Linux Hosting VS Windows Hosting
Most 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).
When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, been widely considered the best OS for Web servers. It's typically found to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and, as such, it's commonly used for the demanding environment of Web and mail servers
The million-dollar question is what application are you looking to use for your hosting? Consider the tools and scripting languages you plan to use – if you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windows is what you need.
When comparing Windows vs. Linux hosting there are many rumors you may have heard about why one is better than the other.
In reality, there are several things that are virtually the same whether you choose Windows hosting or Linux hosting:
- Performance: On both platforms the speed and efficiency will be comparable when an experienced administrator manages it.
- Stability: While Windows web hosting systems were notoriously unstable in the past, the stability between a Windows server and a Linux server today is negligible.
- Static pages: Windows platforms and Linux platforms can host static HTML file almost identically.
- Ease of use: Most interaction with your web hosting system will be through FTP or a server's control panel. So even if Windows provides a nice GUI interface, you aren't likely to use it anyway.
- Security: Though the topic could be argued by operating system purists, today, both web hosting platforms are comparably secure.
The basic difference between Linux hosting and windows hosting are:
| Linux Hosting | Window Hosting |
| Linux is an open source system and is therefore more cost-effective to operate and maintain than Windows, meaning that Linux hosting will cost you less than Windows hosting. | Windows servers also offer web developers the use of Microsoft's programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic Scripts, and MS Index Server. |
| Linux is good in that it is compatible with the popular programming language PHP. | Users can develop web site using the familiar interface of Microsoft tools such as, Visual Interdev, and Microsoft Access. |
| A website designed to be hosted on a Linux server can be easily hosted on the windows server. | But a website build on the windows server cannot be hosted on the Linux server. |
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Linux Hosting Benefits- PHP and MySQL Support- Apache Web Server- Mod Rewrite Support
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Windows Hosting Benefits- ASP Support- ASP.NET Support- Powerful SQL Server Database
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You can find affordable linux web hosting services at cpwebhosting. It also lists best windows web hosting plans with best resources for your website.