In the early days of the web, the choice between Linux or UNIX hosting and Windows hosting was very simple. People only used Windows hosting when they absolutely had no choice. In fact, when Microsoft bought Hotmail, tech community insiders enjoyed pointing out that Hotmail did not run on Windows server. Today, though, the decision is more nuanced.

Both platforms can handle basic web serving tasks. If you simply need to post a static website consisting of HTML pages and files which do not require a special server, such as Flash, PDF documents, or downloadable programs and the like, there is essentially no difference between the two platforms. In this instance, your best option is to simply use the cheapest platform available.

The platforms diverge if you have more advanced needs, though. For example, if you have to use a Microsoft SQL database, then your only choice is a Windows hosting platform. Conversely, if your database application calls for My SQL, you could use either platform, but will likely find better performance on Linux.

Where Microsoft hosting excels is in integrating with other Microsoft technologies. Active Server Pages, which are HTML pages with embedded code, much like pages with server-side includes on a Linux system, are best run on Windows. In addition, integration with the Microsoft .Net protocol or the ability to run web applications coded in Microsoft programming languages and development environments both require a Windows server.

Windows hosting has also made great progress in the areas of security and performance. In the early days of the web, it fell light years behind Linux on both measures. Today, both provide a better-than-adequate level of security and performance.

Linux hosting, on the other hand, is the web’s jack of all trades. It supports most popular development languages, including PHP and Ruby on Rails. Quick perl scripts can handle simple applications delivered over the venerable, but valuable, CGI common gateway interface and server-side include pages let you drop simple dynamic data into any webpage. Because both Linux and most of the applications that run on it are open-source, you can also frequently find the hosting for a lower price than a Windows host. In fact, if you do not specifically need to connect your website to a Windows environment, there is almost no reason to prefer Windows hosting, unless it is less expensive.

Ultimately, both Windows and Linux hosting can do a great job of putting you on the web. Choosing between them is a simple matter of identifying which offers the specific tools and applications you need, and which has the best price.

Hello my name is Nisha Sharma I’m 26 years old and I am the Editor for whoishostingthis.com. I love to write and give online business advice to new and growing businesses, feel free to visit our site for more information.