Linux vs Windows Hosting

One would assume that searching of a hosting should be easy, but unfortunately it is not so much. You should find the right hosting company, and then you should decide whether you need a shared plan, or a VPS, or a reseller…, and then to confuse you even more there are Linux and Windows plans to choose from. This article will focus on the difference between both operating systems hoping to help you decide which one is suitable for you.

The very first fact is that choosing the OS of your hosting plan does not reflect the operating system of your computer, nor does it reflect your potential visitors’ ones. The OS of your plan is regarding the servers on which the plan is hosted. You will be able to access your control panel and your site no matter whether you have Fedora, Windows Vista or XP, or any other installed OS on your computer. In order to manage your account you will mainly use FTP and this is supported with both plans. Having clarified this, what are the main differences between the two types of plans that we, from MochaHost, offer to you?

Databases

In case you want your site to be dynamic, you will need at a certain stage to configure a database. MySQL is very popular and it is supported on both platforms. It is still a little bit performing better on the Linux plans.  However, if you need to have MS Access or MS SQL then you will be left with no choice but to pick the Windows plan.

 

Price

Since Linux is an open source and most of its features are free, the price for these plans is in general cheaper compared to the Windows ones where each application costs a significant amount of money. However, since at MochaHost we try to provide the best services possible at affordable prices, we have made this difference so small that it could be neglected as a determining factor.

SSH

It is only supported with our Linux plans. SSH is a secure shell used to log into the system and transfer files or execute commands and complex scripts. It gives you direct access to the server and is mainly used for server administration.

ASP and .NET

If you need any of these scripts, then you should choose a Windows plan since ASP and .NET are supported only with these plans. The alternative provided for the Linux plans is using PHP as a scripting language.

PHP, MySQL, Python and Perl

Here Linux definitely performs better and if you plan to use extensively any of the mentioned above PHP, MySQL, Perl and Python, then you should go for a Linux plan since they are mainly designed for this operating system. However, all are supported with our Windows plans as well.

Mocha Lighting Fast Guarantee and Mocha Load Protection

These features are unique for the hosting business and ensure that your site will perform at its best 24/7. Due to the nature of implementing them, they are offered only for our Linux plans.

Reliability

We provide security for both plans and this should not be a real determinant. But to make the comparison full, this feature cannot be excluded since Linux is considered to be more optimized and secured operating system. Windows is more vulnerable to malicious attacks and viruses so here the better one is Linux.

Free tools

We do provide such for both plans, however due to the nature of the Linux operating system, there are much more free tools to be implemented and used for your site. You will find the most commonly used WordPress, Joomla, phpBB in both categories. But there is much more variety in our Linux plans, providing you a vast choice for creating your blog, forums, e-commerce sites, portals, etc.

 

When choosing which plan you want, it mainly depends on your preferences and what you would need for your sites. Our advice is to consider whether you will need MS SQL, MS Access and ASP for your site and if you will need them, go for the Windows plan. Otherwise, a cost-effective, reliable and stable solution will be to choose one of our Linux plans.

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