When it comes to hosting a web application or website on a VPS or dedicated server, most cloud providers give users the option of choosing their preferred operating system (OS) in addition to their other hosting offerings. The two most common choices are Windows and Linux. Linux is more widely used, but there are situations where Windows is better.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of all the things you need to consider before making a decision when comparing Linux vs Windows hosting.
What is Linux Hosting?
Linux hosting includes hosting a website or web application on a server running the Linux operating system. Linux is the most popular server operating system with over 70% market share. Since this is an open source OS, no license is required to install it on your server. This is one of the reasons why it is more popular than Windows.
A Linux server OS is typically used to run websites and apps built using languages such as PHP and Perl, and databases such as PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and IBM Db2. There are many other language and database options to choose from when installing Linux on your server.
Like desktop versions of Linux, server versions also have several distributions (distros) for users to choose from. Popular Linux distributions for servers include:
- Alma Linux
- Ubuntu
- CentOS
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)
- Devian
What is Windows Hosting?
Windows hosting refers to hosting a website or web application on a server running a server version of the Windows operating system. Unlike Linux, Windows is not open source. This is a server OS built and supported by Microsoft.
Your choice of these editions will largely depend on the features you want and your hosting budget. An ideal choice. Most notably, it provides the ability to create virtual machines (VMs).
Advantages of Linux over Windows
Below are some of the benefits of choosing Linux as your server OS.
price
Linux is an open source server operating system that anyone can install on their servers for free. This is the best alternative for small businesses and start-ups that may not be in a position to pay monthly fees for a server operating system.
Linux is the most popular OS, so it has much more community support than any other server operating system. Large community support for Linux can help if you face challenges while installing or managing your server. Most server OS-related questions on platforms like Stack Overflow and Quora are usually about Linux hosting. You can also easily find free Linux hosting YouTube tutorials and courses.
safety
By design, Linux is a much more secure operating system than Windows. One of the design choices that makes Linux more secure is how it handles user permissions. Linux will not serve executable files without the user’s permission. A server administrator must enter a password before installing the application on the server. Therefore, hackers must use sophisticated social engineering techniques to trick administrators into installing malware on their servers.
reliability
Over the years, Linux servers have been known for their reliability and stability. Linux servers are less prone to random crashes and downtime than Windows and other server operating systems.
Scalability
Another benefit of using Linux hosting is that Linux servers are highly scalable, making it easy for developers to ramp up server resources as their website or web application grows.
compatibility
Linux is compatible with more software and technology than Windows and other server operating systems. Such technologies include control panels. A scripting language such as Perl or PHP. Databases such as PostgreSQL, MariaDB, IBM Db2, and Oracle Database.
If you don’t want to face software compatibility issues, you should opt for Linux hosting.
Advantages of Windows over Linux
Ease of use and friendliness
Windows is the most popular desktop operating system, so most people are familiar with it. For people who use Windows machines on a daily basis, installing Windows on a server makes life a lot easier. They can start doing things right away without having to go through a learning process.
Linux servers are also controlled primarily through commands, while Windows servers have a much more intuitive and easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI). If you don’t want the hassle of learning Linux commands, choose Windows hosting.
Compatibility with Microsoft technology
Windows hosting is always the best choice if the website or app you plan to host relies on Microsoft technologies such as ASP.NET, MSSQL or Visual Basic. Some of these technologies are not supported on Linux machines.
Windows Server also integrates with other Microsoft products such as SharePoint and Exchange, making it an ideal choice for organizations using these tools.
Comprehensive support
Customer support is available from Microsoft when you subscribe to one of our Windows Server OS plans. Instead of going to forums and watching tutorials, you can simply contact Microsoft’s support team, who usually provide a more timely and reliable solution than forums. Microsoft also deploys regular updates for Windows Server.
game
If you want to run games on your server, choosing Windows hosting is easy. Thanks to the NVIDIA Virtual Machine Image (VMI), users can quickly access virtual game machines running Windows Server OS. Other server operating systems have little support for games.
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How to choose the right option for your business
Factors to consider when choosing Linux or Windows hosting are:
compatibility
Before you can host your website or app on a cloud server, you first need to decide which technologies and tools to use. Consider integrating databases, control panels, scripting languages, and other apps. Choosing a server OS that supports all the technologies and tools you plan to use to run your website will make your life much easier.
License and cost
If you don’t want to pay Windows license fees, Linux hosting is the obvious choice. Linux is open source and a great option for a company on a tight budget to spend on his web hosting.
expertise and experience
We recommend choosing a server OS that is easy for you and your team to work with without a lengthy learning process. If your company has an IT team, you should consider their opinion before choosing an OS to install on your servers. If you don’t have the expertise, you can choose managed Windows hosting or managed Linux hosting.
performance
Linux generally offers slightly better performance than Windows when everything runs on similar hardware. This is mainly because Linux is lighter than Windows and much more efficient. And whenever you need to improve your site’s performance, you can easily scale up your Linux servers. So if you want to get the most out of your server hardware, Linux is a better choice than Windows.
quality of support
On Linux, all support comes from the community. This may not be as reliable or timely as support from official vendors such as Microsoft. Windows Hosting is a great choice if you need timely and reliable support.
You may also need to contact your web hosting provider to find out what operating systems they support and what they recommend for different use cases. Luckily, most mainstream web hosting providers support Windows and Linux hosting. Very few hosting providers do not support both platforms.
final thoughts
This article comparing Linux and Windows hosting covered all the important details needed to choose between the two platforms. Both have advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before making a decision. We recommend that you evaluate your business requirements and decide which of the two server operating systems best suits your needs.
Contact Liquid Web today. She is one of the most helpful people at Hosting® and is happy to answer your questions.