Ubiquitous and critical, mail servers move and store email over private networks and across the Internet.

(See a detailed list of all mail servers.)

A proxy in a network architecture is what its name implies: a stand in. A proxy server sits between corporate client machines and the Internet. Sometimes it is a stand-alone product; more often, it is functionality built into other software. A forward proxy stands in the way of the Internet and receives data from client machines bound for the Internet and forwards it on on their behalf. A reverse proxy stands in the way of servers within the corporate network and receives data bound for them, and distributes it on.

(See a detailed list of all proxy servers.)

At its core, a Web server sends static content to a Web browser by loading a file from a disk and sending it across the network to a user's Web browser. The browser and server communicate with each other using HTTP to mediate the exchange.

(See a detailed list of all Web servers.)

Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. It is the engine that drives the server.

Our real-time communication server category consists of chat servers, instant messaging servers, instant messaging gateway servers, and IRC servers. 

In many ways, collaboration software, once called 'groupware,' demonstrates the original power of the Web.

Sometimes referred to as a type of middleware, application servers occupy a large chunk of computing territory between database servers and the end user, often connecting the two.

(See a detailed list of all app servers.)

File Transfer Protocol makes it possible to move files from one computer to another via the Internet. Although one of the oldest Internet services, FTP has kept pace with the times. Today, many FTP servers include user authentication, file transfer policies, and detailed activity logging.

(See a detailed list of all FTP servers.)

List servers offer a way to better manage mailing lists, whether they be interactive discussions open to the public or one-way lists that deliver announcements, newsletters or advertising.

A telnet server enables users to log on to a host computer and perform tasks as if they're working on the remote computer itself.

In the fast-paced world of IT, servers come and go. This section is for those servers that are no longer sold or supported but that an organization, for whatever reason, may be interested in learning more about.