What is difference between application server and webserver? - web-services

What is the actual techincal and functional difference between application server and webserver.

Web Server is designed to serve HTTP content. App server can also serve Http Content but is not limited to just HTTP.
Look at the answer marked at below post.
What is the difference between application server and web server?

Related

Is it possible to make Django send data over tls protocol?

I am currently working on a web project in django and there is a requirement to ensure the safety of transmitting data over a network (passwords, usernames etc.).
I've read on owasp cheat sheet about authenication that for safety reasons all passwords should be sent from a client to a server over tsl protocol.
https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Authentication_Cheat_Sheet#Transmit_Passwords_Only_Over_TLS_or_Other_Strong_Transport
Django framework sends these over http protocol. Is it possible to make django send it over tsl or work around it in another way?
When you run a Django application on the Internet, it's usually looking something like this:
[Django Application] <-> [uWSGI] <-> [nginx] <-> [web browser]
You can use different components, e.g. Gunicorn instead of uWSGI or Apache instead of nginx.
The thing is, you simply configure the webserver (Apache or nginx or whatever) with an SSL certificate and listen for https instead of http.
I think you're using Django runserver command for server your app over HTTP. It is absolutely not made for production and is a really HTTP (only) server for development.
For serve your app across SSL/TLS, you must use a frontend as described in henrikstroem's response

How to get a WebSocket server run on aws

I'm developing an iOS app that requires realtime dual-way server/client messaging.
I'm trying to use WebSocket++ to develop a WebSocket server app on an AWS EC2. Have to use C++ because that's the only language I know on the server side.
The problem is I'm a fresh guy on server side development. I have 2 very basic questions:
1, Do I need have to setup an HTTP server like apache/nginx in order to get websocket running?
That is, can websocket app live independently alone?
2, I have now setup an nginx server in case it is a must have, is there any resource that I can refer to to make nginx & websocket work together well?
No, you don't need a Web server, a (reverse) Web proxy or anything to have your C++ WebSocket server talk to WebSocket clients.
Nginx (as HAproxy) supports reverse proxying WebSocket. This can make sense in certain situations, like you want to terminate TLS at the proxy and forward plain WebSocket to your backend server, or you want to load-balance incoming WebSocket connections to multiple backend nodes. However, as said, this isn't required.
No you don't, websocket and socket for an HTTP server are two diffent things.
HTTP server is for the HTTP protocol while there is not protocol defined for websocket, you have to define it yourself typically by the mean of sending/receiving Json message (a stream of character which each side (the server and the client) knows how to read/write).
The goal of websocket is to offer to javascript through HTML5 an easy, light and quick way to communicate through a socket, without websocket you have to do that with web services and in that case you need a http server.
With websocket you can create an html file leveraging html tag and javascript, javascript use client side of websocket to communicate with a C++/websocket server program, and you do not need even a web server, in this scenario you have a "desktop web app" ! (here web term is only because you use html tags)
Same question, same answer, no again ;-)
Good luck, and welcome in the wonderful world of asio !

Why do web frameworks serve via FastCGI/SCGI, rather than HTTP?

Major web frameworks (such as Django, Pyramid, Rails, etc) are often run as persistent servers, with a separate web server like nginx serving as a frontend. The web server connects via a protocol like FastCGI or SCGI:
browser --[http]--> nginx --[fastcgi]--> flup -> django
This seems convoluted to me; why is the request converted to an entirely different protocol, when the backend could just run its own HTTP server?
browser --[http]--> nginx --[http]--> wsgiref -> django
This approach appears to be both simpler and more flexible, since there's only one transport protocol and it's an RFC.
However, I don't think I've ever seen a web framework encourage the http-only design, so I assume there must be a reason for it.
What are the advantages of using a protocol like FastCGI/SCGI here?
HTTP is a large, complex protocol. Paring the interface down to the capabilities provided by FastCGI or WSGI allows the framework to handle requests faster than if it had to deal with the original.

BES doubt as web server

I am developing a Blackberry website. I am asked by a client that my applications' http request should go through BES. How to do that ? Is it possible to design my php/html pages such that the urls always pass through BES and are served from my web server ?
thanks
Take a look at getting the MDS working, this will proxy all http requests via the bes

Web Service Port No Question

I am working on a web service project using gsoap. I am new to web services and have some basic questions.
What should be the port no. of my web service? Currently this web service is a stand alone service listening to a hard-coded port no. of 22050. Client connects to this port and everything works fine. Is this approach OK? What are the pros/cons of this approach?
Or Should my web service be a plug-in of the apache web server? In that case how does it work? Apache httpd listens on port 80, so client sends request to this port. Then how does the request get routed to my web service?
I didn't find any proper online resources on these. Any pointers would be great.
You will have to configure apache such that it knows it will be your web service. In this case you will probably give it a location. So you can configure a directive that will make sure your service is called by apache.
I.e. you will use urls that identify your service (http://.
You will then use a location directive in which you make the proper configurations. You can find more information at http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/sections.html
Hope this helps.