A server is defined as a powerful machine designed to compute, store, and manage data, devices, and systems over a network.

Computer hardware, software, or even virtual machines with requisite software capabilities can act as a server. However, server functionalities go beyond a traditional computer. They handle complex server processes, from managing multiple user queries every second, hosting content-heavy websites, and setting up a shareable drive for network devices, to processing intensive workloads such as database transaction management that requires high computing power.