Web hosting has become very vital in this day and age of information since it is the gateway of bringing essential information to ordinary web users. Different individuals and businesses are to choose between the types of web hosting service they intend to use for their website. Web hosting is defined as the allocation of virtual space for your websites. There are several web hosting services that are used by individuals and businesses and they can be hosted in different types of operating system. Two most common operating systems for web hosting are Windows and Linux.
Linux is a free operating system that is gaining wide use today. It is a Unix-type operating system created by Linus Torvalds, and was improved by developers worldwide. Since Linux is a free operating system, it is available for use to everyone.
Linux web hosting is really dependent on the type of website you are thinking of uploading. If the scripting language of your website includes languages like PHP, my-SQL, and Perl, then Linux web hosting is the best choice.
There are several Linux web hosting category available such as the Linux Basics, Linux Essentials, Linux Professional and Linux Enterprise. Each of these categories has certain features that are fit to its name, use and cost. Generally, a Linux web hosting service includes customer service, email service, POP server, SMTP server, IMAP server, email support, guaranteed 99% network uptime, redundancy, control panel, protected directories, anonymous FTP, and FrontPage extensions.
Since Linux is free and open source software, it does not require you to pay high fees for licensing. You can download it at any time and use it freely. Also, if ever a change is required, it is very easy to convert a Linux website to a Windows website. Making changes in a Linux website is also hassle free.
Linux web hosting is very economical as it is free. It is also highly advised to use Linux when scripting language like PHP, my-SQL, Perl, etc is to be used. Linux proves to be very reliable with these scripts and is very cost effective. Also, there are several databases that run on Linux hosting such as m-SQL, My-SQL, etc. and these are optimized for communication with Linux web hosting.
Linux is also known to be more secured the Windows that is why most web designers and programmers use Linux web hosting services. More importantly, Linux hosting plans are more economical than Windows hosting so if you don’t really need extremely unique features for your website, then opting for a Linux web hosting service is best.
Just a note, however, that choosing the right operating system for your web hosting needs is very important since you want your website to be as user friendly and as navigable as possible. Remember that each operating system has different features that will answer the different needs of your website and knowing these features is very helpful to choosing the right platform to support the web hosting service you desire.
