Google's Custom Server is a Heavily Modified Apache Server
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Earlier this week, Netcraft survey data indicated that the Google Web Server (GWS) is now hosting nearly 13 per cent of all active websites. Since then,
interest in GWS has grown and more bits of information about the origins
of this mystery Google server are being uncovered. The Register believes that this custom server, used only by Google, was originally built from open-source Apache code but it has been so heavily modified that it bears little resemblance to an Apache server.
The Google Web Server (GWS) is a custom Google server that was originally built from open-source Apache code.
"However, over the past several years, the server has been so heavily modified that it now bears little resemblance to the ubiquitous Apache server. It is so tightly tied to Google's famously distributed internal infrastructure, the ex-employee says, it could not be used for serving sites outside of the company.
"The Google Web Server is known as GWS - pronounced "gwiss" - inside the Mountain View Chocolate Factory. According to the ex-employee, it's chock full of custom I/O handles meant to interface with Google-specific remote procedure calls.
