---
title: "What is the purpose of the Kestrel web server in ASP.NET Core?"  
description: "What is the purpose of the Kestrel web server in ASP.NET Core?"  
author: "Utpal Vishwas"  
published: 2023-06-02  
updated: 2023-06-18  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158609/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-kestrel-web-server-in-asp-dot-net-core  
category: "asp.net core"  
tags: ["asp.net", "asp.net core", ".net core"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# What is the purpose of the Kestrel web server in ASP.NET Core?

What is the [purpose](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/247/no-fail-policy-failing-its-purpose) of the [Kestrel](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/161359/what-is-kestrel-and-why-is-it-used-in-dot-net-core) [web server](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/23199/digital-personal-server-the-premium-web-server) in [ASP.NET Core](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12946/get-started-with-asp-dot-net-core-mvc-and-visual-studio)?

## Replies

### Reply by Aryan Kumar

The Kestrel [web](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12783/the-ultimate-bunch-of-free-web-design-resources) [server](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/43769/what-is-serverless-architecture-is-it-worth-switching-over) is the default web server for [ASP.NET](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/934/default-folders-available-inside-the-asp-dot-net-application-folder) Core. It is a cross-platform web server that runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Kestrel is optimized to handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently. It is also lightweight and can be run in resource-constrained environments.

Here are some of the benefits of using Kestrel:

- It is cross-platform, so you can deploy your ASP.NET Core applications to any platform that Kestrel supports.
- It is optimized for performance, so it can handle a large number of concurrent connections efficiently.
- It is lightweight, so it can be run in resource-constrained environments.
- It is easy to configure, so you can customize it to meet your specific needs.

If you are developing an ASP.NET Core application, you should use Kestrel as your web server. It is the default web server for ASP.NET Core, and it offers a number of benefits over other web servers.

Here are some of the limitations of Kestrel:

- It does not support some of the features that are available in other web servers, such as SSL offloading and load balancing.
- It is not as mature as some of the other web servers, so there may be some bugs or other issues.

Overall, Kestrel is a good choice for most ASP.NET Core applications. It is easy to use, efficient, and lightweight. However, if you need to use some of the features that are not supported by Kestrel, you may need to use a different web server.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158609/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-kestrel-web-server-in-asp-dot-net-core

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