Choosing an ideal web hosting service depends on multiple factors, like the uptime guarantee and security solutions. And one such important factor is the operating system.
Ideally, you can choose from Linux or Windows Web Hosting, the two most popular operating systems in the web hosting industry.
While Linux is a popular operating system with high PHP and MySQL compatibility, Windows Hosting offers Windows-specific technologies, like Microsoft Access, .NET, ASP, and Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL).
So, if you’re wondering about the Windows and Linux Hosting meaning and want to get their detailed understanding, you’re at the right place. In this blog, we’ll cover the in-depth Linux vs. Windows Web Hosting comparison so you can make a better-informed decision for your business.
What is Linux Hosting?
Linux Hosting is a hosting solution that uses the open-source Linux operating system to host web applications and websites. It’s one of the popular choices of OS because of its stability, versatility, and security.
You can easily edit, alter, and redistribute the source code when using the Linux platforms, making them highly flexible options.
Linux uses popular web hosting platforms, including NGINX, Apache, and LiteSpeed—offering high reliability, performance, and customization. Thus, Linux Hosting is a highly affordable, secure, and versatile web hosting solution for businesses.
What is Windows Hosting
Windows Hosting refers to web hosting solutions that use the Microsoft Windows operating system for hosting websites and applications.
Businesses that heavily rely on Microsoft products and technologies, like Microsoft SQL Server and ASP.NET, use Windows Hosting. It also provides a user-friendly Plesk control panel, making it seamless and easier to update the website as required.
Moreover, the Windows OS is highly compatible with Content Management Systems (CMS) like Joomla and WordPress.
Linux Web Hosting vs. Windows Web Hosting
Here are the differences between Linux and Windows Web Hosting services.
- Control panels
Linux provides a wide range of web hosting control panels, including cPanel/WHM, Plesk, OpenPanel, Webmin, VHCS, and Kloxo.
Compared to the Linux OS, Windows Hosting provides a limited number of control panels, such as Plesk, Website Panel, and MSP.
- Server-side applications
The coding language used for a service or application development greatly impacts your chosen hosting platform. For example, while some programming languages only work on Linux, others only work on Windows or both OS.
Here’s a breakdown of the same:
- Linux-specific applications list: Perl, Python, WordPress, CGI, and WYSIWYG
- Windows-specific applications list: ASP.NET, ASP, .NET, MS, Access, MS-SQL, and Visual Basic
- Common applications list: MySQL, PHP
- Cost
Being an open-source operating system, Linux doesn’t have a license cost.
On the other hand, the Windows operating system is a licensed OS charged by Microsoft. Hence, the Linux OS is much more affordable than the Windows OS.
- Popularity
Per the latest statistics, the Linux OS is used by over 38.9% of all websites, whereas the Windows OS is used by only 19.7% of all websites.
Hence, Linux is one of the most widely used and adopted operating systems over Windows OS.
- File names
File names are case-sensitive when it comes to a Linux Hosting Server. For instance, xyzabc.com and Xyzabc.com have considered two different files.
On the contrary, a Windows Hosting Server doesn’t distinguish between cases. So here, xyzabc.com and XyzAbc.com are the same files.
Conclusion
While Windows offers high compatibility with Microsoft-specific applications, Linux is an affordable and flexible OS, allowing you to leverage high customization with your web hosting environment.
So, the hosting service you choose depends on your specific business needs. So, ensure you analyze your business needs and opt for the best web hosting solution that fits your needs and budget. f