When choosing hosting providers for your website, you will often notice that the advice articles you can find online focus on different types of servers and what package costs. This is important stuff, of course, but it’s not the only decision you have to decide whether to use shared or managed hosting, or VPS or dedicated.
You will also have to choose between Linux and Windows. Just like when choosing an operating system for your computer, you’ll soon realize that hosting has both its flaws and strengths. In this article, we’ll try to figure out what they are, what use cases they apply best to, and which one is better for WordPress hosting.
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Linux is the open source darling of people who don’t want to spend huge sums of money on software licensing, don’t want to deal with viruses, and don’t mind sacrificing some of their spare time to get a level. The proficiency required to work on Linux with ease. Linux may not be the operating system the average computer user would recognize, but the same average computer user may have come in contact with Linux more times than he realizes.
Linux Hosting Pros
Overall, Linux will be the more affordable, safer and more secure option. This is because it is not a proprietary product of a software giant and is not a huge target for malicious people of any kind.
The operating system is also flexible and its stability is legendary. Add to that the fact that it doesn’t strain the computer’s resources too much, and you’ve got yourself a very popular operating system. Supports Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, MySQL, cPaneland many other languages, databases and software solutions.
Linux Hosting Cons
Despite all its flexibility and stability, Linux is not the easiest operating system to use. Updating can sometimes turn into a nightmare. Another notable issue with Linux is, some software and hardware solutions are not very keen on supporting a Linux port.
We all know that Windows dominates the PC operating systems market. While that makes it a household name in size that Linux can almost never achieve, it doesn’t make it an easier, better, or more intuitive operating system for your website server – even if it manages to control some of these features. list. Windows is simple and designed to appeal to the consumer – it has something in common with desktop versions.
Windows Hosting Pros
Windows is a beginner-friendly operating system that makes great use of the familiar graphical user interface if you prefer it during installation. Because it’s such a popular operating system, you can always expect to have access to the latest drivers for the hardware it uses, just as you would expect it to be compatible with a wide variety of software solutions.
As for the scripting languages it uses, It is a big draw for Windows, as are ASP.NET, MSSQL, and Microsoft Access databases. Windows relies on Plesk for management rather than cPanel and supports .NET applications.
Windows Hosting Cons
Windows is not cheap. Licensing is costly and having more users on a server won’t help you break the bill into smaller chunks. Windows is a huge target for malicious people trying to threaten the security of a website and infect it with malware, spyware or ransomware. Add to this the lack of transparency, plenty of room for user errors, and a constant hunger for resources and you’ve got yourself a flawed but interesting operating system for your server.
In general, if you are planning to have a WordPress website, it would be better to look for a server running on Linux. It’s more stable, reliable, and cheaper, and that should be enough to convince many website owners that Linux is the better choice. Linux machines can literally run for years without needing a reboot.
These aren’t the only reasons to use Linux for WordPress though – there’s also the fact that Linux has an advantage over Windows when it comes to easily running PHP without third-party helpers. This is a big thing. Linux’s market share should speak for itself – it runs roughly three-quarters of servers worldwide. So Linux seems to have an advantage, both in terms of being better for WordPress and being a better option overall. Up to a certain point.
In some cases, you may want to use one of the Windows-specific options such as ASP.NET support, MSSQL, .NET applications, or Plesk as a management tool. If that’s the case, you’ll have no choice but to look for Windows hosting.
Unless you are running a dedicated server, you cannot request that the software used to run your server be changed. If you want to switch from Windows to Linux or vice versa, you have to change all services. Your hosting provider can handle this for you.
However, you have to keep in mind that some things that don’t work in Linux do work in Windows and vice versa. Therefore, before you decide to switch from one server operating system to another, you must first make sure that your website is compatible with your future server operating system.
Let’s wrap it up!
Linux and Windows are two great operating systems that have a lot going for them. They also divided the market quite reasonably – Windows dominates the personal computer market, while Linux is the most widely used operating system for servers. This means that when hosting your WordPress website, you are mathematically more likely to go to a Linux server and be better off for it. However, if at any point you decide to move your website to a Windows server, you can do so as long as there are no compatibility issues.
