Cheap Web Hosting Reviews

Linux or Windows – Which Hosting is for you?

Deciding whether to go for a server running on Windows or Linux is one of the most basic decisions you have to make when choosing a hosting package. This article doesn’t aim to prove that one is better than the other, and it really depends on your specific hosting needs. Before we go into more details, just to point out that Linux and Windows are the two most popular operating systems used for hosting purposes, but there are others as well, like Unix and Macintosh. Macintosh is very uncommon, whereas Unix is very similar to Linux but is more expensive to set-up and the hardware is more specific.

Connecting to the server:

This refers to how you can access your files on the server. Both windows and Linux provide FTP access, but Linux has a slight advantage here, as it also provides Telnet and SSH access. Although it is possible to set-up telnet for windows, most hosting providers do not provide this service. Whereas with FTP you can transfer your files from your hard drive, with Telnet and SSH you can directly open a window on the server and fiddle around with the files, using Unix commands.

Database:

Databases are the lifeline of any dynamic website. Talking of databases, MySQL, MSSQL, and Access are some of the common ones. MySQL runs on both Linux and Windows but is usually found on Linux servers, whereas access is available only for windows.

Security:

Security is something that is more in hands of the system administrator than the operating system itself. Some people believe that Windows systems are a bit more vulnerable than Linux, but both operating systems have their own security risks.

CGI:

Once again Linux has a slight advantage here. Even though CGI and PERL access are found on both these servers, they are more common on Linux servers.

Other Scripting Languages:

PHP, ASP and Cold Fusion are some of the other common scripting languages. In fact the use of PHP for making dynamic websites has grown at a very rapid pace, making it the most popular scripting language today. All these are server side scripting languages. PHP is more often found on Linux, whereas it is recommended and more common to see ASP on windows servers. Cold Fusion is common on both these servers.

Cost:

Linux hosting is usually cheaper than windows hosting, and that is one major reason why it has got a lot more following. New webmasters especially tend to go for Linux

It can be said, that there are not a lot of differences between the two servers, and if you are running a website which is not very complicated, then it doesn’t really matter which type of server you go for, but if you want to have advanced features on your website such as E-Commerce features, Live Help, members only areas, then this distinction starts to become a bit more important. The most important thing here is to know and understand your website objectives, before you make your choice.