Linux vs. Windows Web Hosting

You've decided to build a web site and now you're faced with the none to insignificant task of finding the right host for your site. As you begin wading through the murky and overpopulated waters of web hosts, you begin to notice some differences in plans. Mainly, do you want to host on a Windows platform, or a Linux platform?

Your first answer might be a quick one. Well, I've got Windows on my home computer and I already know that pretty well. I think I'll just go with Windows hosting. But this isn't a home computer. It's your web hosting, and the rules are different.

Not surprisingly, web hosts are at constant odds with one another over which presents the most stable operating system for a server, Linux or Windows. This confusion is compounded by the fact that a Linux server may actually run on any one of several operating systems, all in the Linux family: Debian, Red Hat, Fedora, Fedora Enterprise Edition.

I'm sure that aspect makes things all the more confusing, but, as an end user, unless you are running a dedicated or virtual private server, you can pretty much think of all of the Linux OSes as interchangeable.

Which platform, Linux or Windows, you will go with will likely determine which platform you will want to stick with in the future. All things equal, it's just what you're more familiar with.

The largest advantage Windows hosting offers over Linux is that many more Windows hosts offer support for ASP programming. ASP stands for Active Server Pages and provides a good deal of interactivity for your site visitors. You will occassionally find ASP support on Linux platforms, but such support is rare as the license is far more expensive on Linux machines. Windows servers also provide a good deal more functionality for ASP than Linux.

Word in the winds is that ASP is on its way out anyway, to be replaced with .NET, a Microsoft web application solution. If you're on the cutting edge of this technology, or would like to be, I'd sign up for that Windows hosting package as well.

Myself, I like Linux. The basic reason, besides the fact that I learned how to create web sites in a Linux environment and am comfortable here, is that Linux provides support for the .htaccess file. A nifty little thing that's really nothing more than a text file, .htaccess works hand-in-hand with Apache server to do all sorts of wonderful things for your site. From protecting your images from leeches to barring specific referrers and agents to redirecting users to a new URL for an obsolete page to making php pages look to the search engines like html files, .htaccess is one powerful feature. Given the choice, I'd go to Linux just for this - and have, indeed, left a Windows host just to get .htaccess back.

Hosting platform choices are a matter of personal preference. Linux and Windows both have features that are unique unto themselves. The key is to look at what you really need, what you're comfortable with, make a decision, and stick with it.