September 17, 2007

Google's Server Names

Here's a list of the Google Servers used by different services as they're returned in the HTTP headers. Not all of them have transparent names and some of them may suggest interesting data (like the ctcserver for the not-yet-existent Google Call service linked from Google's robots.txt). Google Web Server is a modified version of Apache custom server that runs on Linux.

Server Name
Services
GWS (Google Web Server)
Web Search, Image Search and many other services
GFE/1.3 (Google Front-End)
Gmail, Calendar, Picasa Web Albums, Docs, Blogger, orkut, Reader and many other services
GWS-GRFE/0.50
Groups
bsfe (Blog Search Front-End)
Blog Search
OFE/0.1 (Ocean Front-End)
Book Search, Patent Search, Catalogs (Ocean is Google Book Search's code-name)
SMS search frontend 1.0
Google SMS
Search-History HTTP Server
Web History
Auto-Completion Server
Google Suggest, Firefox/Google Toolbar auto-complete
TrustRank Frontend
Safe Browsing
GCS/1.0
Safe Browsing
SFE/0.8
Finance
FTS (C)1997-2007 Interactive Data Managed Solutions AG
Finance charts
asfe
Base
mediaserver
Base (images)
cffe
Product Search (Froogle)
btfe
Thumbnails: Image Search, Google Video, Youtube
Video Stats Server
Google Video
cachefe:image (Cache Front-End)
Picasa Web photos
staticfe
interface images (Picasa Web)
ctcserver
Google Call ( www.google.com/call )
GoogleChartServer/1.0
used for dynamically-generated charts (e.g.: Google Video's stats)
NFE/1.0 (News Front-End)
News
mfe (Maps Front-End)
Maps
Keyhole Server 2.4
Maps, Earth (imagery)
PSFE/4.0
Alerts
igfe (iGoogle Front-End)
iGoogle
COMINST/1.0
Testing software installation (Pack, Picasa)
TWS/0.9 (Translation Web Server)
Translate
mws (Music Web Server)
Music Search
R2FE/1.0 (Reviews Front-End)
Reviews (Music, Movies)
zfe
Reviews
pfe
Co-op
codesite/5477219
Code
ga-reporting-fe
Analytics reporting
ucfe
Analytics
lpfe
Analytics (www.google-analytics.com/siteopt.js)
Toolbar Gaia User Service Server
Google Toolbar authentication
cafe (Ad Conversion Front-End)
Conversions
AdClickServer
Google test ad server
Google Trends
Google Trends
TFE/0.0 (Transliteration Front-End)
Google Indic Transliteration
Apache
most Labs services

{ Thanks, Tony. }

18 comments:

  1. Interesting stuff. I've been meaning to put a list like this together for years!

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  2. No trace of upcoming Jotspot?

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  3. Here are a few more:

    Server: ucfe
    www.google-analytics.com

    Server: lpfe
    www.google-analytics.com/siteopt.js

    Server: Google Frontend
    editor.googlemashups.com

    Server: Toolbar Gaia User Service
    www.google.com/tbproxy/getaccountinfo

    Of course, they also use IIS and Apache.

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  4. The CTC server use to be for the now shut down "click-to-call" service

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  5. Well, it's interesting that the rest of the world is using Apache, LightHTTPD or IIS for almost everything, just sometimes they do a little changes into a source code of the web server, but it looks like google develops a new web server for every new google service :) (or is it the same just the name is different?)

    I don't know how are these servers developed but I think it can lead to more boggy software - because different engineers are writing different web servers and maybe if one group of developers find out that "oh, this is not so safe code", maybe the different development groups get that information with a little lag. But this is more just like thoughts because I really don't know what is in the background :)

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  6. I think they're modified versions of Apache, optimized for different needs. For example, the thumbnail server is optimized for delivering a lot of small files.

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  7. "Google Web Server is a modified version of Apache"

    That's not correct. I believe GWS is a custom web server, not a modified version of Apache.

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  8. I tested it (http://zotagsearch.com/blog/2008/05/26/google-runs-apache-and-cpanel/) but I know I proxied Nginx to Google.com:80 and I even monitored my network connections when I did it, and it requested for Google.com:80.

    How could I have proxied it to the wrong location and gotten that error when thats all I had in my nginx configuration file and I dont have a web server with Cpanel on it?

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  9. Oh and BTW Apache is open source, so that gives you the right to call it something else and tell anyone you want its not Apache

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  10. http://www.domaintools.com/products/reports/nameserver-report.html?ns=foundationapi.com

    Just press the link where it says "Download Sample Report"

    It will give you a list of 3784 "Name Server details for google.com"

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  11. Would you image if google was managed by Windows Server ? How lame would be that website ? lol

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  12. Even if Google developed their own servers they likely used bits of other open source server code. They at least studied Apache to find its major weaknesses.

    I wonder what the efficiency differences are between Google's custom servers and the open source stuff out there like Apache?

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  13. Why doesnt Google release as open source their own servers?

    Ahh wait, its closed source. Just like Microsoft is.

    Dont be fooled into Google grace to give everything for free and so open source. They only give away free things that will bring more money into their platform. They keep as secret and as close the software that makes them money. So there you go it, Google is closed code as well.

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  14. who knows when you go on your ipod and put in a new email what do you put in for host name?

    HHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  15. Some of the Googlemaps are also using btfe (interacting with the API).

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  16. Is google using windows servers.? pls tell me if anyone know..

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