A solution engineer has designed a new website for a company. The design calls for a separate web server and application server, which communicate with a back-end database. Which of the following is t

A single-tier architecture combines all components on one server, which does not match the described setup with separate servers.

A two-tier architecture typically involves a client directly interacting with a database, lacking a distinct application server layer as described.

A three-tier architecture separates an application into three logical and often physical layers: the presentation tier (web server for user interface), the application tier (application server for business logic), and the data tier (database server for data storage). This design enhances scalability, fault tolerance, and development modularity.

A four-tier architecture would involve an additional, distinct layer beyond the three described (e.g., a dedicated caching or messaging layer), which is not specified in the problem statement.