Which one is better – a Linux Server or a Windows Server?
When we work on web development, there are only two types of operating systems we rely on- Linux Server and Windows Server. These are the two operating systems on which the server runs on and people often gets confused that which one is better among them. This is actually an unanswered question still as this depends entirely on the web developer that which operating system he wants to work on and what are his requisites. Both Linux and Windows have a few similarities such as-
- Both the systems support FTP access.
- Both Linux and Windows use some similar file types such as JavaScript (.js) and HTML Files (.html).
- The MySQL Database is supported by both Linux and Windows.
- CGI is another similar application used in both the operating systems. CGI is usually used in the shopping carts.
Let’s discuss a few details about the Linux and the Windows operating systems.
Linux System– It is the most used server operating system at present. Web developers love to work on Linux as it supports MySQL and PHP perfectly and above all it is absolutely free and are all open source applications. Web developers can make anything possible by coding MySQL and PHP together. However PHP can also run on Windows but it works best with Linux. The attributes and tabs used in it same as that used in HTML but many scripts and functions could also be run through the server. Apart from these benefits PHP also work well with different table such as Generic ODBC, PostgreSQL, Solid, Sybase, and Oracle.
Windows – Windows operating system has become increasingly popular among web developers because of ASP (Active Server Pages) which is a server coding language. ASP is supported only by Windows. ASP component is available free with Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack.
It is a lot similar to an HTML file as it contains different attributes and tabs as XML or HTML. In ASP the request is checked through the server and executed unlike in the HTML system which only return the file, and don’t run any functions. ASP is also loved by web developers as it can also link to several Database languages, to create dynamic pages and modify, insert, and accumulate data in databases.
Which one is better-? This squabble will never be solved as both of them have their own qualities and drawbacks. One major criterion to differentiate both the servers is the security. It is one of the biggest concerns while developing or hosting a website and especially when you have an e-commerce store. Both these servers have security problems so all you can do is to hire a good Website Design and Development company or a good web administrator.
Neither is better than the other one. Remember there are plus and minus in both, and the website is built by the web developer, not the Operating System of Web Server.
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alok
Hi friends, my name is Alok Vats, and I am the owner of this website I News India. From last six years I am trying to build this website, I started this website from scratch and then with the help of my friends like Pooja, Prachi, and Divya I published many articles over here. Recently Harshita, Tanmay and Aayushi too joined my website, and am really glad to share some articles written by them over here. I am sure many of you would love the same. These days I am managing the site with myself only and the focus is to share blogs on the topics like Blogging Tips, Self Improvement, SEO, and all other things which can make you to enhance your life.
I hate when people are just wishy washy about their opinions. Take a position and answer with strong points.
Windows gets the biggest % hacking history. Linux is very cheap and has the majority support on the web. Almost 80% website on the internet are hosted on a Linux distribution.
And just a cracker, Mac OS X is a fork of Linux. Talking about security?
How about FreeBSD? IMO, way better than Linux and Windows for servers
Thanks for good article. Hope to see more soon. . . . .
Well, if you ask me then my response will be the Windows server, many people out here are not aware about the power of the Windows server, but as Linux server is cheaper and convenient for the end user, many people always try to use the same.
I think Linux is better for simple hosting needs, but when you need to host applications windows options are better. Both are useful its own way.
@nelson: OSX Is not in any way related to linux. Its in the BSD Family.
@iwebhost: That’s just idiotic. ALL of the biggest most complicated webapps in the world are hosted on linux. The transparency and flexibility of the OS make it easily customizable to meet the needs of these complex, high traffic sites. Your opinion is completely backwards.
@Author: your article is filled with inaccuracies and irrelevant silly points.
“Both Linux and Windows use some similar file types such as JavaScript (.js) and HTML Files (.html).”
File types have nothing to do with operating systems. html and js are the end result of a web application regardless of the operating system it was created on. In fact virtually any file of any format can be used eqally well on ANY operating system (with the exception of binary executibles). completely irrelevant point.
“CGI is another similar application used in both the operating systems. CGI is usually used in the shopping carts.”
CGI Is not an application, its a “Common Gateway Interface” used to allow a web application to talk to a web server. its old and antiquated, rarely used these days, and has very little to do with shopping carts. I have been a web developer for well over 10 years and have never used a CGI script.
“Both the systems support FTP access.”
Again, FTP is ancient, obsolete, and yet, its still supported on every operating system known to man. the difference here is that on windows, FTP is unfortunately one of the easiest ways to get files to your server. No self respecting linux user would EVER, **EVER** transfer files to a server using FTP. its completely insecure, we have much more secure, much better tools for the job (ssh anyone?)
“The MySQL Database is supported by both Linux and Windows.”
Again, almost every DBMS is available on almost every operating system, the notable exception being MS SQL Server which of course only runs on windows. the database has virtually nothing to do with the operating system unless you really plan to use MS SQL Server.
Now that we’ve firmly established that you have very little knowledge of the fundamental differences between the operating systems, lets get into the opinions.
“The attributes and tabs used in it same as that used in HTML but many scripts and functions could also be run through the server. Apart from these benefits PHP also work well with different table such as Generic ODBC, PostgreSQL, Solid, Sybase, and Oracle.”
I’m going to assume by ‘tabs’ you meant to say ‘tags’ as in HTML Tags. that aside, you describe PHP as system that simply emulates html with some extra functionality. this is so far from the case. PHP is a simple scripting language that can be embedded INTO html. those attributes and ‘tabs’ as you call them, aren’t “just like HTML” they *ARE* html.
“Apart from these benefits PHP also work well with different table such as Generic ODBC, PostgreSQL, Solid, Sybase, and Oracle.”
so, just like EVERY other programming language in the universe, PHP comes with database connection libraries. Whooppee.
Windows – Windows operating system has become increasingly popular among web developers because of ASP (Active Server Pages) which is a server coding language. ASP is supported only by Windows. ASP component is available free with Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack.
ASP can also run under apache on linux.
This entire article didn’t highlight one single advantage of either of the operating systems it claims to compare. At best, it gives a flawed comparison of 2 of the crappiest web programming languages in existence. There is no discussion of the operating systems themselves or what advantages/disadvantages they have as web servers.