Are you confused when presented with which operating system to choose when selecting a web hosting provider’s hosting packages? You’re not alone. And no, it doesn’t matter what operating system you have on your desktop or work station – they don’t have to match your hosting platform. You can be using Windows 7 on your desktop and Linux on your web server. So what are the key guidelines to select one versus the other?
Applications make the difference
On a shared web hosting platform, both operating systems are normally priced the same. If you’re leasing a dedicated server though, Linux is open source (free) and Windows is proprietary to Microsoft applications that require license fees. If you need services like Active Server Pages (ASP), MSSQL, MS Access, Visual Basic or remote desktop, these applications are Windows specific.
Are Linux servers more secure?
I see this brought up quite often in comparisons and the answers are all over the board. Very simply, the answer is NO. Both operating systems can be locked down tight. What I generally see are providers that only offer Linux platforms stating that Linux is preferred. Both support a wide range of software applications, languages and databases.
Control panels for operating systems
Control panels do vary by operating system platforms with cPanel frequently offered for Linux versus Plesk for Windows. Of the two, cPanel is more popular, but both are comprehensive.
CentOS is popular, but there are other flavors
There are different flavors of each operating system: with Linux; CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu and others, and with Windows; 2016 Standard and Data Center Edition.
My recommendation is to match your specific requirements to the Operating System that best fits your website. If in doubt, call us – 800-615-9349. We can help.