Using Apache with Microsoft Windows

          The how to host your own web site item explains how to setup Microsoft’s Internet Information Services IIS, whilst this is all very good it can be somewhat limiting for the website hosting enthusiast, IIS typically only allow one site, there are ways round this but they can be cumbersome and complicated. Another much more friendly server is available from The Apache Software Foundation who offer the Apache server free for use to anyone, there is a licence so have a read but essentially its completely free and is widely in use all over the internet. according to a recent web survey from NetCraft indicated that Apache server hosts some 63.6% of host names on the Internet while the remaining 36.4 % being shared mainly between IIS and Sun and NCSA , so you can see how popular Apache is and therefore appreciate it must be pretty dam good.

                Well I think it's ace, it help me understand lots over the months and years I used this, even now its used by my hosting company. Apache is open source so if your clever ( I never was ) you can alter, change , enhance or anything you want,  if your really good you even join the development team.

                This is how apache server introduces itself

[quote]

              "The Apache HTTP Server Project is an effort to develop and maintain an open-source HTTP server for modern operating systems including UNIX and Windows NT. The goal of this project is to provide a secure, efficient and extensible server that provides HTTP services in sync with the current HTTP standards." 

                Why use apache when Microsoft supplies IIS well, not quite true IIS is not installed by default on XP Pro and indeed is not available for XP Home even though it can be got and installed quite easily, but as previously mentioned unless you run the server versions of Microsoft’s OS "Windows server 2003" you can only host 1 site, with Apache you can run as many as you wish.