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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal web server</span></span>
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</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about computer system. For Microsoft's offering, see <a href="Microsoft_Personal_Web_Server" title="Microsoft Personal Web Server">Microsoft Personal Web Server</a>.</div>
<p>A <b>personal web server</b> (PWS) is system of hardware and software that is designed to create and manage a <a href="Web_server" title="Web server">web server</a> on a <a href="Desktop_computer" title="Desktop computer">desktop computer</a> for individuals or employees.<sup id="cite_ref-PCMag_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-PCMag-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It can be used to learn how to set up and administer a website, to serve as a site for testing <a href="Dynamic_web_page" title="Dynamic web page">dynamic web pages</a>, or to serve web pages in a closed environment not accessible on the internet. One of the main functions of PWS is to provide an environment where web programmers can test their programs and web pages. Therefore, a PWS supports the more common <a href="Server-side" class="mw-redirect" title="Server-side">server-side</a> programming approaches that can be used with production web servers.
</p><p>A personal web server, or personal server in short, allows users to store, selectively share, or publish information on <a href="World_Wide_Web" title="World Wide Web">the web</a> or on a home network. Unlike other types of web servers, a personal web server is owned or controlled by an individual or organization, and operated for the individual's needs. It can be implemented in different ways:
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<ul><li>as a <a href="Computer_appliance" title="Computer appliance">computer appliance</a></li>
<li>as a general-purpose server, such as a Linux server, which may be located at the owner's home or in a data center</li>
<li>in a shared hosting model, where several users share one physical server by means of virtualization, or virtual hosting.</li>
<li>as one feature of a computer that is otherwise also used for other purposes.</li></ul>
<p>A personal web server is conceptually the opposite of a web server, or website, operated by third parties, in a <a href="Software_as_a_service" title="Software as a service">software as a service</a> (SaaS) or <a href="Cloud_computing" title="Cloud computing">cloud</a> model.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Advantages">Advantages</h2></div>
<ul><li>Privacy: as the personal server is owned by the individual that derives the main benefit from it, they are in control of who else may access information on the server</li>
<li>Autonomy: the owner of the personal server decides which applications to run on the server, whom to allow access to, when to upgrade, etc.</li>
<li>Hackability: the owner of the personal server can configure and change any aspect of the personal server</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Disadvantages">Disadvantages</h2></div>
<ul><li>Administration overhead: the owner of the server is responsible for system administration</li>
<li>Higher power consumption: the power consumed per user is higher, on average, than in a model where many users use the same server, such as in the <a href="Software_as_a_service" title="Software as a service">SaaS</a>/<a href="Cloud_computing" title="Cloud computing">cloud</a> model.</li>
<li>Poor scalability: the server may function poorly or crash if its resources are heavily accessed</li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2></div>
<ul><li><a href="Comparison_of_web_server_software" title="Comparison of web server software">Comparison of web server software</a></li>
<li><a href="Microsoft_Personal_Web_Server" title="Microsoft Personal Web Server">Microsoft Personal Web Server</a></li></ul>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
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</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/personal-web-server">"personal Web server"</a>. <i>Pcmag.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 17,</span> 2024</span>.</cite></span>
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