How did you choose an operating system for your web hosting plan?

[Emilio]

The majority of PHP websites are hosted on a linux based OS such as debian, largely due to Microsoft having a bad reputation for security. Recently IIS has improved and is capable of hosting websites securely, should we take a chance with IIS or stick with linux?

 

[elcidofaguy]

For me it simply comes down to what technology you want to use... If its microsoft i.e. .Net, C# with SQL Server etc then you're going to have to go with IIS and if you're into PHP i.e. Wordpress, MySQL then its linux... Whilst its possible to host PHP on IIS - I am sure there is a performance degradation when compared to Linux due to the need to implement additional software for compatibility purposes...

 

[ElixantTechnology]

I agree, security was never the major concern with a Windows based Hosting Environment, in fact there is an Apache version that is compatible for Windows that has a lot of the same benefits as it would on a Linux system, however in the end it boils down to performance. Windows utilizes a considerable amount more resources than a base Linux install would, making Linux the better choice right off the bat for many projects. However, when considering using languages such as ASP .NET or Java, then sure, Windows may be the better option for you, the same geos for consideration of Linux for PHP, Ruby, Perl, Pyton and other server-side scripting languages.

The other thing to consider is cost; it does cost quite a bit more to license and maintain a Windows based system. From having a Microsoft Certified Technician that is capable of working the ins-and-outs of the operating sytem, to paying for software licenses for the Operating System, MSSQL and if you go far enough Microsoft Exchange. Ths is why Linux will also always provide a cost-to-resource ratio that is better suited for most.

 

[RDO Servers]

What framework you want to run (php vs asp.net) and which OS your more familiar with are the major 2 things to take into account.

Windows is more expensive, but it doesn't account for much more if you are leasing the server and just paying a few dollars more/month. SQL express is free and will handle most databases just fine.

I'd say Linux and Windows are equally secure. The issue is wither or not you have the know-how to be able to secure it. Neither Windows nor Linux will give you a secure environment from a fresh install!

Windows OS consumes more system resources, but IIS actually serves content faster then apache. You can use other web servers (nignx, litespeed, etc) on Linux which are faster then apache, but it takes extra sexup.

This is one of the many hosting topics where there is no clear answer of which is best, only which is best for you.

 

[Rev]

I choose Windows because the guy that built my site said that's what I needed.

 

[jms]

mainly i don't go for windows or linux because security concerns only.
but rather there is a speed issue as well (windows servers are most known to be slow).
Maintenance: Windows servers are known to be hard to maintain and need regular maintenance.
Price: Always Windows hosting is much expensive than Linux hosting.
Platform limitation: when using Windows you are mainly limited to ASP.NET otherwise using Php, Node.Js, python...etc wont have much sense as will add extra over head to install maintain and looking for third party software. and integration issues. while linux comes with that usually integrated in the main install or can be easily installed for advanced server configurations.
Licensing issues: in Windows you might have licensing issues, as understanding how the license works.

can be there more issues, but for me i always decide upon those factors listed above, unless none of those is needed or the business model requires using windows Tech i wont go for it.

 

[MarcS]

For ASP.Net websites, there is no good option except Windows based servers with IIS. You can host PHP website in Windows web server through IIS rewrite rules & PHP FastCGI, but I would go with native OS (any Linux based OS). There are also excellent alternative available for traditional OS CentOS, debian such as CloudLinux.