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!

Countless web hosting sites have surfaced on the World Wide Web.  And so have countless web hosting offers & countless myths! It’s time to cut through delusions & know the truth about web hosting; shared hosting in particular in this post.

Here are some common myths related to Shared web hosting, which no longer hold true.

Myth#: That Shared hosting is a victim of “bad neighborhood” problem

It’s a common belief that as hundreds of websites are sharing the common server space in shared web hosting, your site might suffer from slow speed if any of the bad neighbors (websites) is consuming lots of RAM/disk IO/memory/network etc.

Fact—Most of the good web hosting providers have been able to minimize this problem to a great extent with their quick action & considerable monitoring of the server. A good provider aims to keep its server in a healthy state by keeping a constant vigil on its online resources. If any intricacies crop up on the server, it takes the necessary action to resolve the issues and send an alert to all the website owners. As a result, the ‘bad neighborhood’ problem is no more a serious concern.

Myth#: That Shared hosting is non-flexible

It’s a common perception that shared hosting is not flexible, and not many latest software can be run on the shared server.

Fact—Shared web hosting is flexible. A good shared web hosting provider would allow you to successfully install and run any software provided it adheres to its AUP (acceptable use policy) & does not consume a lot of available resources on the server. It also fetches you all the required tools using which you can install the software in the home directory of your website & are not supposed to reboot your system to run the same.

Myth#: That Shared hosting is NOT up-to-date

It’s commonly believed that shared hosting does not entail the latest developments & resources in the web hosting business.

Fact—A good modern shared web host equips its users with all the advanced tools, applications & resources besides updating its repository with new tools from time to time. So, when you purchase a shared web hosting plan keep aside all the fears & go ahead confidently hosting your site on a shared web server.

Myth#: That Shared hosting is full of hassles.

Many people think since there are numerous websites housed on a common server, the experience of shared web hosting would be problematic or rather horrifying. And that, it can deter the progress of your website.

Fact—Shared web hosting does not encompass hassles as it’s commonly thought. Also, it’s available at quite affordable prices, and does not create a hole in your pocket in the process of hosting your website. In shared hosting, the backup of all your data & files is created on the server. So, you don’t need to worry about the aspect of data loss too.

We hope that reading this post would help you overcome some of the myths that you may have about shared hosting, and prompt you to try a shared web hosting plan of a good provider for your website.

If you’re paying for domain registration & web hosting separately, you can save great bucks by transferring your domain to us & you’ll be able to host your website on our shared architecture, absolutely Free.

Get started today!

Clustered hosting has lately turned around heads of many including biggies such as YouTube, Yahoo!, MySpace, Flickr etc., which use this web hosting service. Usually, it is chosen by big companies with massive websites receiving thousands of hits every day.

It’s too easy to understand what actually clustered hosting is. In this type of hosting, the load of hosting is served across multiple physical machines (servers or nodes), which increases availability & redundancy of resources thereby enabling the website to run smoother than ever.

Similar to cloud hosting, this hosting service utilizes virtualization technology to improve security & system resources. When you use clustered hosting, you don’t find yourself grappling with the issues of bandwidth, disk space, processing speed, RAM etc. This is practically because through your hosting account, you can easily access the infinite hardware. Also, you can upgrade your website without any hassles & take the productivity threshold of your website to a different level altogether.

Now answering the question when do you actually need it, we would say that sometimes arise  situations when upgrade is very much required but the restrictions posed in other types of hosting might cause your website to be down or run sluggish. This may result in loss of your potential customers & resultant sales. The other possibility of using clustered hosting is that sometimes a single server is unable to address the demands of a website. It is then this type of hosting services emerges as a feasible option.

Also, in clustered hosting you’re not supposed to plan in advance when you should upgrade your website. As & when you website requires some additional power, it can be easily obtained from the cluster of available system resources spread across a number of servers.

Benefits of Clustered Hosting

Speaking about the advantages of clustered web hosting service, it boosts the scalability, performance & efficiency of your website. Since your website remains no longer confined to a single server, it gains unlimited potential. When set up your website on this architecture, you can rest assured that you would not receive complaints of slow-running website as it suffers no effect from abrupt traffic surges. Like most other web hosting plans, you are supposed to pay for it too on a monthly basis.

After reading this post if you wish to set up your website on clustered architecture, we are there to help you out. At LimeDomains, you can choose from either of our hosting plans—Standard or Premium—& get started with reaping the benefits of our clustered web hosting services.