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> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# What is Apache Server Software?

## Apache Software

With its full name Apache [HTTP](https://help.ex2.com/en/article/what-is-the-http-protocol-7fcufm/?bust=1784821540525) Server, this program is usually simply called Apache. This is a completely free open source web server software. Its main role is to establish connections between the server and a web browser via an HTTP request system.

Apache first appeared in 1995 as an initiative of the Apache Software Foundation . Since then, the user community has ensured that it remains compliant with current HTTP standards. It is one of the most used HTTP server software around the world. 

It is compatible with many popular operating systems, including [Linux](https://help.ex2.com/en/article/what-is-linux-1nyhm1b/?bust=1784828502738), Microsoft Windows and UNIX distribution. It supports a variety of authentication techniques and includes several programming languages ([PHP](https://help.ex2.com/en/article/what-is-php-and-what-is-it-used-for-x4xvdq/?bust=1784817762522), Python, Perl, etc). 

Apache offers good performance and reliability. This is because it uses multiple processing modules (MPM) to better adapt to a variety of different infrastructures.