Choosing Your First Linux Web Host

Choosing your first Web host is an important decision. You will, hopefully, have a long relationship with whatever host you choose. To make a decision, first you need to decide that what you need and then visit the sites of several hosting providers and evaluate what they are offering in regarding your requirements. If you choose wisely you should get good value for your money, consistency and prompt well-informed support. Get a Good Linux Web Host at OnSmart.net

Linux and its predecessor UNIX and Windows 2000 and its close relate Windows NT are types of operating systems that web servers use to do its operations.

In most of the cases Linux Web Hosting Account is recommended because Linux is considered as more reliable, stable and more universally compatible with any operating system. This is due to the functionality and speed of the Linux operating platform. Without any doubt, Linux is far more stable than Windows in a shared-server, or multi-user environment. Get a Good Linux Web Host at OnSmart.net (http://www.onsmart.net )

 

On the other hand, if you know that you will be using Microsoft applications extensively, or you plan on developing extensively using FrontPage, especially FrontPage 2002, MS SQL, ASP.NET or if you are looking for E-commerce add- ons or you will be using high-end databases then Windows/NT Hosting is the right choice for you. But if you are looking for universal compatibility regardless of the operating system the end user has, Linux has the ability to run a much wider variety of custom scripts and programs than Windows 2000/NT, and it offers easier, lower-cost set-up for advanced applications such as CGI scripts, databases.

Under Linux web hosting operating system, there is, database, server software and gathering of coding. Linux is the most preferred and demanded operating system because of its features and vigorous environment and it is the next best alternative to Microsoft and UNIX operating system. Linux is widely used and chosen worldwide due to its permanent network and server operating system. Linux operating system and APACHE web server, MYSQL database, PHP server coding applications are clustered under one roof that is Linux web hosting and for this, it is also known as LAMP server. The most reliable web hosting under web based applications is the Linux, and Apache is grabbing the market of Microsoft servers according to a survey over million of sites. Get a Good Linux Web Host at OnSmart.net

 

Advantages of Choosing Linux Based Web Host

Following are the advantages of using Linux based web server compared to Windows based web server:

1. Stable:

Linux/Unix operating systems has traditionally been believed to be very stable and robust. A web site housed on a Linux operating system will have very high up-time (of the order of 99.9%). Of course, other factors such as power supply, network admin skills, and network load etc. also matter when it comes to maintaining the system uptime.



2. Low cost of ownership:

The Linux OS comes free of cost (or at very insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution). Also, it has full fledged server, and desk top applications that comes free along with the OS. These server applications (such as FTP, Web Server, DNS Server, File Server etc.) being free, are also very stable.

3. Ease of use:

When it comes to web hosting, it is easy to host on Linux web servers. The process of uploading and hosting is almost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. If you want to use a Windows based tool such as Front Page for uploading a web site on to a Linux based web server, make sure that the Front Page extensions are enabled. This is only required if you are uploading using HTTP feature of Front Page. Front Page also makes it possible to upload a web site using FTP. Note that if you select “Front Page Extensions” during web site design, you must enable Front Page extensions on a Linux web server also.

You can use almost all types of file extensions or scripts when using Linux web server. Commonly, the following extensions are supported: .cgi, .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .xml, and others. Basically it means that you can host web sites that use different types of server side scripts including .cgi, .pl, .php, and .asp with plug-in. Get a Good Linux Web Host at OnSmart.net

 

 

4. Easy to move between hosts:

A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily, where as the reverse is not always true.

Most widely used: Linux/Unix based web hosting is most widely used compared to Windows based web hosting.



5. Scalability:

A web site is dynamic. Usually, a web site starts with a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suit the customer’s requirements. It is preferable to design a web site keeping these requirements in mind. A web site designed for compatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets the scalability requirement easily without making any site wide design changes.

On the downside, Linux based web server is not fully compatible with Microsoft technologies. If you are using any specialized applications or VB for development of your web site, it is preferable to host with a Windows based web server.

 

About Author :

 

OnSmart.net offers Premium Reseller Hosting, Web Hosting, and Dedicated Server solutions with 24/7 Support and 99.9% Uptime at an affordable price. OnSmart.net is a Established Hosting Company with an established customer base, that specializes in Linux-based web hosting. OnSmart.net provides budget, shared, advanced and other types of web hosting services to a wide range of clients ranging from small business to individuals

 

By: OnSmart.net

A web hosting service is simply a type of internet hosting service that allows companies and individuals the facility to make their personal websites accessible through the web. Web hosts basically offer space on a server they own, to their clients, and they provide with internet connectivity as well.

There are various technologies that support web hosting. In this article we provide you with a list of technologies related to web hosting to help you get a better idea about it.

Windows hosting:

Windows hosting refers to hosting of web services that specifically run on the Windows operating system. If you are planning to use Active Server Pages or a database like Microsoft Access as service scripting then Windows hosting is an apt option for you.

Linux hosting:

This means hosting of web services that run on the Linux operating system.

CGI:

Pages on the web can be executed as CGI scripts. These scripts execute on the server to generate interactive web pages. In most cases, internet service providers offer with some type of CGI abilities. The use of CGI is extremely common on Linux and Unix servers.

Unix hosting:

Unix was the first ever web server operating system. It is well know due to its characteristics of being reliable and stable. Unix hosting refers to hosting web services that run on the Unix operating system, this is less expensive than windows.

ASP:

ASP stands for Active Server Pages. It is a server-side scripting technology that was created by Microsoft. With the help of ASP, you can make dynamic web pages simply by putting script codes inside your HTML pages. These codes are first executed by the web server and then the page is sent back to the browser.

You can use both Visual Basic and JavaScript. It is a component which is found in all Windows 95, 98, 2000 and XP. It can be activated in any computer that runs on Windows. Various web hosting providers are offering ASP due to its growing popularity.

JSP:

JSP is a server-side technology which is very similar to ASP developed by Sun. With JSP, you can create dynamic pages by putting Java codes into your HTML pages. Due to the fact that this technology uses Java, it is not restricted to a specific server platform.

PHP:

PHP is another server-side scripting language which allows you to create dynamic web pages, all you need to do is put script codes inside your HTML pages.

FrontPage:

FrontPage is a very popular and common web site design tool which was created by Microsoft. This allows users to create a web site without the need to have any in-depth knowledge about it. If you are planning to use FrontPage, you should consider looking for a Windows hosting solution avoiding both Unix and Linux.

Cold Fusion:

Macromedia developed the technology called Cold Fusion. It is another server-side scripting language which you can successfully use to generate interactive web pages.

Secure Server:

A secure server plays an essential role as it helps to transmit encrypted data. If you plan to send personal information that needs to be protected, it is crucial for your web host to provide you with a secure server.

I hope that this information will help you and now you have a clear idea about the various technologies of web hosting. Go ahead and put up your own website on the net today.

By: Scott F Simmonds