Do Not Be Tempted

It might seem tempting to remove the web server to simplify the server setup. Especially since some cache servers (such as Varnish) has powerful URL rewriting, easy manipulation of HTTP headers and advanced access control lists.

However, encountering a site rig without a web server is rare and, if you plan to have personalised sites (with user login etc), session binding is a must. Some cache servers like Oracle Web Cache has this built in, whereas others, like Varnish does not (at the time of writing: 2010-02-08). Therefore, web servers are likely to be included in server setups for the foreseeable future. For more on session binding, see Session Binding.