Linux Community Magazine

Many people who set out to find a hosting company for their websites are under the mistaken impression that they have to host their websites on the same software platform that they build them on. This is actually not true. Even if you prefer the more traditional Windows approach when creating your website, you can actually use Linux hosting just as easily. This type of option might, in fact, offer some advantages that you haven't yet thought of. Here are just a few of the advantages that you should consider when you're thinking about having your hosting services on Linux.

One of the main advantages of hosting through a Linux platform is that this platform tends to be more stable than that of Windows. Basically, this platform is set up to run in separate modules that bow to one another, so to speak, in a certain hierarchy. If one of the modules malfunctions, it can shut down without ruining the run time of the others. Basically this means that you can keep your website up and running even if not all the pieces are working together. With a Windows system, on the other hand, you might actually have to reboot the entire system, losing uptake on your website more often than with Linux.

Linux hosting may also be a more secure option for your website for now. One of the reasons for this is simply that Windows has been around longer and is more popular. Because more people use the older platform, more malware programs have been written to infiltrate it. There are more than 11,000 malware programs in existence for Windows, and it can't possibly combat every single one of them. There are only about 800 malware programs written for Linux, on the other hand, so it can be much safer.

Finally, Linux hosting solutions can be quite a bit cheaper than Windows hosting systems. This isn't always the case, so make sure that you do your research to find out exactly what you're doing. Sometimes the difference only works out to a few dollars a year, but if you're running a more complex operation and need a dedicated server or another expensive solution, you might be able to save hundreds of dollars a year on a Linux hosting service. This type of service isn't always better than Windows, but it does had its advantages that are worth looking into.