An Introduction to Linux Web Hosting – Linux vs Windows Web Hosting

Introduction

Web hosting service providers offer two kinds of hosting: Linux hosting and Windows hosting. In general, Linux hosting refers to shared hosting, the most popular hosting service in the industry. In fact, most of the websites are now hosted using Linux hosting due to its affordable price and flexibility. Linux hosting is compatible with PHP and MySQL, which supports scripts such as WordPress, Zen Cart, and phpBB. Windows hosting, on the other hand, uses Windows as the servers' operating system and offers Windows-specific technologies such as ASP, .NET, Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL server (MSSQL).

Searching for web hosting companies will return a variety of results, displaying the various types of web hosting plans available. You may have done this before and encountered a few Linux web hosting plans. I am sure most of your are familiar with the Linux operating system, but for those of you who are not, Linux is the leading alternative to the Windows operating system, and is used by many companies around the world.

LAMP

All Linux web hosting plans include the LAMP software bundle. LAMP stands for Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP/Perl/Python. Apache is a widely used open-source, multi-platform web server. Most Linux hosting plans use Apache servers. MySQL is a database that provides multiple users access to several online databases that are used to comprise the data of a website or network of websites. Any webmaster trying to utilize advanced website design of any kind will need a database of some sort.

PHP/Perl/Python

PHP/Perl/Python are all programming languages used in the production of advanced web applications. Almost all Linux web hosting solutions support PHP, while Perl and Python are not fully supported by all web hosting service providers. In fact, few web hosting companies actually provide support for the Perl and Python languages.

Linux Hosting Vs Windows Hosting

Without knowing the difference it can be a difficult decision to choose between Windows and Linux -based web hosting. The fact is, there is no major visual difference between the two on the surface, and most average users would not even notice the difference at first glance. However, there are some fundamental differences between the two that could affect your ultimate decision. For example, if you’re planning on using any Microsoft applications and programming tools likes Visual C++, Frontpage, or ASP.Net, then you may want to consider Windows-based web hosting.

Security and Performance

As far as security is concerned, Linux web hosting is considered to be safer than Windows-based web hosting. Therefore users can expect greater reliability and more uptime when using a Linux  hosting service. Linux servers can also run for a very long time without the need for a reboot, whereas Windows servers need to reboot after almost every upgrade.

Price

The most noticeable difference between the two for the average consumer is price. Linux web hosting is generally cheaper than Windows web hosting. If you are looking for a cheap deal on web hosting combined with reliability then you should consider Linux web hosting. If you absolutely need Microsoft application functionality, then perhaps Windows-based web hosting would be best for you.