3.1. Introduction

In web servers context, a virtual host is a way of "dividing" the server into multiple independent hosts, delivering each one's associated content; each virtual host has its content placed in a separated local directory.

A very common example is that of shared-hosting service offered by many companies, in which different named sites have the same IP address. (This is possible thanks to the 'Host' header, specified in the HTTP protocol version 1.1, that allows the client to select to which host is addressed a request.)