Which platform is better for web Hosting?

[Web-rooniev]

Which is better - Linux or Windows?

We are often asked which hosting platform one should choose: Linux or Windows. Below, we’ve listed the major differences between the two that you should consider in making your decision. In the process, we have also tried to dispel any common misconceptions regarding these platforms. Generally, we recommend to use Linux, unless they need specific features/applications only available on the Windows platform.

Reliability
The general consensus is that Linux is more reliable and our experience also shows this. We have had servers up for over one year without any downtime. Microsoft’s Windows 2000 is much more stable and reliable than previous versions, but there are still cases where a server will require a reboot to resolve an issue.

Functionality
This is where these two platforms differ the most. There isn’t much that can be achieved using one platform that can’t be done on the other one. The main difference are the underlying technologies. For example, if you need a database driven web site, you can choose either PHP/MySQL combination under Linux or ASP/MS SQL combination under Windows®2000.

Security
Out of the box, neither Linux or Windows is very secure for Internet use. So some modification is required to make it secure.

Price
Linux holds an edge due to the fact that the most of the software we use is open source (free) and that it’s easier to maintain Linux servers than Windows servers for the same level of reliability and performance. On Linux apache web server is nearly bullet proof and it is very stable and gives high performance.

Hosting Choice
When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, been widely considered the best OS for Web servers. It’s typically found to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and, as such, it’s commonly used for the demanding environment of Web and mail servers. If you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windows is what you need. But the fact that over 75 per cent of all sites are hosted on a Unix platform tells you something.

Speed
There is no difference in terms of speed between the two platforms.

File Types
Almost all the file types are supported on Linux web server. Commonly, the following extensions are supported:
.cgi, .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .asp (requires additional plug-in), .xml, and others. Basically it means that you can host web sites that use different types of server side scripts including .cgi, .pl, .php, and .asp (with plug-in).

Easy to move to other Hosts
A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily, where as the reverse is not always true. This provides flexibility in changing hosts as required.

Scalability
Usually, a web site starts with a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suit the customers requirements. It is preferable to design a web site keeping this requirements in mind. A web site designed for compatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets the scalability requirement easily without making any site wide design changes.

[krissybee14]

I think Linux is the best... I have read through quite a few forums who have discussed threads like this one. And almost all of them favor linux over windows. Because of the easy to use tools and it is more popular...

[Hafsoh]

Yes Linux provides superior security compared to Windows systems, and works on more hardware, from 486 processors to the latest Pentium 4s. In many ways, Linux is more a set of infinitely rearrangeable operating system building blocks than a unified OS.

[Alexis]

This also depends upon the preferences of a user. For specific requirements such as ASP, ASP.NET, Windows Streaming Media, Access, MS SQL Server or any of the other Microsoft’s owned technologies, a user has no option but to go for Windows Hosting.