What is the Difference Between Linux and Windows Web Hosting?

Whenever you go for a web hosting plan, you have to select the operating system on which the server will run. Windows and Linux are the two most popular operating systems for web hosting. Operating systems work at the back end and it does not make much difference to the end user. However, the features and options provided by Linux and windows operating systems for web hosting should be definitely considered before selecting the one that’s best suited for your requirements. 

Windows and Linux, both offer FTP access to your files. However, only Linux Hosting generally offers telnet or ssh access through which you can open a window directly on the Web server to edit them. If your website is going to be a dynamic web site then you will need a database too. Access and MySQL are the two most popular databases. Linux servers most often offer mySQL. However mySQL runs on both Linux and Windows. Access is available only for Windows Hosting.

Security is one of the major concerns for any website. Many people consider Linux to be more secure than Windows web server but they are both equally secure. Security is more an issue at the level of hosting service's administration and not at the operating system level. Good administrators ensure that your server remains secure whatever the OS is.

Now which OS to choose for web hosting? You can select Linux or Windows web hosting based upon the features that you need for your website. Linux web hosting is more popular because it has more features for better web designing. However, many websites need specific Windows applications. If your website needs window specific applications then you have to go for windows web hosting. In case you want to experiment with both Linux and Windows hosting, you can opt for Java Hosting. When you use Java hosting, you don’t have to face portability issues. The same underlying code works on both Windows as well as Linux servers and it is suitable for everyone, from beginners to technical experts.