Web server accelerators are used to reduce the amount of time it takes server-side for users to access websites or web applications. While web client accelerator software focuses on client-side improvements to connection speed, web server accelerators focus on improving connectivity at the web server or application server front. They focus specifically on how traffic comes into those servers and help improve server response time with techniques such as compression, HTTP optimization, and SSL/TLS offloading. This software serves to maximize end user experience with websites and web applications, as well as helps to reduce strain on web and application servers.
Network teams are most likely to be using web server accelerator software, though server analysts and engineers may also utilize it. Likely, you will see web server accelerators used in combination with load balancing software to create the quickest possible response time for connection requests.
To qualify for inclusion in the Web Server Accelerator category, a product must:
Reduce access time with server-side techniques like HTTP optimization and file compression
Integrate with other server-focused solutions