Windows VPS Server vs. Linux VPS Server
Windows VPS Server vs. Linux VPS Server
Windows VPS servers and Linux VPS servers are both offered by many web hosting providers who wish to provide customers with choice when it comes to considering VPS server hosting as they are going to require either a Windows based hosting solution or Linux based hosting solution for their requirements to be met effectively; Windows VPS servers and Linux VPS servers are both aimed at different audiences as the audience requiring Windows web hosting services is going to be very much different to the audience that requires Linux web hosting services. As Windows and Linux are both very different operating systems with Linux being an open source operating system that is free to use and Windows a commercial operating system, the prices and uses of Windows and Linux VPS servers are both very different; Windows VPS servers are aimed specifically at users who require Windows web hosting services such as Windows web developers, whilst Linux VPS servers are more appropriate for users who don’t have demanding requirements or have a low budget for VPS server hosting as a Linux VPS server is always going to be cheaper than a Windows VPS server of the same specification regardless of the situation.
Windows VPS servers are normally based on the Hyper-V VPS hosting platform as most web hosting providers have now moved over to offering Windows Server 2008 VPS Server hosting services and this means that they are able to guarantee reliable Windows VPS server hosting services to those who require them the most; Linux VPS servers tend to be hosted on nodes running the Virtuozzo VPS platform as this is the most popular option for web hosting providers who wish to offer reliable Linux VPS servers, and the features of the Virtuozzo VPS daemon have helped to make it popular with both consumers as well as web hosting providers. As with most web hosting services it is important for you to compare the many different Windows VPS server hosting services and Linux VPS server hosting services that are available so that you can make an informed decision on which web hosting package you are going to use, but also so you know what is offered by other web hosting providers; many web hosting providers will be offering different VPS server hosting packages with different resource assignments at different price points, and so by doing your research you should be able to find a VPS server hosting service which meets your requirements and is within your budget very easily.
What can a Windows VPS server offer me over a Linux VPS server?
Windows VPS server hosting services are normally seen as a form of specialist web hosting for some so it is important for you to be sure that a Windows VPS server is the right form of VPS server hosting for you before purchasing one, mainly because a Windows VPS server is going to cost more than a Linux VPS server so you don’t want to purchase a Windows VPS server and find that a Linux VPS server of a similar specification will be more than enough for your needs as the Linux variant is going to cost you less. The main advantage of using a Windows VPS server over a Linux VPS server is the support for classic ASP and ASP.NET web pages and scripts that is offered, and this can be incredibly important for some people as their websites may not function correctly on any other platform if they have been created and developed using either classic ASP or ASP.NET; although some web hosting providers will advertise that their Linux VPS server hosting services can be used for the hosting of classic ASP and ASP.NET based web pages, the support offered by the applications used to do so is very limited and won’t offer you the same functionality that a Windows web hosting environment can offer you. Remote Desktop access is another feature that Windows VPS servers can offer over Linux VPS servers and can give Windows VPS administrators a head start to managing their VPS servers over Linux VPS server administrators as for some using a GUI instead of a command line based interface although it doesn’t allow you to interface with the server as much as command line based interfaces such as SSH do; all Windows VPS servers are offered with Remote Desktop access as it is a feature that is standard with Windows dedicated web hosting services, although it is a good idea to make sure that you know what you are doing before managing your server via Remote Desktop. A Windows VPS server will also be able to offer you support for Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases which can be of benefit to you if you are looking to host a classic ASP or ASP.NET based website as the likelihood is that the website itself utilizes a database backend which is either going to be a Microsoft SQL Server database or a Microsoft Access database; like classic ASP and ASP.NET, both database systems have been developed by Microsoft which means that databases designed using either will only function correctly in Windows web hosting environments. In summary, a Windows VPS server can offer you the following over a Linux VPS server:
- Support for classic ASP and ASP.NET – this is the one main factor which leads many people to considering Windows web hosting services as if they have a website that has been developed using classic ASP or ASP.NET and require hosting for it then their only choice for web hosting is going to be a Windows web hosting service, and this means that if they require a VPS hosting server then they can only consider a Windows VPS server – as both scripting frameworks have been developed by Microsoft they will only function correctly on Windows web hosting servers, and even though some web hosting providers claim that their Linux servers can support scripts created using either you will find that the support offered by the software used to do so isn’t as effective as using a proper Windows web hosting environment
- Remote Desktop Access – this is one factor that is seen by many as an advantage for beginners over Linux VPS server hosting as Remote Desktop provides you with direct GUI access to your Windows VPS server which can make server management easier for some, and as Remote Desktop access is a standard feature with all Windows dedicated hosting services you will find it available with any Windows VPS server that you purchase – some people see Linux VPS servers as hard to manage since the only way for you to really manage a Linux VPS server properly is via SSH which a text based interface and you obviously need to be aware of the necessary commands if you wish to keep your Linux VPS server in good order, but if you can manage your Windows VPS server via Remote Desktop then you can be sure of what you are doing
- Support for Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access – Windows web hosting services are the only hosting services that can be used if your website makes use of either a Microsoft SQL Server database or a Micrososft Access database as like classic ASP and ASP.NET, these database systems that been created by Microsoft which means that databases based on them will only function correctly in Windows web hosting environments – in a VPS hosting environment you may find some disadvantages to using Microsoft SQL Server since unless you wish to pay for your own Standard or Enterprise edition license, you are stuck using the free Express version which is offered by Microsoft, or alternatively you could use Microsoft Access although this is nowhere near as scalable as Microsoft SQL Server.
A Windows VPS server will be able to offer you many features that Linux VPS server hosting can’t offer you, and it is generally these features which bring many users to using Windows VPS server hosting as a Linux VPS server isn’t able to fulfill their requirements properly. Windows VPS servers cost much more than Linux VPS servers which means that it is important to check that a Linux VPS server won’t be able to fulfill your needs before purchasing a Windows VPS server.
What can a Linux VPS server offer me over a Windows VPS server?
For a user with basic needs but who still has the need for a basic VPS server then a Linux VPS server is going to be more than sufficient for their needs, but for most a Linux VPS server is going to be more beneficial than a Windows VPS server anyway as it is going to be cheaper in both the short term and long term and in most cases a Windows VPS server won’t be able to meet a user’s needs anyway. The main thing that a Linux VPS server will be able to offer you over a Windows VPS server is lower web hosting costs and for some the cost of Windows web hosting can be very off-putting, but it is the same with any form of web hosting as you will find that you will need to pay a premium if you wish to go for a Windows version of a form of web hosting instead of a Linux version; Windows web hosting services tend to be more expensive than their Linux equivalent in most cases because of the fact that web hosting providers need to factor the cost of the Windows operating system into their web hosting packages. A Linux VPS server may also be able to offer you better reliability than a Windows VPS server because of the fact that Linux servers can be optimized much more than Windows servers which means that they can easily be made to be more reliable than Windows VPS servers, and when choosing a dedicated web hosting service you will probably see reliability as being very important; from experience anyone should be able to tell you that Linux web hosting services are more reliable than Windows web hosting services, but at the end of the day it is ultimately down to personal opinion. A Linux VPS server will also offer you direct SSH access to your own web hosting environment which can be beneficial to some users since unlike Remote Desktop, SSH access will provide you with proper interaction with your own VPS server and will allow you to accomplish certain tasks much quicker which will increase your productivity; although you need to be aware of the various commands if you wish to manage your Linux VPS server via SSH, once you have mastered this you will find SSH to be a very effective way of managing your server when compared to web hosting control panels. In summary, you will find that a Linux VPS server can offer you the following over a Windows VPS server:
- Lower costs – as Linux is a free operating sysem since it is open source you will often find that a Linux VPS server is going to cost you far less than a Windows VPS server of a similar specification and this makes Linux VPS server hosting ideal for users who require the power of VPS server hosting services but who may not have a great budget and when you consider that most Linux VPS servers can be picked up fairly cheaply they do offer good value for money – VPS server hosting is always going to be a more expensive form of web hosting, but if you are looking to save money in one area then you can cut back on the operating system that you are using and consider Linux instead of Windows as you won’t need to pay any licensing fees, and you will find that most applications for Linux are also available freely
- Reliability - Linux web hosting services are seen by many as being more reliable than Windows web hosting services and the same is applicable for Linux VPS servers over Windows VPS servers since because of the way in which the Windows operating system handles updates a Windows server is never going to be able to offer you 100% uptime over a prolonged period of time whereas a Linux VPS server should have no problem doing so – Linux servers can be heavily optimized as can the applications installed on them to use less system resources, and if you are able to make it so that your server is using less system resources overall then you can be sure that you have something to fall back on if your VPS server happens to suffer a load spike
- SSH access – some argue that SSH access allows you to interact with your server more than Remote Desktop access to a Windows VPS server does and to an extent it does since you are only using a text based interface which means that it is easier to accomplish certain tasks if you know what you are doing, but for some using SSH can be very confusing if it isn’t explained – SSH access is something that is standard with most Linux VPS server hosting services and the fact that it uses a text based interface means that you need to be aware of the various commands, but when used correctly SSH can be very effective.
A Linux VPS server is more likely to be suitable for someone with a tight budget for web hosting services but in any case it is important for you to make sure that you choose the right form of web hosting for your requirements, and if you do find that Linux web hosting isn’t for you then it is important to make sure that you don’t skimp on your requirements and purchase a Windows VPS server if you find that this is the only way in which VPS server hosting will be able to meet your requirements.
In conclusion, Windows VPS servers and Linux VPS servers both have a lot to offer their respective audiences and it is important to remember that both are aimed at different markets since those who require Windows web hosting services are going to have requirements that are likely to be majorly different to those who require Linux web hosting services. When considering dedicated web hosting for your requirements it is recommended for you to at least have a look at VPS server hosting as you may find a Windows VPS server or Linux VPS server can meet your requirements more effectively than a dedicated server, and will of course save you some money.
