CompTIA ITF+ Practice Test

A web server primarily functions to host and serve website content to users. This means it is responsible for storing web pages, images, and other resources that make up a website, and delivering them upon request through a web browser. When a user types a URL in their browser, the web server processes the request, retrieves the relevant content, and sends it back to the browser for display.

While other options mention functions important in various contexts, they do not align with the specific responsibilities of a web server. For instance, providing email services pertains to mail servers, managing databases is the role of database management systems, and processing application data generally involves application servers or back-end systems rather than a web server specifically. Thus, the unique and defining role of a web server in the architecture of the internet and web applications supports why hosting and serving website content is its primary function.