Web hosting plans can have their servers run by different operating systems – they can be Windows or Linux. But what are the differences between them? It is necessary to know the characteristics of these operating systems to choose the most suitable for the hosting of your site.
The main differences between Linux and Windows servers
There is one obvious difference between Linux and Windows platforms: The operating system. Technically speaking, while Windows servers run a version of Internet Information Services (IIS) software, Linux servers are configured with the Apache server and can run one of the several distributions (CentOS, Debian, Red Hat, Ubuntu, etc.).
It is important to say, however, that the server operating system has no relation to that of the computer. Thus, you can host on a Linux server even if you use Windows to create the site. What changes are just some functions.
In a simple way, websites created in PHP (ex: WordPress) run better on a Linux hosting, although they work in Windows. Already sites built in ASP or .NET need a Windows hosting to work, because they are languages from Microsoft.
If you need to hire a hosting and are in doubt about what to choose, ask the support company. They can help you choose the best option. If you have hired a specialist to create your website, it can certainly help you with this choice.
