While both Windows Server and client Windows share the same core kernel, Server editions include critical enterprise-grade components unavailable in consumer versions. The most notable difference lies in the scheduler - Windows Server is optimized for long-running background processes rather than foreground applications.

// Example showing process priority differences
Process.GetCurrentProcess().PriorityClass = ProcessPriorityClass.High;
// Works on both, but Server handles thread quantum allocation differently

Though IIS can run on Windows 10/11, the Server version includes:

• Full HTTP.sys kernel-mode driver with enhanced request queuing
• Advanced request filtering and dynamic IP restrictions
• Application pool isolation at hardware level

<configuration>
  <system.webServer>
    <dynamicIpSecurity denyAction="NotFound">
      <denyByRequestRate enabled="true" maxRequests="20" requestInterval="00:00:05"/>
    </dynamicIpSecurity>
  </system.webServer>
</configuration>

Windows Server provides native support for:

• Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS)
• Failover Clustering with shared storage
• Storage Replica for block-level replication

# PowerShell example for failover cluster
New-Cluster -Name SQLCluster -Node Server1,Server2
  -StaticAddress 192.168.1.100
  -NoStorage

Server editions include CALs (Client Access Licenses) and support for:

• Higher memory limits (24TB vs 2TB in Windows 10)
• More physical CPUs (64 sockets vs 2 sockets)
• Hot-add memory and CPU resources

While both can host Kestrel, Server provides better management:

// Program.cs for Windows Server optimized hosting
builder.WebHost.UseHttpSys(options =>
{
    options.MaxAcceptorCount = 5;
    options.MaxRequestBodySize = 30000000;
    options.UrlPrefixes.Add("http://*:5000");
});

Windows Server editions are specifically optimized for server workloads with different memory management, I/O prioritization, and process scheduling. For example, Server editions support:

# PowerShell to check memory configuration
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem | 
Select-Object MaxProcessMemorySize, MaxNumberOfProcesses

Try running this on desktop Windows vs Server - you'll see dramatic differences in allowed process memory limits (128TB vs 2TB on modern systems).

While both can run IIS, Server editions include enterprise features like:

• Application Request Routing (ARR)
• Web Farm Framework
• Advanced logging and diagnostics
• NUMA-aware processing

Here's a configuration example only available on Server:

<webFarm enabled="true" scheme="http" serverAutoStart="true">
  <server address="server1" enabled="true">
    <applicationRequestRouting httpPort="80" />
  </server>
</webFarm>

Server editions include Active Directory integration that's crucial for enterprise environments:

# Authenticating against AD in ASP.NET Core
services.AddAuthentication(NegotiateDefaults.AuthenticationScheme)
    .AddNegotiate();

app.UseAuthorization();

[Authorize(Roles = "DOMAIN\\WebAdmins")]
public class AdminController : Controller

Microsoft's licensing terms explicitly prohibit using desktop Windows as server OS in production. The EULA states:

"Windows 10/11 Pro licenses are granted for workstation use only. Server workloads require Server edition licensing."

Our load tests show significant throughput differences under identical hardware:

For development/testing scenarios, desktop Windows can work with these registry tweaks:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HTTP\Parameters]
"MaxConnections"=dword:0000ffff
"UriEnableCache"=dword:00000001

But remember these violate the EULA for production use.