If you are a newbie or experienced person in an online market, then at the time of site creation. You might have encountered the lack of conviction: while selecting VPS hosting for your website. Which is the best Os for VPS hosting? concerning operating systems such as Linux or Windows? These queries can give rise to other doubts like “if you are using Linux for the first time, will you be able to publish your website?” or “if you select the wrong platform, will there be an issue?”
These questions are simple to answer. With basic knowledge, it is feasible to understand the differences and know how to select the most appropriate and suited platform for your case. In this post, I will try to unfold the fundamental difference between the cheap Linux VPS and Windows operating systems. Which one is perfect for VPS hosting.
The main difference between Windows and Linux servers:
The significant difference between the two platforms is the operating system. Windows servers mainly run a version of the IIS software (acronym as Internet Information Services). On the contrary, Linux servers are usually configured with the Apache server. It can run on various distributions that exist for the Linux operating system. The most famous distributions for web servers are CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and many others. This variety of distributions is because the Linux source code is free and open-source.
The vital thing that you need to know and to decide between a Windows or Linux hosting are questions related to the website or the app that you wanted to host for your website. One more crucial thing that you should keep in mind is that the chosen hosting server’s operating system has no relation to the operating system of a computer that you use at home. That means, e.g., you can select the Linux server even if you have used a Windows or Mac OS system to build your site.
Which one is Best OS For VPS hosting: Windows or Linux hosting?
The first and foremost query that arises in your mind while choosing an operating system between Windows or Linux depends on the application that you intend to host. E.g., if your website is built with the PHP language, then Linux hosting is the best Os for VPS hosting. While Windows servers even run PHP, this is a language native to Linux servers. On the other hand, Windows servers also have several native languages developed by Microsoft, especially to run on this sort of server.
ASP and .NET programming languages are an instance and merely supported by IIS (Windows) servers. And if this is your scenario, the best OS for VPS hosting is to choose Windows hosting. If a website doesn’t use any programming languages on the server and instead only contains HTML and CSS, you can select any of the platforms as both support these languages correctly.
Comparison between the Windows and Linux:
For better understanding and comparison between the Windows and Linux platforms, below is the comparative table with the popular application/ CMS used on the Internet and their compatibility with each platform.
Some popular applications are created for content management, such as WordPress CMS (don’t get confused with WordPress.com, that have their hosting and can’t be installed on your server) or Magento (It is an open-source and free e-commerce store). Most of the time, these apps are offered with automatic installers by web hosting companies. You can install these apps manually.
Furthermore, most of the applications have been created with PHP and can be installed on Windows and Linux hosting servers. Remember that any PHP app will perform better on a Linux hosting server because PHP is a language native to Linux servers. Besides the technology used, you can’t ignore the price of it.
Windows hosting is more costly as the hosting provider must pay a license to use the Windows operating system. On the other hand, with Linux, this license doesn’t exist, as it comes free of charge. There are many web hosting companies that provide several web hosting services at an affordable price.
By default, all VPS plans are managed, and the features are as follows:
VPS hosting setup
Control panel installation and configuration
Third-party software installation
Linux security and hardening
CMS and Web application installation
CSF Firewall installation and configuration
Optimizing web server and fine-tuning
Database optimization
Network fine-tuning
Server performance fine-tuning
Security optimization
Kernel patch updates
Malware, virus detection, and protection
Installation of security patches and updates
Spam protection
Database and Website security
Protection against server blacklisting
Malware removal
VPS performance optimization
VPS migration
DNS setup
Hardware and network related issues
Unlimited ticket, emails, and chat support
The standard Windows VPS hosting features are as follows:
Hyper-V Platform
Unlimited SQL Databases
Enterprise Hardware
Remote Desktop Access
Unlimited Email Accounts
Premium Network
Managed Windows VPS
Run ASP/.NET Website
Enhanced Security
Windows Server 2012 R2
Run MetaTrader 4/5
Free Website Migration
Windows Server 2016
Supports all MVC Frameworks
Upgrade At Anytime
Host Unlimited Domains
Private Name Servers
Guaranteed Resources
To conclude the topic, if you are wondering or searching for a VPS hosting plan, but your budget is not enough, go with Linux VPS; otherwise, select Windows VPS if you have got an ASP.NET website.