No matter whether you have your website hosted on a Linux web server or a Windows web server, the process of moving the files to the server for hosting is virtually the same. But there are many people who wonder what the real differences are between these two types of web servers, which are the most common choices. Both the UNIX hosting web servers and the Windows hosting web servers will be accessing the same data files, so the primary difference is in how the software handles the data in those files.
The vast majority of website hosting providers use various versions of UNIX based software, making UNIX hosting services more common across the board. These operating systems most often used on such servers are Linux and FreeBSD, which are both free and without licensing fees.
As a result, the cost of a hosting operation based on these types of servers is lower. The Windows operating system costs thousands of dollars, so some web server hosting companies charge extra for accounts on a Windows server, if they even offer both options.
The main different that is evident when these two different operation systems are compared, is in the software that can be run on the UNIX hosting versus the Windows hosting. There are some specific software applications from Microsoft, such as APS, VBScript, and MS Access that these types of operating systems machines are not able to run, so they must be run on a Windows platform.
If it is absolutely essential to be able to run MS Access, ASP, or a VBScript, then it will be necessary to choose Windows web servers for hosting. UNIX is able to deliver dynamic content similar to the Windows programs by utilizing other software options such as PHP, CGI and MySQL. These software technologies are also available on Windows servers.
Because of the additional cost that is required to set up and run a Windows web host, many hosting companies only offer this option with a Windows dedicated hosting service. This usually makes the additional cost of the Windows operating system more justifiable, as the hosting services charge more for managed dedicated services, whether it is UNIX or Windows hosting.
Most of the low cost hosting and free webhosting services that are available will be UNIX hosting providers. Again, this is because of the fact that the UNIX web servers can run completely free software and that savings is passed along to the customers of the hosting provider, in the way of low cost hosting and even free hosting accounts, which many companies make available for websites with small disc space needs and low traffic demand.
The primary advantages of UNIX hosting as compared to Windows hosting is that there are many more choices in web server hosting providers. In addition, according to track records there is slightly better reliability with these types of operating systems servers, which is an important consideration when your web business resides on one of their servers.
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