---
title: Server
slug: Glossary/Server
translation_of: Glossary/Server
original_slug: Глоссарий/Server
---
<p>A server is a software or hardware offering a service to a user, usually referred to as client.  A hardware server is a shared computer on a network, usually powerful and housed in a data center.  A software server (often running on a hardware server) is a program that provides services to client programs or a {{glossary("UI","user interface")}} to human clients.</p>

<p>Services are provided generally over local area networks or wide area networks such as the internet. A client program and server program traditionally connect by passing messages encoded using a {{glossary("protocol")}} over an {{glossary("API")}}.</p>

<p>For example:</p>

<ul>
 <li>An Internet-connected Web server is sending a {{glossary("HTML")}} file to your browser software so that you can read this page</li>
 <li>Local area network server for file, name, mail, print, and fax</li>
 <li>Minicomputers, mainframes, and super computers at data centers</li>
</ul>

<h2 id="Learn_More"><strong>Learn More</strong></h2>

<h3 id="General_knowledge">General knowledge</h3>

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Learn/What_is_a_web_server">Introduction to servers</a></li>
 <li>{{Interwiki("wikipedia", "Server (computing)")}} on Wikipedia</li>
</ul>