Kestrel Web Server, a lightweight and cross-platform web server for .NET Core applications, offers several key features and advantages. It is designed to handle high-performance scenarios with minimal overhead, providing better request throughput compared to IIS. Kestrel can be used as an edge server or behind a reverse proxy like IIS, Nginx, or Apache.
Key features include:
1. Cross-platform compatibility: Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
2. High performance: Optimized for low-latency and high-throughput workloads.
3. Flexible hosting options: Standalone or alongside other web servers.
4. Secure by default: Supports HTTPS and TLS configurations.
5. Extensible middleware pipeline: Customizable request processing through middleware components.
6. Integration with ASP.NET Core: Seamless integration with the framework’s features and tools.
Comparing Kestrel to IIS with .NET Core, Kestrel provides better raw performance while IIS offers more advanced features such as process management, authentication, and URL rewriting. In many cases, using both in combination (Kestrel behind IIS) allows leveraging their respective strengths.
