Answer
Kestrel is a fast, cross-platform, event-driven web server optimized for async I/O. It offers superior throughput, supports reverse proxies, and provides full control over the request pipeline. It is the default server in ASP.NET Core.
Quick Answer
Kestrel is ASP.NET Core's built-in HTTP server written in managed C# — fast, cross-platform, and doesn't require IIS. It handles HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 natively. In production, nginx or IIS typically sits in front as a reverse proxy for TLS termination and load balancing. Kestrel is always the actual HTTP server handling ASP.NET Core traffic.
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SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ