Linux or Windows Hosting - which one is right for you?

Well, you finally selected a company for hosting your web site. When you are ready to purchase the hosting plan, they ask you: Which platform do you want to host your web site with, Linux or Windows server? Which one should you choose? I hope this explanation can help you in choosing the correct hosting platform for your web site.

All hosting companies offer a choice between Windows-based and Linux-based web hosting platforms. Many people think that they must select Windows hosting because the operating system they are using to create the web site is Windows. The truth is that the majority of web sites on the Internet are hosted on Linux servers no matter how they were created.

You only need Windows-based hosting if your web site requires Microsoft-specific applications, such as ASP, ASP.Net, Microsoft SQL Server, or Microsoft Access databases. If you do not need any of these Microsoft-specific applications, then it is recommended to host your web site a Linux server. If you are unsure whether you use any of these applications, it is probably safe to select hosting on Linux.

If you have Windows on your machine, you can still manage a web site hosted on a Linux server and also browse any web site hosted on a Linux server. Linux servers host most web sites on the Internet and will provide you with the reliable hosting services.