Choose Linux or Windows Dedicated Server?

Dedicated server hosting gives you complete control of the server hosting your web site. You choose what runs on the server and how secure it is. Different dedicated server operating systems are available and the main two operating systems used are Linux and Windows.

Linux Dedicated Server Hosting

The free operating system of Linux is installed on these servers, as the name implies. The main configuration setup of software on a cheap linux dedicated server is to use Apache as the web server, in addition to PHP and mySQL. With these servers, you will be given root access for control of aspects including php setup configuration, operating system patches and apache add on settings. Since Linux is a free operating system, there is no overhead cost for licensing and this results in the Linux Dedicated Servers being a cheaper option.

Windows Dedicated Servers

Windows servers are normally running a version of the Windows Server operating system. You will normally see the newest version of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 running on these servers. Unlike the Linux server, these are typically running IIS as the web server and SQL server for the database side. The option to run Apache on the dedicated web server is available on Windows by running a WAMP (Windows, Apache, mySql, PHP) configuration setup. On average most servers running Windows do have a higher monthly cost due to the licensing fees the service provider needs to pay for the operating system.

The owner of the server will ultimately need to decide if they would like Linux or Window on their dedicated server, as it depends on their server needs. Different requirements will lead to different server selection. Those looking for a cheap dedicated server solution will want to purchase the cheaper Linux servers. Anyone running open source PHP applications will almost always want to select a Linux server as their first option. If you plan to develop using Microsoft .Net, you will need to select a Windows Server, and you will typically get SQL server database with it. The choice ultimately depends on what you will be running on the server.

You will need to decide if you want a managed or unmanaged dedicated server after selecting a server operating system. Managed indicates the provider will do OS patch upgrades and installations, while unmanaged means everything except the power on the server going down is your responsibility.

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