Stuck in the web hosting dilemma and pondering over which web hosting server to opt for? Figures on the Internet state that 60% of web-servers run Linux and 40% web servers run Windows. However, these figures alone would not help you take a decision regarding the platform that your server should be on. Your choice of server platforms is generally influenced by the use you intend to put it to. Here are some of the advantages of both Linux and Windows hosting that would make your decision relatively easier.

Advantages of Linux Hosting

Stability:

Servers running on Linux are considered to be more stable than the ones running on windows because Linux is an open source operating system, its code is open to the public and thus anyone can read it and suggest improvements or point out bugs. On the other hand, Windows operating system’s is proprietary and its source cannot be viewed by programmers outside Microsoft. Owing to this fact, Linux environment is considered to be more stable.

Linux Offers Better Protection:

Windows operating systems are more prone to viruses, trojans, adware, spyware as compared to Linux. This is due to the open programming environment of Linux which facilitates easy detection and fixation of security flaws. Thus, Linux hosting ensures better data protection and safety.

Cost:

As far as the web hosting is concerned, Linux hosting is cheaper as compared to Windows hosting. This is because Windows is proprietary software and charge higher prices for web solutions and server software. On the contrary, Linux being an open source application can be run on any number of computers for no additional charge. The cost advantage is thus transferred to the end user.

Better support for PHP, Perl, MySQL:

PHP, MySQL are some of the most popular tools for web application development. The combination of the open source software Linux (operating system), Apache HTTP Server, MySQL (database software), and PHP, Python or Perl (scripting language) are used for web application development and are known LAMP stack.

Advantages of Windows Hosting

Easy to Use:

If you are one of those who has knowledge about Windows operating system, having a Windows based server make the learning process much easier as compared to Linux Hosting. This is a plus point for beginners.

Support for ASP and .Net Scripts:

One of the biggest advantages of Windows hosting as compared to  Linux hosting is its ability to run classic ASP or .NET scripts. You require a dynamically database driven website for running ASP and .NET and Windows is superior in this regard. Both of these technologies can be used conveniently with Windows hosting as compared to Linux hosting.

Extensive Support and Compatibility

Windows hosting is compatible with all of the Microsoft products. For example all software components from IIS (Internet Information Service) to the SQL Server database system are made in a way that they are able to support each other. Also, many developers develop software and programs that are compatible with Windows platform. The same amount of compatibility cannot be expected when running ASP or MS SQL on Linux Server.

Now that you know about some of the advantages offered by Linux hosting and don’t want to miss out on these benefits, you may go for Linux hosting offered by  LimeDomains. You may go for our Standard or Premium hosting plans depending upon your web hosting requirements.

Creation of website is easy but choosing a web hosting provider & a suitable web hosting package for your website can be  quite a challenging task, especially for someone new. This critical decision is inclusive of multiple tenets, which must certainly be kept in mind while choosing an apt web hosting package.  Bandwidth is one of these important factors.

The concept of bandwidth is quite simple to understand. Bandwidth can be understood as the volume of data, which is transferred per unit of time. In fact, bandwidth is the rate of data transfer. It can be easily understood with the help of an analogy.

Here’s a quick analogy–Take for instance, a highway & cars. The broader the highway, the more is the number of cars passing through it. Similarly the greater the bandwidth, more is the rate of data transfer. How much bandwidth you consume depends on the content your website has. So if your website has a good number of videos, audio & multimedia files etc. obviously it would be seeking more bandwidth.

Bandwidth requirement is also determined by the number of visitors performing some actions on your website. The more is the number of visitors, the more is the amount of data transferred from your website, and so more will be the data transfer and hence more will be the bandwidth consumption.

Bandwidth requirement is driven by consumption such as uploads, downloads, transferals  etc. The more these actions are performed, more is the bandwidth needed. Hence, you must purchase a web hosting plan that meets your bandwidth requirements most efficiently & effectively.

Now you must be wondering ‘How much bandwidth does your website need?’ It can be easily figured out.

Bandwidth needed = Average Page Views × Average Page Size × Average Daily Visitors × Number of days in a month (30) × Redundant Factor

•    Average Daily Visitors: The total number of monthly visitors/30
•    Average Page Size: The average size of your web page.
•    Average Page Views: The average page viewed per visitors
•    Redundant Factor: A safety factor ranging from 1.3 – 1.8

(Note: Redundant factor signifies extra unused bandwidth. The greater the redundant factor, more capable your web server is for coping up with sudden peaks in traffic.)

Once you’ve your bandwidth figures with you, you can then decide easily which plan you should sign up for. It’s recommended that you don’t pick a cheap web hosting package since you can’t afford to compromise with the performance of your website for few bucks.

At LimeDomains, we offer three web hosting plans namely, Basic Plan–free with every domain purchase/transfer (Bandwidth offered: 1 GB), Standard Plan–for beginners & growing needs (Bandwidth offered: 100 GB) and Premium Hosting Plan–for high-traffic websites (Bandwidth offered: Unlimited).

Get your Hosting plan (satisfying your bandwidth needs) today!