Linux Hosting is the Best Hosting Most of you technical minded readers must be wondering why web hosting is done so often on Linux servers? What makes service providers …
Linux Hosting is the Best Hosting
Most of you technical minded readers must be wondering why web hosting is done so often on Linux servers? What makes service providers offer and also prefer Linux over other hosting? In general, Linux hosting is shared hosting, and apparently the most popular one in the industry. In fact, most of the websites that we come across these days are now being hosted on Linux. It is primarily due to its affordable pricing and flexibility. That is widely compatible with PHP and MySQL as a result of which it can support scripts such as WordPress, Zen Cart, and phpBB.
There are alternatives to it. Windows hosting is the arch rival of Linux and it just uses Windows as the servers’ operating system. It offers Windows-specific technologies such as the very popular ASP, .NET, Microsoft Access and MS SQL server (MSSQL). Now if your personal computer is using windows, the question that must have crossed your mind a thousand times is that would you have to use windows hosting? The answer to that is “No.” The operating system that is installed on your personal computer has nothing to do with the type of hosting you decide to choose.
So, why are so many websites hosted on Linux anyway? It is not only because it is a free open source system and the fact that the web hosting service provider need not pay any licensing fee. They can use Linux as their hosting servers’ operating system for free and that enables web hosting providers to offer lower prices for their services. Thus even the end user benefits from it.
Comparison between Linux and Windows. So Let’s Just Pull Of the Bandage Once And For All
Linux has had to face a lot of difficult times while getting a strong foothold especially in the PC market. It is safe to say that it has somewhere less than 1% of market share. For many hosting customers working with Linux might come across as frustrating for the simple reason that they have never used it before. This OS and/or platform are completely new to them and most people who are unfamiliar with it end up cursing it.
But Let’s Not Get Carried Away Because There Are A Few Pretty Good Reasons Why You Should Go For Linux
These servers are much more affordable. Being an open source operating system it can be installed anywhere for absolutely any purpose you deem suitable and that too free of charge. This is the biggest reason as to why Linux is climbing the popularity charts.
And the same is very much true for the key pieces of software that you will need to serve a website:
- Apache – This is Linux’s leading Web server application
- MySQL – This is its most prominent database application
- PHP – This is without a doubt the most popular scripting language used on Linux
Large hosts are always in the favor of pushing Linux to the forefront because of no licensing costs, which lets them drop prices further and bring in bigger profits. The only thing that a host would have to pay for is the control panel tool that too only if they choose to offer one.
There is affordability everywhere because Linux is ideal for aging equipment. It is undoubtedly the best operating system for old and slow machines and thus the hosts can also use their older servers to get more output from their age old chip sets and processors.
But What Does The Industry Prefer?
Linux has robust management and maintenance tools that make administration easier. There are plenty of technicians that want to work in the hosting industry and Linux has certifications that make all of it possible. In addition to keeping customers happy, Linux is just always easier for a host. So now we know why so many websites are hosted on Linux.