SEO friendly web hosting Linux vs Windows

Every once in a while I come across questions like “Is Linux better then Windows Web hosting” or “Do I need to change my OS on my Computer when I get Linux Web Hosting?”. For some people questions like this are easy to answer, for others it is a matter of life or death 🙂 Today I want to show you the real difference between Linux and Windows Web hosting and dispel some myths.

What is the difference between Linux and Windows Web Hosting

Image courtesy Krazl.com - Bloggerholic

Image courtesy Krazl.com - Bloggerholic

The real difference between Linux and Windows Web hosting is not much more than the name and price. The standard internet applications work well on both platforms. We are talking about applications based on standards like PHP, MySQL, Ruby on Rail that are platform independent. What makes a big difference between this is that both OS have Microsoft based language, like ASP or Dot Net, and are not working well or not running at all on Linux Server and that PHP and MySQL applications are slower on Windows Server. Also note that Windows hosting companies will need to pay for licenses that would make it more expensive than Linux Hosting which is Open Source. Linux servers are generally more stable and you can tweak more on this platform in comparison to Windows.

The real difference between this most commonly used Operating System in Web hosting is what you want to do with your hosting package, what software you want to use and most importantly, what your system administrator prefers if you are planning to host your server on your own.

Which Web Hosting OS should you choose?

There is no clear easy answer, as in the choice between a Mercedes or BMW, it is up to you. To determine what works best for you, you might ask what do you want to use in programming language that your application will run on and what knowledge does your Technical Team have? And don’t forget Why reliable Web Hosting is worth your Money.

Myths about Web Hosting

  • No, you don’t need to change your Operation System on your Home / Office computer if you use Linux Hosting
  • You don’t save money hosting the server yourself
  • Hosting is a important part of your e-Business

What are the Pros and Cons of the OS?

Pros for Windows Hosting:

  • If properly administrated, you will have a secure and stable Server system
  • Supports all common Internet language like PHP and MySQL also supports Microsoft based products like ASP and MsSQL

Cons for Windows Hosting:

  • More expensive then Linux hosting
  • Non-Microsoft based language tends to run slower on Windows Servers
  • Some changes in the Server Administration could result in a reboot of the Server

Pros for Linux Hosting:

  • Fast, easy and flexible – it can easily grow with your e-Business
  • Open Source, thousands of people looking to fix problems and support each other, great community
  • Stable, most Linux Webservers get restarted once or twice a year

Cons for Linux Hosting

  • Implementation for ASP and .Net application is lacking
  • Wrong setup and bad administration can lead to slow and insecure servers

Why should you plan ahead?

Choosing your Web Hosting is like choosing the location of your off-line store and how much thought you put into the interior of your shop. As an example, you open up a coffee shop on the last open corner of a busy Vancouver intersection; the other corners are occupied by 2 Starbucks and 1 Java Express. All of them are bigger, faster and cheaper. You don’t have the money to spend on some fancy equipment, the building your shop resides in is old and you can hear the rats when you’re alone in the kitchen. You didn’t have money either to pay somebody to stand at the other corners and advertise for your shop, Starbucks does and they advertise in front of your shop by giving free regular coffees away. Do you think that it would be clever to have your business here when you come on to the market?

So plan, look ahead to what you need, where do you want to grow to and what is a good location to start your business. Search for a strong partner, ask your friends, ask your designer and search engine marketer for recommendations, build a relationship with your partner, and find somebody who wants to help you rather then just get a sale through.

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