A Web Dispatcher is an SAP component that sits in front of backend systems and routes inbound HTTP or HTTPS traffic to the right destination. It can act as a reverse proxy, load balancer, and protocol handler, helping centralize access to SAP applications while hiding internal system details from users and external clients.
In security terms, the Web Dispatcher is important because it often lives at the edge of the SAP landscape and therefore sees untrusted traffic first. If it is misconfigured or affected by a vulnerability, attackers may use it to reach backend services, disrupt availability, or exploit weaknesses in request handling. Defenders treat it as a key control point for patching, access restrictions, TLS setup, and logging. Because it bridges public requests and internal SAP resources, hardening the Web Dispatcher is a core part of reducing the attack surface.