Before we address the individual features and the differences between Linux and Windows hosting, let’s start with the basics. A hosting web service, such as Liquid Web’s private cloud hosting, is a kind of internet hosting service that enables organizations or individuals to provide website accessibility through the World Wide Web. So how does it work anyway?
After a hosting provider has allocated space on a web server to store files for a website, that’s the hosting part of a website. The providers host you to keep your website’s files by giving you some room in simple terms. Web hosting works with various files that make up the website, such as images and codes that are available for online viewing.
So it is essential to know that a server hosts every website on the web. The amount of space that a website is allocated will depend on the hosting involved. These types of hosting are differentiated by the management level provided, additional service offered, and the technology used on the server. The different types of hosting include
- a) Reseller web hosting
- b) Dedicated hosting service
- c) Colocation web hosting service
- d) Clustered hosting
- e) Homes server
- f) Shared web hosting service
- g) Virtual dedicated server
- h) Managed hosting service
- i) Cloud hosting
- j) Grid hosting
While the above is the general web hosting services, some providers, such as Liquid Web’s private cloud hosting, give specific hosting services. These types of services include
- File hosting service
- Video hosting service
- Paste bin
- E-mail hosting service
- Image hosting service
- Blog hosting service
- Shopping cart software
About Linux Hosting
Linux is an Operating System that has gained credibility and popularity over the years because it is simple to use and a less maintenance OS to have. That also translates to the hosting services required on the OS. For Linux, only a couple of applications need a Linux server which makes it more convenient.
These applications include SSH, CGI, PHP/Perl, FrontPage Extensions, and Apache modules requiring applications or scripts. This makes Linux more convenient, and it’s packed with more features.
About Windows Hosting
Windows is getting less famous after the introduction of Linux, and that is for a good reason. Unlike the latter, Windows hosting covers quite some applications, which makes it less dependable and expensive. Furthermore, to use some applications such as Ms. SharePoint and Ms. Exchange, you’ll be required to purchase a license and install it on your server because Windows Dedicated Servers support them.
Some of the applications that require Windows servers include
- ASP Classic
- Microsoft Access
- ASP.NET
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Visual Basic Development
- C#
- Remote Desktop
Discuss: What is the Difference Between Linux and Windows Hosting
Several factors make the difference between Linux and Windows hosting. Some of these factors include
- Control Panels
Linux servers and Windows servers are different. This will affect the hosting that you’ll opt for. For example, cPanel is only available for all Linux-based hosting plans, WHM (Web Host Manager) only selects Linux hosting plans, and Plesk is for Windows dedicated and shared servers.
- File Names
To Linux, file names are so sensitive, like One.html is so different from one.html. However, Windows doesn’t significantly differ in file names, so ONE.html is not different from one.html.
- Server Security
Linux servers are regarded to be more secure than Windows servers, but in reality, it all depends on the setup and the hosting system administration rather than the OS.
- Server-Side Applications
More Windows server-side applications require hosting compared to the number of Linux applications requiring hosting.
- Ease of Use
Managing and accessing the Windows hosting server is pretty simple. On the other hand, interacting with Linux OS requires some knowledge in using the command line.
- Cost
Linux is an open-source platform, which makes it free to access. For Windows, you’ll have to incur some costs to hosting providers.
- Server Access
Windows OS has access to only FTP as the method to transfer files from hard drive to web server, while Linux offer FTP and SSH (telnet)
According to Liquid Web, “Select a plan based on the number of vCPU cores and the amount of RAM and storage you need. Then, as your needs grow, you can scale up each resource individually at any time.” That explains why it is essential to consider your needs before heading on to purchase a hosting plan.
