HostEase Hosting Blog

After you have finished your web design and you think you are well prepared to publish your website to the people from all over the world, then it is essential to purchase a web host for your web business online. Web host is divided into two categories when it talks about operating system, Linux and Windows hosting plans. Which one is better, Linux or Windows? This is a real dilemma especially if you are lack of understanding.

In this state of things, it is natural for you to fall into the popular debate of which platform is better. Actually, both have pluses and minuses. Leave the debate alone and think of what is best for you. Many people who have little computer knowledge may make a decision according to the operating system that is installed on their personal computers. This is an error of judgment as the operating system of your PC is totally irrelevant to your selection of web hosting operating system and there is really no need to take it into account. Instead, the basic criterion for your selection should be in accordance with what platform will help you the most. In short, it is your website requirement rather than operating system of your PC should be considered.

Do you need to use following components or technologies that is only compatible for Windows server? .NET scripts, Microsoft SQL, Microsoft Access databases, ASP or ASP.NET scripts and other Windows scripting applications will not compatible with Linux server. Therefore, if you are a fun of Microsoft, it is advised that you should choose a Windows based platform so that you will make full use of different software and application of that company.

On the other hand, with Linux server, you will be able to run PHP scripts, MySQL databases, Python, XML and many other languages. If you are planning to run your website with platform independent languages such as, PHP and MySql, it is a wise choice to go with a Linux server. Linux is an open source system, where anyone can contribute to the development and it is well known to possess remarkable power and stability. As long as they are administered properly, Linux servers are able to execute several queries at the same time. Linux based databases, such as MySql and PostgreSql are relational databases and they are both inexpensive and very efficient. With either of these database, you website can operate very well. Linux servers are famous for dependability as they often maintain a very high percentage of uptime, at least 99.9%. Linux web hosting servers enjoys great popularity among webmaster and developers also contribute to its great reliability.

Linux hosting plans are generally 20% cheaper than Windows hosting plans. This is mainly because that Linux server and its supporting technologies are open source technologies and many online communities make various contributions without any charge while Windows is developed the stuff of Microsoft Company at very high operative costs and the company force people to pay for their license fee before using the Windows server. To use Windows server software it will cost your hosting company much more than using the free of charge Linux server software. And less cost for your hosting company will means less cost for you.

In addition, with Linux server, you will enjoy the greatest of ease when it comes to switching over to Windows system. If a user’s requirement changes with the website development, it is also fairly easy to upgrade a Linux server to meet that needs. Due to the great versatility, Linux has become a platform for many new technologies that become widely used in hosting industry.

To sum up, if you do not need support for some unique Microsoft products to set up unique features for your website like a searchable database or a chat facility, then Linux hosting servers will perform beautifully and flawlessly without doubt. Finally, it all depends on what you need rather than on the merits and demerits of the server. Except for website requirements, for many people the major factor in choosing a web hosting plan is usually the cost.

Tags: linux, Server, webhosting, Website, windows

Before getting a web host, you should be familiar with some basic concepts of web hosting. Here I’ll give a brief introduction of some fundamental concepts to make the beginners understand easily.

1. Server, Virtual host, VPS, web disk space
A server is a computer which is equipped with a set of necessary applications that provide web service. Generally speaking, there is no essential difference between a server and a computer, in some circumstances there are even servers that run not as smoothly as computers we use.

Virtual hosting is a method that host more than one domain names (websites) on the same server. Websites on the same server are independent from each other in a certain sense. Both virtual hosting and dedicated server can meet the needs of web masters, while the low price of virtual hosting gives it a big advantage over dedicated servers.

VPS, Virtual Private Server (also referred to as Virtual Dedicated Server or VDS), is a method of partitioning a physical server computer into multiple servers such that each has the appearance and capabilities of running on its own dedicated machine. Each virtual server can run its own full-fledged operating system, and each server can be independently rebooted. This is a hosting solution with performance higher than virtual hosting and price lower than dedicated server.

Web space, also known as disk space, is the holding space for your digital data, which may include server, virtual hosting and VPS mentioned above. Beginners usually pay a lot of attention on the volume of web space, while in face there are many other important factors they should take into consideration.

2. Dedicated IP address, Shared IP address (IP sharing)
Dedicated IP address and Shared IP address is a pair of corresponding concepts. In dedicated IP hosting, each virtual host has a different IP address. And in shared IP address hosting, all virtual hosts on the same server share a same IP address. The primary reason for a site to use a dedicated IP is to be able to use its own SSL certificate rather than a shared certificate.

3. Windows, Linux, Unix
When you come across the terms such as Windows hosting and Linux hosting, you should realize that these terms are used to describe the operating system of the server, which has nothing to do with the operating system used by your own computer.

The choice of the operating system on the web host depends on the requirement of your website application. Generally, PHP websites prefer Linux hosting, and Windows hosting are more suitable for websites designed with ASP, ASP.net.

4. IIS, Apache, MySQL, MSSQL, ACCESS
IIS and Apache are both popular web servers. MySQL, MSSQL and ACCESS refer to three kinds of database.

5. Concurrent Connection
This is a most concerned factor, which can also confuse lots of users.

The configuration of a web host can affect the max concurrent connection; however it can’t limit the online users within an exact number. The max concurrent connection is affected by several factors, such as the server, the web application you use, and the property of the visitors.

IIS connections can limit the max concurrent connection, while concurrent connection is more likely to be affected by the CPU limitation.

Page View (PV) and hits reflect the server load more precisely, and are more informative than concurrent connections. PV and hits are related to web applications.

With these basic concepts, you can start looking for a web host now.

Tags: IP, linux, Server, unix, Virtual host, VPS, web disk space, webhosting, windows