A **web server** accepts and fulfills requests from clients for static content (i.e., HTML pages, files, images, and videos) from a website. Web servers handle HTTP requests and responses *only*.

An **application server** exposes *business logic* to the clients, which generates dynamic content. It is a software framework that transforms data to provide the specialized functionality offered by a business, service, or application. Application servers enhance the interactive parts of a website that can appear differently depending on the context of the request.

The illustration below highlights the difference in their architecture: 

The columns below summarize the key differences between the two types of servers:  

#### Web Server
- Deliver static content.
- Content is delivered using the HTTP protocol only.
<br><br>
- Serves only web-based applications.
- No support for multi-threading.
<br><br>
- Facilitates web traffic that is not very resource intensive.

#### Application Server
- Delivers dynamic content.
- Provides business logic to application programs using several protocols (including HTTP).
- Can serve web and enterprise-based applications.
- Uses multi-threading to support multiple requests in parallel.
- Facilitates longer running processes that are very resource-intensive​.

Web server vs. Application server

Web servers serve static content via HTTP, while application servers provide dynamic content and business logic using multiple protocols.