Apache is the web server of choice for internet porn sites, according to a web monitoring project.

Research by Smutcraft, which tests the capability of high-volume servers running smutty content, found that 84 per cent of online porn runs on Apache servers.

Microsoft IIS lags behind, running just eight per cent of porn installations. Other vendors bringing up the rear, with one per cent or less, include Zeus and iPlanet/Netscape Enterprise.

In all Smutcraft has checked out 2385 porn sites and their web servers.

Smutcraft.net takes its concept from the respected Netcraft project, but applies a slightly different methodology.

It's long been acknowledged that porn sites take something of a hammering, so Smutcraft set about analysing them to find out which is the preferred smut server.

When compared to the latest Netcraft survey of web servers in general, the results bear some similarities. Netcraft pegs Apache as the leader too, with 63 per cent market share, followed not so closely by IIS at 26 per cent.

Again, iPlanet/Netscape Enterprise and Zeus are lagging behind.