If you start looking for a good hosting plan on the web, you’ll see that most servers have Linux or Windows OSs pre-installed. That, however, may not mean anything to you. Let us offer some explanations so that you understand the difference.
If you ask us, what option is better — Linux or Windows — we won’t give you an answer. As in many cases, it depends on what you need from your server. That’s why it’s always good to make a certain list of expectations before choosing a hosting package. Then you can compare this list with the capabilities of different OS, hosting plans, web hosts, and other considerations.
Operating System — It Matters
Of course, Windows and Linux servers, have different performance, security, pricing, database formats, and other features that will influence the functions of your hosting. Still, before getting to the controversial dimension, let’s first discuss what the two have in common.
Linux and Windows have similar approach to data management. The most convenient tool you will find in both systems is FTP server. It’s easy and fast — what else do you need from a file manager? The two OS are friendly with such popular file types as HTML (.html) and JavaScript (.js).
If you’re planning to work with forms and dynamic content, both systems will provide you with CGI, a tool commonly used for working on shopping carts and other eCommerce solutions. MySQL, which is supposed to be a Linux format, can now also be processed by a Windows server, though it’s still more common for Linux.
All You Want to Know About Linux Hosting
Indeed, Linux is extremely convenient. That’s one of the main reasons why this OS is the most popular server solution. The convenience of Linux servers has three key components: MySQL, PHP, and price.
As we’ve already said, you can run both PHP and MySQL on Windows servers, too. However, these two formats work best when working together. Such a combination, in turn, works on Linux particularly well. The reason for this is obvious — Linux was originally used for PHP and MySQL, so the whole system of this OS is tailored to these two formats. However, you must know that PHP will also work with several other database formats, such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase, Solid, etc.
Linux is just cheaper. Most distributions of this OS cost nothing. Some OS versions like RedHat will have a number of special features created for better server performance, so they will have a price, but it’s not really high as compared to that of Windows. Essentially, Linux is great for a start-up: you get a flexible system, popular coding and database formats, low price, and more.
Key Facts About Windows Server OS
If your web masters work with ASP.NET, you’ll have to opt for a Windows-powered server. ASP.NET is similar to HTML and PHP, but it uses a different request processing scheme. You will also be happy to know that ASP.NET also works with different database types.
While it’s a common belief that the ASP.NET algorithm helps Windows servers to work with big databases faster, you will, in fact, hardly find any data to support that idea. You will also find many articles saying that Windows is less secure than Linux. This is also a myth. Linux also has a lot of security issues, and very often it depends on the rack and its support. So don’t take such claims seriously.
Windows or Linux — What to Choose?
It’s up to you to make a choice between Windows or Linux. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages, and it mostly depends on if your web master can make maximum use out of server features. Remember: your server doesn’t create websites; your web master does. So, listening well to the web master’s advice is probably the best decision when choosing between Windows and Linux.
Our experts have compared the best Windows hosting providers – Check it out here
Alternatively, check the best Linux hosting here
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