Is there a difference between acolytes and altar servers?
The short answer
Yes. Acolyte is a stable ministry conferred by liturgical rite on laymen (canon 230 §1). Altar server is a role created about a thousand years ago to stand in for acolytes; since it is not sacramental and was created by the Church, the Church allows women and girls to serve.
Acolytes. The office of acolyte is reserved to men. Canon 230 §1 says lay men meeting the age and qualifications set by the bishops' conference can be given the stable ministry of lector and acolyte through the prescribed liturgical rite.
Altar servers. The role of altar server arose about a thousand years ago so that others could fill in when no acolytes were available. That is now the case in most parishes, so altar servers predominate. Because the Church created this role and it is not sacramental, the Church decides who may fill it, and it need not be reserved to males. The Church currently allows female servers: where the Church's needs require and ministers are unavailable, lay people who are not lectors or acolytes can supply some of their functions (canon 230 §3).
The server's role carries much less responsibility than the acolyte's. The acolyte's many duties have been divided among others; carrying the processional cross, once the acolyte's task, now belongs to the crucifer. Little remains for servers beyond handing the priest the unconsecrated elements and cruets and helping him wash his hands.
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