Apache Web Server Gets Upgraded

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June 08, 1998 (2:14 PM EDT)

By Andy Patrizio,

The final release version of Apache 1.3, an upgrade to one of the most popular Web servers used on the Internet, was posted on the Apache Group website Friday.

Despite being freeware, Apache has given Microsoft and Netscape products a run for their money. Along with the Linux operating system, Apache is one of the most successful free software products in recent years. It is a derivative of a free server called httpd, which came out of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, which also produced the Mosaic browser.

Apache remains a loosely organized project run by people in different states, but momentum is building for The Apache Group to become more organized and corporate, according to Brian Behlendorf, a primary developer of the server who lives in San Francisco.

The latest upgrade of Apache is the first that runs on Windows 95 and Windows NT, but not as fast as it does on Unix, Behlendorf said. In addition, version 1.3's installation process has been streamlined to a few steps.

While Apache 1.3 contains some new technologies, most of the changes are under the hood, Behlendorf said. "The focus was to make things cleaner below the surface," he said. "We realize we have this big installed base of users, and we didn't want to introduce things that would radically cause them to change how they operate."

A significant new feature is dynamic shared objects, which provides an object model so new modules can be added to the Web server without requiring a complete recompile. The old version of Apache shipped with the source code so if a webmaster wants to make a change, the entire server has to be recompiled. This modular design means less memory is needed and faster operation, Behlendorf said.

Beta tester Chris Winters, an Internet developer with Intes Networking, in Silver Spring, Md., said the betas were all stable and showed a great deal of improvement from previous versions. "The version number belies its complexity," he said. "It's faster, it's easier to use, and betas from [The Apache Group] are very stable."

Winters also speaks highly of free software from Apache and other vendors. "Most of the critical tools I run are free," he said. "The support I get from people on the Net is very quick, and I have an opportunity to mail directly to people who create the code."

The Apache Group is also starting to expand its product line. The group is working on a project called Jserve, which builds a link between Apache and a Java virtual machine so developers can write code in Java. The concept would be similar to common gateway interface, but more efficient and powerful, said Behlendorf.