Thalasar Ventures

When deciding on a hosting package for your website you should have a think about whether you need a server that runs on Linux or on Windows. Deciding which operating system your server will run on isn’t as confusing as it first seems.

The most obvious difference is the cost. Windows is a commercial product made by Microsoft and as such comes with a price, Linux however is an open-source product made free of charge which not only means you save money but also gives you the opportunity to edit the operating system itself if you needed to. However there are benefits to Windows that could be worth the extra cost depending on your needs.

One of these benefits is the ability to host Microsoft products such as Access or MS SQL databases. If you have built a website that uses these databases then you’ll need a windows server to run them. The same goes for any websites built using the .net framework. However if you have not started creating your site then you can always consider alternative technologies that would work on a Linux based server

Traditionally Linux based systems have been considered to be more stable and experience less downtime than Windows based ones, however recently the statistics don’t show much of a difference. Windows servers are run with the same level of expertise and efficiency as their Linux counterparts. There is also the opinion that Linux servers are harder to run than windows however with the wealth of knowledge available today there is always someone who will be able to help you with any problems on either operating system

Another issue to look at when deciding is web security. How much time do you have to dedicate to stopping threats, and how sensitive is the data you’re dealing with? If properly administered a Windows server is just as secure as a Linux server however it is Linux that has been seen historically as the safer option. Keep in mind that a badly run Linux server is just as insecure as a badly run Windows server.