Linux Web Hosting Vs Windows Web Hosting
Linux Web Hosting Vs Windows Web Hosting: Which Is The Best One For Your Website?
When you are at the beginning level of hosting a good and a professional web site, it can be very confusing when selecting the type of web hosting service that ideally suites your website. If you want your website and your online business to succeed then you need to check each and every aspect of the web hosting service that you are going to choose. Some of the things that you need to check are the bandwidth, the web space, the uptime guarantee, various scripts, codes, applications, tools that are provided by the web host.
However, the most important aspect that you need to check while choosing a web hosting company is the type of platform on which you need to host your website. Today, there are number of platforms that are available on the internet from which you can choose any one. But, now-a-days, the Linux based web hosting server and the Windows based web hosting server are the most popular ones.
Some of the important features of the Linux based web hosting server and the Windows based web hosting server are given below.
Linux Based Web Hosting Server
Linux web hosting as the name suggests, is based on the Linux operating system on which the web server applications, database and programming of the website reside. Linux web hosting, also known as LAMP is very easy to learn and to follow even for the beginners and anyone can make use of this type of web hosting for hosting their own website, be it personal or professional. The Linux web hosting is an excellent world wide accepted alternative for those who do not want to make use of the Windows web hosting or even for the ones who cannot afford it. Many people prefer the Linux web hosting server as it is cheap and has almost the similar features as that of the Windows and other web hosting servers.
What Is LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP)?
Basically, a Linux web hosting server is based on a server which has a Linux operating system, an APACHE web server, a MYSQL database, and a PHP server mark up coding and programming applications. To run a website with complete reliability, tight security, versatile scripting ability, and a strong database feature attached, the LAMP (of course, Linux, Apache, MySQL database, and the PHP scripting language) is the best option for you. Millions of website owners are using the LAMP system quite effectively, and of course, many are making money with it. So, the LAMP system has proven itself beyond any doubt in the online web hosting market.
Advantages Of Using The Linux Based Web Hosting Servers
Linux based web hosting servers are totally reliable, flexible and very easy to use. There are many Linux based web hosting servers present today on the internet that are running for years without any sort of huge technical difficulties. Linux system has proven itself in the security field too. It is also providing constant upgrades to its countless users and is helping them fight the ever-present hackers. Some consider Linux better than the Windows web hosting, and they could not be more correct! On the other hand some of the most famous web hosting servers often faces problems related to downtime or major technical issues.
Also, the Linux based web hosting servers are very cheap when compared to some other types of web hosting servers. Linux web hosting is commonly used by many people who do not want to invest a lot of money in the beginning in the web hosting field. There are number of affordable or even free software’s and web tools that are available like Apache, Firewall, Sendmail, and many others which you can make use of while working with Linux web hosting servers.
Linux based web hosting servers even allows you to develop and control the server much easily are than any other types of operating system web servers. Also, Linux is a reputed association with an excellent track record. So, it would not be a bad choice to get registered for the Linux web hosting service if you are a beginner or even an owner of a huge organization.
Also, it is not really necessary to get the license of using the Linux operating system which again makes it cheaper. There are lots of free copies of the Linux operating system that are present on the internet which you can easily get and make use of them.
However there are some disadvantages as well of using the Linux based web hosting server. Some of the disadvantages and problems that you can face while working with the Linux based web hosting server are given below
The most important disadvantage of Linux based web hosting is that, it does not support the Windows based softwares and applications. Also, it does not support the codes, programming scripts, web tools and many other things of any other languages other than Linux itself. The one disadvantage is that, the Linux system cannot run Microsoft-specific web applications like the ASP, and other such applications and databases.
Due to this, if you plan to change your web host then you need to find similar Linux based web hosting sever or else you may have to redesign the entire website once again which is compatible to other type of web hosting that you are choosing.
Also, the Linux servers are a bit difficult to manage if you do not have experience to handle it properly. Even the graphical user interface of the Linux based web hosting is not user-friendly or attractive when compared to that of Windows based web hosting servers. You may have to learn a few commands to really develop the web server properly, giving it a professional touch.
Windows Based Web Hosting Server
The windows web hosting is totally based upon the Microsoft Windows operating system. Even though the windows based web hosting servers are costly when compared to the Linux based web hosting servers, they are hugely popular because of its flexibility and because it supports all the important software, applications, web tools, scripts and other important things that the Linux or any other web hosting server do not support.
Many of us think that if we are using windows operating system on our PC, then we need to go for the windows based web hosting plan. However, it actually does not matter what type of operating system and what type of web hosting server you are using. Accessing the files and the content present on the web hosting server will be done through FTPs (File Transfer Protocols) or a control panel which are compatible with any of the web hosting servers.
However, there are very few control panels and the FTPs which are not compatible with any of these web server platforms. In such cases, you might get an error while working with the content of you website.
If you need ASP, FrontPage, MS SQL, MS Access database, and other Windows-related multimedia that require only the Windows web hosting environment, then you cannot use the Linux web hosting environment, as the Linux system does not support these Windows-specific applications and database management systems. Windows web hosting are also expensive compared to the Linux web hosting because of the many license fees that needs to be paid for the Windows-based applications. Linux is also supposed to be much faster than the Windows web hosting. So, consider well in advance, whether to use the Linux or the Windows web hosting for your website as it would be very difficult to migrate your completed website to each other in future.
The only problem you might face is that, if you are using any specific programs or codes that just support one type of operating system and then if you consider changing the web hosting server, you might have to face some problems. In such cases you might have to change that particular code or application and make it compatible with which ever web hosting platform you are going to use.
The windows web hosting server is costly due to the reason that one needs to get a valid license for making use of it. Also, using the windows based web hosting servers; you can use some Microsoft technologies like ASP, MySQL, FrontPage, or Microsoft Access on your website.
How To Decide Which Type Of Web Hosting To Have For Your Web Hosting Needs?
Before choosing the particular web hosting company you need to check the reputation of that company. You also need to check how many users are present on that web hosting company. You need to see how good their service is and how quickly can they solve any technical problems. You can find out this by searching their blogs, forums, or even asking the users who are registered with that particular web hosting service.
Also, deciding about which web type of platform that you need to go for completely depends upon the type of your website, your budget and the compatibility of it with different web hosting servers. Also, you need to design your website keeping in mind about your future plans. If you are going to use Linux based web hosting server at the beginning and then as your business grows if you decide about going for the windows web hosting web platforms then you might have to change your website to make it compatible with the other platform.
If you are just a beginner and do not have that huge budget to go for the windows web hosting server, you can even start with the Linux web hosting server as both of them are almost same when the performance is considered. Now-a-days, even the developers of both the web hosting servers are constantly improving the web hosting server codes and programming scripts to make it much better and to make it compatible with all the important applications and web tools that are necessary to design and develop a top-quality website.
