What is the primary purpose of a web server?

The primary purpose of a web server is to host websites and serve web pages to clients. This involves responding to requests from browsers by delivering the necessary web content, such as HTML files, images, and scripts, that users want to view. When a user enters a URL, their browser sends a request to the web server, which processes that request and returns the appropriate resources. Web servers are designed specifically to handle these kinds of requests efficiently, ensuring that the content is delivered quickly and effectively to users around the world.

The other choices, while related to aspects of server functionality, do not encapsulate the main role of a web server. Storing user data is typically the role of database servers, managing network traffic addresses network infrastructure needs rather than web content delivery, and processing backend operations usually pertains to application servers or services that handle business logic and data processing rather than directly serving web pages. Thus, the correct option aligns directly with the fundamental function of a web server.