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How To Select Between Windows And Linux Web Hosting Options
Those making technology decisions will often face a challenge by being presented with too much information. Myths and irrelevant information abound and these do not serve to help anyone. Even when looking for an operating system to apply in your web hosting, these challenges will be experienced. Some of the myths that you may have heard could include the fact that you should host using the same operating system as you run on your computer. This is a lie and is an example of falsehoods that abound on such issues.
Those who are for Linux have their reasons why they consider it the best while Windows too has its followers. Each of these operating systems has its strengths and also situations where it is less suitable. We shall try and look at both these systems to establish where each is best suited and why. The choice is especially difficult for those who are looking for business web hosting because their decision will not only have an impact as a cost but it will also have revenue implications. Similar to other resources, your decision should be based on need. The kind of website you are looking to host will play an important role in your decision. Linux hosting will be best suited for those looking to host a small, basic and static website that is non commercial. The major factor in this situation here is cost. Interestingly Linux is also the preferred choice for websites that are on the extreme opposite end which have high traffic volumes and running many processes. Linux is however more suited for advanced users or where the hosting is to be provided by managed dedicated server hosting.
Beginners will find it better to use Windows hosting. Having a friendly user interface is one of the leading reasons for its popularity with this group. Microsoft products are readily integrated when using Windows servers. The cost of Windows hosting is however one of it’s main disadvantages. Apart from buying the operating system, users must also be prepared to pay for all the additional software needed.
You could also find yourself tied to either of these OS by virtue of the programming language you choose to use. ASP is a Microsoft application that is only usable on Windows based servers. Some applications can run on both Windows and Linux hosting with a good example here being PHP.
With a competent administrator you can host on either of these systems without compromising performance. It is also almost unanimously agreed that Linux offers greater stability even under heavier loads and is therefore a preferred choice for bigger and busier websites. A Linux dedicated server host will cost much less as compared to a similar one that is running Windows. Linux will in some situations be unable to fully meet your hosting needs. The best system in such situations is Windows.
