Should I choose Linux or Windows web hosting plan?
Linux web hosting or Windows web hosting this question if asked to a new hosting user; especially the one who is not aware, that person will give ambiguous answers. This question can be synonymous to the question which is asked to a kid, who do you love more your mummy or daddy? To select windows or Linux hosting has absolutely no connection with what operating system you are using on your desktop. Even if you have windows O.S on your local machine you can still use a Linux hosting plan and the inverse is also true. The following will help you to decide whether windows hosting or Linux hosting will be better for your website.
What is the framework that the website is based on: If your website is based on technology that is windows specific like ASP.NET, Microsoft SQL, Microsoft Access, then it is advisable for you to use the windows plan because it will relieve a lot of compatibility issues.
Price or the budget you have allocated for running the website: If you want something which is more economical and you are not obligated to use windows specific technology, then you may go for the Linux hosting which is also known as cPanel hosting when compared to windows hosting is more economical as there is a license cost associated with windows.
Specifications and features useful to you: The servers that provide the hosting space has certain specifications. To function properly and smoothly, some websites require higher server specifications. For instance, if you have an e-commerce website where the site loading speed and smooth navigational flow are important to your e-commerce consumers, then the server specs may have an impact. Hence, you may select windows hosting plan or Linux hosting plan by considering the specifications and features that will be beneficial for your website.
The control panel, user interface offered by the hosting: This is important to the user, particularly when the user is new to web hosting. What is the control panel offered with the hosting plan, is it cPanel for Linux, plesk for windows or some customized control panel offered by a particular hosting provider. How is the user interface, is it user-friendly or you will have to contact the hosting provider’s support even for small things. What control panel will be better suitable for you, or which will be easier for you to learn can be decided by checking the demo of different control panels. Ultimately, this will help you to choose which hosting plan is better for your website, i.e. windows hosting plan or Linux hosting plan.
Scalability, Security and Additional features: These may be considered keeping in mind, what exactly you need from your website. At the initial stages of your website you may sign up for a shared hosting, windows plan or shared hosting Linux plan, but in the latter stages your website may require dedicated server hosting. Also, consider if you start with windows hosting and later if you want to move to Linux hosting then is there any provision for data migration from the windows server to Linux server or vice-versa. What about the server security, does the hosting provider offer SSL certificates, data backup facility. Whether there is availability of additional features like PCI compliance, server monitoring, and spam filter, etc. all this should be well thought-out and you can check which hosting plan is offering features that are optimum for your website.
Technical Support offered: The decisive factor may also be technical support offered by the hosting provider. At times, it may happen that the hosting provider’s technical support may be expertise in either one of them i.e. windows or Linux. In general, most of the hosting companies have more Linux techs than the windows techs. So if you want to sign up for windows hosting plan, then whether the support provided by the hosting company is available 24x7 and will the support be knowledgeable and exuberant support.