Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

September 08, 2011

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Linux Web Hosting

You've probably heard from a lot of people about the superiority of Linux as an operating system.  You are wondering if they're right, and you're wondering if that means that it also makes for a superior web hosting experience.

As with all things, the accurate answer is “it depends on who you ask”.  But the consensus does seem to be that there are a lot of things to be happy about with a Linux web host.  There are also some caveats to take into account.  Here is a quick summary of what you should expect if there is one you are considering using for your web site.

The advantages of free

Linux is a free, open-source operating system.  This means lots of good things for you as a customer.  The most obvious advantage of this is that there is no licensing fee to pass onto you: one estimate states that Linux web hosts are 20% cheaper than their Windows counterparts.

A less commonly thought of advantage is that with an open source operating system you can make and distribute changes at any time.  This means that if a deficiency is found, a system operator doesn't have to wait for an “official” patch to be created and made available for download.  They can get the patch from a fellow operator, or even do it themselves.  Linux has a strong user-based community which is efficient at communicating to each other necessary improvements; this is another significant advantage to Linux, as this is a community you'll be able to call on yourself as a user.

Secure and stable

One good thing that comes from this is that Linux servers are considered extremely secure and stable.  For a public web host, the importance of the former cannot be overemphasized.  With the rapidity of software upgrades and changing technologies it can be extremely difficult for a web host to keep up with potential security holes, and the overall stability of the underlying operating system chosen can either make this process either much more easy or much more difficult.

The main disadvantage: compatibility

If your web site is simple then it doesn't often matter what operating system you use.  But if your web site needs to use proprietary Windows-based software, such as Microsoft Sharepoint, Microsoft Exchange Server or ASP (Active Server Pages), then you're not going to be able to use Linux servers at all.  Don't underestimate this importance: if your web site has to share data or structures with other sites you won't want to have to fuss with information translation, and Windows web sites are popular.

On the other hand, if you start with a Linux host and discover that you need to move to Windows you should be able to do so with ease.  It's only if you move in the other direction that you'll have problems, for the aforementioned reasons.

In this case you can believe the hype: Linux web hosts are worth the investment, especially taking into account that they are usually the cheaper alternative.  Just make sure that there isn't something specific about your needs that would require you to seek out a Windows or other alternative.

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