Linux vs Windows Web Hosting
Linux and Windows are the two most common and readily available operating systems, and there are many good reasons for using both. So when comparing between Linux vs Windows web hosting, what should one choose?
Before we begin, let me clear a few misconceptions. Just because you use a Windows desktop PC doesn’t mean you have to opt for Windows Web Hosting (and the reverse is true as well). What is important is that you should know what you want to have for hosting your website. The choice of operating system for hosting primarily depends on what kind of development language or database you might use for your website. This is what will ultimately help determine what will work best for you. In deciding which OS is better for your website, it is important to know the differences between the two, as well as their relative benefits and limitations.
The Basics
Windows web hosting is a good option for people who are familiar with Microsoft technologies, as this is a Microsoft product and easily integrates with other Microsoft products. The main reason for its popularity is that it has a lot of support from the vendor.
Linux Web Hosting is even more widespread than Windows today. The main reason for its popularity is that it is affordable. As a result, a majority of new businesses opt for Linux hosting in order to minimize start-up costs. It’s typically found to be the most reliable, stable, robust and efficient system. A web site housed on a Linux operating system will have very high up-time (of the order of 99.9%). It allows users to easily set permissions and password-protect directories.
The Myth
Although many people consider Linux to be more secure than Windows, both operating systems are equally secure. Security really depends more upon the server setup and the administrators managing the server – regardless of OS. Factors such as power supply, server admin skills and network load etc. also matter when it comes to maintaining the system uptime.
Linux vs Windows Web Hosting
| Windows Web Hosting | Linux Web Hosting |
| What is it? | |
| Windows is the family of operating system (OS) developed by Microsoft | Linux is an Open Source software developed by community |
| File System Support | |
| FAT, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT | Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, Jfs, ReiserFS, Xfs, Btrfs, FAT, FAT32, NTFS |
| Threat Detection and Solution | |
| After detecting a major threat in Windows OS, Microsoft generally releases a patch and update that can fix the problem | Linux is mainly community driven and whenever a threat is reported, several developers start working on it from different parts of the world |
| Applications | |
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| Control Panel | |
| Plesk is used for Windows-based hosting plans | cPanel/WHM is used for Linux-based hosting plans |
| File Names | |
| Windows files are not case sensitive.For example: home.html, Home.html and HOME.HTML are all the same | Linux files are case sensitive.For example: home.html and Home.html are different names |
| Accessing the Server | |
| FTP access | FTP access and Telnet or SSH |
| Writing Your Pages | |
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| Other Server-Side Scripts | |
| ASP, ASP.NET and ColdFusion | PHP and ColdFusion |
| Databases | |
| MS SQL, MySQL and MS Access | MySQL |
| Cost of Ownership | |
| High. Windows technologies are licensed, which drives up costs. | Low. Linux can be freely distributed and downloaded. There are priced versions for Linux also, but they are normally cheaper than Windows. |
| Moving between Hosts | |
| A web site designed to be hosted on a Windows based web server cannot be hosted on a Linux web server easily | A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily |
Summary
So when comparing Linux vs Windows web hosting, we can say without any specific preface or context that this really is an apples vs oranges comparison. Frankly speaking, there is nothing better or worse about either Linux or Windows Web Hosting. Both platforms are simply different tools for different scenarios.