Linux vs. Windows Based Hosting

[Holly Nicole]

So Personally I use Linux Based Hosting seeing as most scripts run on php. I know some applications use Windows Based Hosting so what do you use and why?

 

[HostNurse]

We prefer Linux and we offer only Linux web hosting, many of Linux variants and programs are free (open source) or mush lower in prices unlike Windows. Also, security and reliability are better compared to Windows.

 

[Holly Nicole]

Same here I used windows hosting once and it was a total nightmare I honestly think Linux is the only way to go with hosting and I agree Security is better with Linux

 

[Inquestor]

Yes, Linux all the way. Used WAMP before as I have a few computers with windows on them. It works good for just testing scripts etc.. but when it comes to hosting, not even close.

I use CentOS 5.6 on all my servers and have one with Ubuntu just for fun.

 

[ElixantTechnology]

ElixantTechnology

I HIGHLY recommend updating to CentOS 6.6 (Latest) for security & optimization purposes. This can be done by simply entering the following command in SSH:

yum -y update && yum -y upgrade

 

[buzybee-kevin]

buzybee-kevin

Two things one your comment is not relevant to this thread and second you cannot upgrade to a different OS like Centos 6.6 with yum upgrade the highest he can go is Centos 5.11.

 

[jenitha]

So Personally I use Linux Based Hosting seeing as most scripts run on php. I know some applications use Windows Based Hosting so what do you use and why?

Linux and Windows are two popular operating system. On comparing those two Linux is best than Windows. Linux is virus free platform. It is a open source. We can get softwares at free of cost. Linux is more secure than Windows. We can manage more number of files and folders in Linux but theses are not possible in Windows. So Linux is best for web hosting.

 

[kivi]

I am here to help you. Before choosing a hosting provider you should be clear about the server either with Windows or Linux. I would recommend you to host your website in Linux server. Because Linux has more advantages over Windows. Linux is open source, virus free platform, free softwares, manage more files etc... But these are some what not possible with Windows.

 

[Hassan]

Linux offcourse.

 

[buzybee-kevin]

Linux and windows are from two different worlds while Linux runs most of the internet, windows market share is based more on the high level corporate world. The large companies and military mainly use windows to run their .asp .aspx applications. The main problem with windows is when it tries to live in the Linux world and think it can survive which it cannot.

From a hosts perspective windows is a pain in the ass since the market at our level is very small and windows nickel and dimes you to death with licensing everything including how may procs our nodes have. And windows freezes and eats up RAM like its free, its much harder to keep a windows machine online than a Linux.

 

[mido]

Use Linuz. Don't know why but started with that many years ago and have not looked back.

 

[Hyuga]

No doubt when I say that Linux is best choice.

 

[web-project]

Linux is the best choice and more secure (I know that some one will start to mention that Windows secure too, I can say that majority of viruses are designed for Windows, not Linux or Mac!)

 

[xbogdan]

Although many people consider Linux to be more secure than Windows, both operating systems are equally secure. Security really depends more upon the server setup and the administrators running the server. All of HostGator's managed servers are maintained with the latest security and performance patches and configured for optimal security.

 

[RDO Servers]

They both have their unique uses. Which one is better depends on what you are using it for.

 

[footnews]

Once it was necessary to administer the server on windows. It was creepy. Never again to this return. Only Linux

 

[natemaingard]

I suppose those who know and use Linux prefer it, but I prefer Windows. Everything I've heard is that Linux is difficult to use.

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

This stigma has surrounded Linux for a long time. Most distributions have a very easy to use UI that makes it no harder to use then Windows.

A) When people hear people talking about commands, shell, ssh, blah, blah, blah, they immediately think that is what you have to know to be able to use Linux.
B) If Windows is all you have ever used, learning Linux UI is a bit of a learning-curve, but its really not bad.

Bottom line, there is no such thing as "the best", only the best for you and your purpose.

 

[natemaingard]

natemaingard

What does Linux offer that have a lot of people in this thread saying it's the best for hosting?

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

php is the most popular web programming language. Most people prefer to run php on Linux, in fact a lot of people think that you have to run php on Linux.

Windows can run php and asp.net, making it more robust. Starting with IIS7 (i believe), IIS includes many performance optimizations built in, thanks to some Windows/ZEND corroboration. They also started using FastCGI as default php handler in IIS.

I still maintain that there is never a clear winner, and that you should choose what works best for you, but I prefer Windows.

CPU Utilization
• IIS – 9 percent
• Nginx – 21 percent
• Apache – 26 percent

Peak Throughput
• IIS – 49,000 responses per second (r/s)
• Nginx – 23,000 r/s
• Apache – 14,000 r/s

Response Time
• IIS – 2.8 milliseconds
• Nginx – 5.5 milliseconds
• Apache – 6.3 milliseconds


[URLnf="http://www.gtcomm.net/blog/nginx-the-best-http-server/"]http://www.gtcomm.net/blog/nginx-the-best-http-server/[/URLnf]
[URLnf="http://www.webperformance.com/load-testing/blog/2011/11/what-is-the-fastest-webserver/"]http://www.webperformance.com/load-testing/blog/2011/11/what-is-the-fastest-webserver/[/URLnf]

 

[natemaingard]

natemaingard

Sheesh, no wonder people love Linux so much.

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

Huh....
IIS (Windows) uses less of the CPU, faster processing and faster response time...

 

[Jovani]

Jovani

Most people use PHP language on their site so it's not surprised when they must go with linux hosting

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

Why is that, when you can also host php on windows?

 

[Jovani]

Jovani

But it will not good as on linux because it was designed for the exact language it will support.

This happened when I used godaddy hosting (window hosting) which supported both PHP and ASP language and it has any problems when running with PHP sites.

 

[natemaingard]

natemaingard

Basically, Linux was made for PHP and other similar uses (business). Windows was made for more personal use. I think that is correct.

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

How long ago was that?
Do you know what php handler it was using?
I'd be interested in knowing major about the problems you faced.

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

Incorrect.
Php was written in C and every OS uses C, either directly or indirectly.

Now granted C was originally written using Unix as a guide, but this is simply because it predated Windows. Windows, Linux, Unix all started out as a new OS, built to improve upon existing OS's and Windows still uses C (or a variation. C++, C#).

I can write new code to serve a unique purpose or build upon something else. If I write that code in php, but do it on a windows computer, does that mean it was written on windows and will always run best that way?

 

[Jovani]

Jovani

It happened 3 years ago when I installed wordpress on my godaddy hosting and I couldn't connect to MySQL database and got some problems with PHP functions.

At that time, we used a window hosting which supported as well for ASP web system.

Now, I left GD, I use it for domains, not for hosting my websites.

 

[RDO Servers]

RDO Servers

Here is a sample Wordpress site running on one of my Windows 2012 Servers.
[URLnf="http://216.55.169.158/wordpress/"]http://216.55.169.158/wordpress/[/URLnf]

24 queries in 0.366 seconds.
Average load time of 0.6795 (115 runs).
9.96 out of 40 MB (25%) memory used.
Peak memory usage 10.09 MB.

 

[elcidofaguy]

elcidofaguy

That's got to be down to the popularity and demand of Wordpress CMS... Simply put there are more Wordpress sites than any other... Wordpress is based on MySQL (MariaDB can also be used) and PHP and hence you'll be needing a Linux based server to operate that... BTW - its possible to setup PHP on windows but for the most part it does not happen... Windows servers tend to be .NET framework which is primarily used on windows server...

 

[ElixantTechnology]

Both operating systems have their ups and downs, one of the main reasons that Linux is so raved about in the web hosting industry is the fact that the software is open source. This gives you a lot more control over the way the operating system and the software you are using functions. IIS may be a great web serving software, in the end however Windows in its entirety is more resource intensive than a core linux distribution. Linux allows you to cut out all the bloatware (including the desktop environment) for more operating capacity.

Another huge thing is cost, as a Microsoft Partner & SPLA member I understand that Windows is priced specifically for Enterprisee use, and thus this can be an inconvenience for a lot of people (operating cost to revenue ratio), whereas Linux is free in most cases.

Another is Control Panels, when it comes to hosting websites the most widely adapted control panel happens to be cPanel/WHM. I know some years back cPanel attempted to enter the Windows market by developing Enkompass, and though the software was great, the heavy restrictions set forth in Windows prevented them from providing customers with the functionality that cPanel customers have all grown to love. Plesk, though also popular, still lacks a huge amount of features that are looked at by customers as well.

Next off is web-software compatibility. A lot of open source software is developed to utilize technologies that are mainly powered by Linux based servers. This can cause conflict from time to time.

It all boils down to personal preference.

 

[RDO Servers]

It is true that there is a cost difference using Windows. Microsoft is very proud of their products!
Windows 2012 Server DataCenter Edition and SQL Server Enterprise will cost you some $$$$$$, but if your needing a single server, 2012 Standard/SQL Express is not bad at all.

Plesk got a bad rap with their older versions (pre v11). There were a lot of missing features and bugs. Update fixed some problems, but created new ones. I believe V12 is much improved. A lot of the cPanel/Plesk decision boils down to personal preference and what your more familiar with.

I really don't care which OS people prefer (although I do enjoy a good debate and playing "devils advocate"). I'm not trying to persuade everyone that Windows is better. I'm simply trying to understand the hatred for Windows. All the time I hear that people can't run php sites on Windows, but I have yet to see one that wouldn't work!

 

[Jovani]

Jovani

I have not use Plesk 11 or 12 version but I am using Plesk Onyx and it is pretty good, its features can compare with cPanel or other paid hosting control panels and price is more cheaper.

 

[Korim Fx]

Same here I used windows hosting once and it was a total nightmare I honestly think Linux is the only way to go with hosting and I agree Security is better with Linux.

 

[hostguy]

I always go with Linux hosting plan as it is more secure and another thing its easy to manage.

 

[jacobwallace]

In general, Linux hosting refers to shared hosting, which is the most common type of hosting. Windows hosting, on the other hand, runs on Windows servers and includes Windows-specific technologies such as ASP,.NET, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft SQL server (MSSQL).