What is the term for a hardware/software application that hosts websites and makes them accessible over the Internet?

• A. Web Server
• B. DNS Server
• C. Proxy Server
• D. Firewall

Answer: (A)

Web servers host websites and respond to browser requests, delivering pages over HTTP/HTTPS. This is the software (such as Apache, Nginx, or IIS) running on a machine that’s reachable on the Internet. When a user visits a site, the browser sends a request to the server, which returns the website’s files or generated content so the page can render. DNS servers map domain names to IP addresses to help clients find the correct server, but they don’t host or serve the site themselves. A proxy server can forward requests or cache content, but the actual hosting still happens on the web server behind it. A firewall controls access and protects the hosting machine, but it doesn’t host the site.