open-source web server designed to meet the needs of the next generation of secure, high-concurrency web applications. Its configuration process is effortlessly handled through Cherokee-Admin, a sophisticated web interface that streamlines server setup. The server boasts compatibility with various widely-used web technologies, including FastCGI, SCGI, PHP, uWSGI, SSI, CGI, LDAP, TLS/SSL, HTTP proxying, video streaming, and content caching, among others. Operating smoothly on platforms such as Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, and BSD, it exemplifies lightweight performance and outstanding stability. One of its most notable features is the user-friendly cherokee-admin interface, which allows for easy configuration of all server aspects without the need to navigate complex text file syntax. This emphasis on user experience positions Cherokee as an appealing choice for developers looking for both robustness and simplicity. In addition, ongoing development and active community support continue to bolster its features, ensuring that it remains a viable option in the constantly evolving realm of web technologies. Overall, Cherokee combines advanced capabilities with accessibility, making it a valuable tool for developers of all skill levels.

Cowboy stands out as the leading server for modern web applications, boasting support for WebSocket, HTTP/2, and REST protocols. This efficient and lightweight HTTP server, constructed on Erlang/OTP, aims to provide a complete web stack. Its features include support for HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, WebSocket, server-sent events, and REST through Webmachine. Developers benefit from built-in capabilities for introspection and tracing, enabling real-time monitoring of system behavior, while its modular design facilitates easy integration of supplementary instrumentation. Renowned for its superior quality, Cowboy has a small codebase that guarantees excellent performance regarding both latency and memory usage, making it ideal for inclusion in other applications. The code adheres to clean Erlang conventions and is subjected to thorough testing to ensure full compliance with the Dialyzer. Additionally, comprehensive documentation is provided, which includes a function reference, user guide, and numerous tutorials, making it user-friendly. Although having a background in the HTTP protocol is advantageous, it is not essential, as the guide thoroughly explains the necessary concepts. Consequently, Cowboy remains a dependable option for developers in search of a solid server solution, and its continued evolution promises to meet the demands of future web technologies.

Apache Traffic Server™ is a powerful, scalable caching proxy server that is adaptable to the HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 protocols. Originally a proprietary product from Yahoo!, it was donated to the Apache Foundation and is now widely used by top content delivery networks and website operators. By caching frequently accessed web pages, images, and service calls, it greatly improves response times, reduces server load, and conserves bandwidth. The architecture of the server allows it to effectively utilize modern symmetric multiprocessing hardware, easily handling tens of thousands of requests per second. Users can effortlessly add features such as keep-alive connections, content filtering, request anonymization, or load balancing via a proxy layer. Moreover, it provides APIs that facilitate the development of custom plug-ins, allowing for modifications to HTTP headers, processing of ESI requests, or the creation of specialized caching algorithms. Having successfully managed over 400TB of data daily at Yahoo! in both forward and reverse proxy setups, Apache Traffic Server has demonstrated its durability and reliability in environments with high demands. Consequently, it stands out as an excellent choice for organizations looking for a dependable caching proxy solution, capable of adapting to evolving needs. Its robust performance and extensive features make it suitable for a wide range of applications, enhancing overall web efficiency for its users.

OpenLiteSpeed serves as the open-source counterpart to the LiteSpeed Web Server Enterprise, with both versions being developed and maintained by the same dedicated team. They both meet high standards of code quality and functionality. OpenLiteSpeed encompasses all the vital features found in LiteSpeed Enterprise, showcasing our commitment to the open-source ecosystem. With event-driven processes, minimal overhead, and remarkable scalability, it allows you to utilize your existing hardware effectively. Furthermore, OpenLiteSpeed supports mod_rewrite, enabling users to retain their familiar syntax for rewriting rules without any learning curve. The integrated full-page cache module can be fine-tuned for an outstanding user experience, while the mod_pagespeed module conveniently applies Google's PageSpeed optimization with ease. Installation of OpenLiteSpeed, along with MariaDB and WordPress, can be accomplished in just a single click across various operating systems, making it incredibly user-friendly and efficient for developers. Whether you're looking to enhance performance or explore open-source possibilities, OpenLiteSpeed delivers an impressive solution.

Abyss Web Server is a streamlined web server that operates seamlessly across Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. Despite its small footprint, it is packed with an impressive array of features, such as support for the latest HTTP/2 protocol and secure connections through SSL/TLS (HTTPS), as well as automated management for free Let's Encrypt® certificates using ACME v2 and comprehensive IPv6 support. Furthermore, it includes capabilities like real-time HTTP compression, dynamic content creation via CGI/FastCGI scripting, ISAPI extensions, and native ASP.NET integration, along with reverse proxying for HTTP, HTTPS, and WebSocket protocols. The server also supports eXtended Side Includes (XSSI), allows for custom error pages, includes password protection options, and implements IP address filtering, anti-leeching measures, bandwidth management, and log rotation features. Additionally, it features an automatic anti-hacking system, ensuring enhanced security, while its multilingual remote web management interface makes configuration as straightforward as navigating a website, thus marrying simplicity with robust performance. In summary, Abyss Web Server stands out as an efficient solution for users seeking a powerful yet easy-to-manage web server experience.

Apache Tomcat® is a free and open-source software that implements the Jakarta Servlet, Jakarta Server Pages, Jakarta Expression Language, Jakarta WebSocket, Jakarta Annotations, and Jakarta Authentication specifications, which are all part of the Jakarta EE framework. This adaptable software plays a crucial role in a wide range of large-scale web applications that various sectors and organizations rely on. Users can share their experiences and insights on the PoweredBy wiki page dedicated to Tomcat. The Apache Tomcat Project is thrilled to unveil version 10.0.10 of Apache Tomcat, which includes updates from the Jakarta EE 9 platform. This latest iteration is designed to boost performance while delivering enhanced features that benefit developers and organizations across the board, ensuring they stay competitive in an evolving digital landscape. With each new release, the community looks forward to further innovations and improvements that will continue to facilitate the development of robust web applications.

Our efficient alternative to Apache conserves resources while maintaining high standards in performance, security, compatibility, and ease of use. LiteSpeed Web Server employs an event-driven design that significantly increases the performance capacity compared to traditional Apache servers. It is adept at managing thousands of simultaneous users while utilizing only a fraction of memory and CPU power. Additionally, it comes pre-configured with ModSecurity rules to safeguard your servers from various threats. Users can benefit from numerous integrated anti-DDoS options, such as bandwidth management and connection rate limiting. By implementing LiteSpeed, you can cut costs by decreasing the number of servers necessary to support your expanding web hosting enterprise or online service. Furthermore, it simplifies your infrastructure by removing the requirement for an HTTPS reverse proxy or separate caching solutions. LiteSpeed Web Server is capable of directly loading Apache configuration files and supports all Apache functionalities, including ModSecurity and the Rewrite Engine, providing seamless transition and operation. This makes it an ideal choice for businesses looking to enhance their server performance while also reducing operational complexity.

The preview edition of MacHTTP-js has been introduced for macOS, featuring cutting-edge functionalities absent from the original version launched in 1992. Built entirely on the node.js framework, MacHTTP-js serves as a versatile web server that works seamlessly across macOS, Windows, and Linux platforms. This application is tailored to meet the demands of both contemporary desktops and server environments. Currently, Mac users can explore the preview release, while a broader rollout for Windows 10 and Linux users is in the pipeline, which will also include support for Docker. This initial release is particularly strong for macOS, with enhancements for other operating systems expected shortly thereafter. The excitement surrounding its upcoming launch highlights the increasing need for adaptable web server options in the ever-evolving digital realm. Additionally, the developers are committed to continuous improvements and feature expansions based on user feedback and technological advancements.