Apache HTTP Server vs. IBM WebSphere Hybrid Edition

Well Suited: Perfect for hosting your own website. And, I don't mean just an individual with a port of MySpace. I mean an industrial strength, commercial grade replacement for Microsoft IIS. If you need a web server that provides a feature-rich environment with support for multiple sites (hosted in the same server), with such features as virtual hosting, and modular feature design, than Apache Web Server is right on the money. Less Well-Suited: Single page, small feature-set websites. Apache is a lot of trouble for developers to set up, just to send/receive JSON strings of a few bytes. You're really better off using something smaller and faster/simpler (lighttpd for example).

Incentivized

IBM WebSphere Hybrid edition is well-suited for the development and deployment of large enterprise-level applications such as Electronic Health Records that are used in our organization. IBM WebSphere is appropriate for organizations that require strong security and compliance as it provides a high level of security and compliance features. This works well with organizations that are subject to strict regulatory requirements, such as hospitals.

Incentivized

• Apache is Open Source, governed well (the foundation) and probably the most stable computing platform ever.
• Apache is probably one of the most customizable and configurable pieces of software that I have ever run across in more than 30 years of development.
• If there is something that Apache can not do, then you need to ask yourself; should I be doing that? The point here is that it is a solid solution and seems to only integrate other technologies that are of the highest caliber.
• Apache will live forever and you can not go wrong with it.

Incentivized

• It works out of the box. Its basic functionality is all there and everything works with no adjustments.
• The functionality is there for fine tuning, to allow applications to be easier to access and quicker with some tweaks, but again, these aren't necessary for basic running.

Incentivized

• Configuration files are located on different places depending on your Linux distro.
• If you have an error on one configuration file, apache refuses to start and sometimes is difficult to know why.
• Security is not great by default, but making a todo list help when you configure a new server.

Incentivized

• In this era of cloud technology, Websphere Application Server required Integration with cloud technology.
• Troubleshooting tools need to included in Websphere Application Server package for better troubleshooting of issues.
• Websphere Application Server comes with some basic performance tools and these troubleshooting and performance tools need to be enhanced.
• It's available in all operating systems like Windows AIX Unix Solaris Zos etc.

Incentivized

Mostly we will be renewing unless the strategic direction changes drastically or there are other complelling external circumstances. We've been on a multi year project to modernize our legacy applications and that effort will continue for the foreseeable future.

Incentivized

WebSphere Application Server is used across our organization. Most projects use this for Java products and applications. Being robust and scalable makes it even more usable. We love using WebSphere Application Server due to its configuration management ability made simple and vast across all java related parameters. It is dependent on the features and upgrades and IBM releases some great upgrades to WebSphere Application Server.

Incentivized

Deploys fairly quick enough and like the roll-out update feature decreasing the downtime and also plays well with other integration tools as well.

Incentivized

I give this rating because there is so much Apache documentation and information on the web that you can literally do anything. This has to do with the fact that there is a huge Open Source community that is beyond mature and perhaps one of the most helpful to be found. The only thing that should hold anyone back from anything is that they can not read. RTFM, my friend. And I must say that the manual is excellent.

Incentivized

IBM was quick to respond when we had an issue with our specific infrastructure. We raised a PMR, which they picked up quickly and updated us about every step of the way. We had an appropriate fix for quite a business critical issue within a fortnight, which was impressive!

Incentivized

The comparison with other products from IBM or Oracle is difficult. These are mostly software that has to be paid for. The only fair comparison at eye level is probably the NGINX web server: It is also free and offers even higher performance. In the meantime, there is also a paid Plus version of NGINX. This has extended support and special functions.

Incentivized

I did not choose IBM WAS, it was a coporate decision. We are glad that we have been using this for a number of years and are quite happy as a corporation. However, it does take more time to learn WAS because of its complexity in terms of installation, various features and special deployment and packaging needs.

Incentivized

• Apache web server helped us in building client applications without much investment in the underlying server configuration which gives us the ability to start on a new project quickly and upgrade its resources as and when needed.
• Using software which is well-supported by a community of open source contributors makes tasks easy and affordable when need help since a couple of minutes on Google saves a couple of dollars every time and you don't need a specialized support person unless there is something significant needing to be changed.

Incentivized

• It has security features that has enhanced security of our enterprise and its data.
• WebSphere Hybrid Edition has improved performance making it easier for our organization to fix any problem that might occur.
• It has improved collaboration enhancing team work making the work efficient.
• WebSphere Hybrid Edition can be complex to individuals who are not familiar with it.

Incentivized