Though often associated with hosting and network servers, Linux itself is operating system software.  Unlike Unix, which can be traced back to AT&T Labs circa in the 1960s, Linux is an open-source system that wasn’t released until nearly 30 years later.  In the 1980s, most operating systems were commercial products tied to proprietary licenses.  Those who wanted to reference the software were out of luck as they didn’t have access to the source code.  Things changed dramatically when Linus Torvalds introduced Linux in 1991.  The system took off in the late 1990s as more students got on board with the development of the project and the open-source community began to evolve.  The purpose of this article isn’t to provide a history lesson, but inform you that the Linux platform has come a long way and now stands at the forefront of the hosting industry.

Why Linux?

Linux makes a great option for web hosting because the system is so widely supported.  Many of the tools that help power the hosting industry have all been specifically designed to support the platform.  This goes from web servers like Apache and programming languages such as PHP, Cold Fusion and Ruby.  Even cPanel, the leading hosting control panel, has been designed to support the system, making it incredibly easy to manage a Linux server that would otherwise be complex.  When choosing Linux, you get a powerful hosting solution that gives you everything you need to create a professional, feature-rich website.

All in all, Linux is cheaper than Microsoft Windows, its main rival, and also said to be faster and more stable.  While the software is naturally complex than Windows, the development community is constantly introducing GUIs (graphical user interfaces) and other comprehensive tools to reduce the learning curve and make the system easier to work with.  As far stability and reliability are concerned, Linux is second to none.  Unlike other systems, this one does not require shutdowns every time you perform an upgrade, patch implementation or software installation.  This factor gives Linux the ability to greatly reduce down and demonstrate resilience in the hosting arena.

Another notable benefit is that regardless of the operating system you have running on your computer, you can still choose a web hosting service running on the Linux platform.  Therefore, even if you have Windows or Mac OS X installed, you can still choose a Linux plan and reap all the benefits it has to offers.  There are however, third-party software applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and other non-open-source technologies that may not be compatible with the Linux platform.  This is changing quickly as even Microsoft’s proprietary FrontPage client is now supported by most hosting providers running the Linux operating system.

The Preferred Hosting Platform

While there are really no significant differences between the systems, Linux has been openly embraced and is therefore, often a first choice for hosting customers.  In fact, you will find that this system is at the basis of most hosting platforms, more so than both Unix and the fast growing Windows server.

The Apache vs IIS debate is just as old and intriguing as Linux vs. Windows.  Because these are two of the most widely used web server applications on the market, making a choice is often difficult.  If you have been struggling on which software to run on your server, the details in this article should be able to help you make a more informed decision.

Reliability and Performance

If you are worried about the reliability IIS offers vs. Apache, then your concerns are a bit outdated.  IIS 6.0 offered a process model able to reliably host applications and monitor them for health and responsiveness.  The main draw of this feature was its ability to proactively detect and recycle unhealthy applications.  IIS 7.0 took the process model one step further by creating a dynamic architecture for the Windows platform, making it a high-performance, multi-threaded server that enables secure isolation of websites by default.  With IIS, the Windows platform is agile enough to quickly respond to poor health conditions and recycle applications in a more efficient manner.

The Issue of PHP

If you are worried about IIS performance when running PHP vs Apache, then your concerns are definitely warranted.  Until recently, there where two ways to run PHP in the Windows environment: the slow way with CGI, and the unreliable way with ISAPI.  Because many PHP scripts are specifically written for Apache and Linux, running them on the Windows platform with ISAPI may cause them to crash and strip the IIS process serving the applications.  On the brighter side of things, Microsoft’s partnership with Zend has brought forth answers to many of these issues in the form of compatibility and performance fixes.  One of the most notable improvements is achieved through FastCGI, a feature that enables an IIS web server to deliver fast and reliable PHP hosting.

Ease of Use

One area in which IIS has always shined in comparison to Apache is user-friendly administrative tools.  IIS 7 keeps up the tradition by providing a new management tool that is extremely powerful yet simple and very ease to use.  Now feature-focused, the tool allows you to simply click on a web server, website or application to individually manage each element.  It supports remote administration via HTTP, making it possible to maintain the server locally or over the internet.  It also has configuration settings that make it easy to delegate administrators to specific websites and applications.  The new IIS administrative tool is completely module and built on a highly extensible framework that allows it be enhanced with ease.

IIS 7.0 is a breath of fresh air in comparison to previous Microsoft web server applications.  It offers rock-solid security along with the exceptional performance and reliability needed to run in demanding hosting environments.  In addition, it delivers some powerful management and extensibility capabilities that exceed Apache.  Both make an excellent choice, but IIS is growing more popular by the day.  Even if you already have Apache installed on your server, you can check out what IIS has to offer as it integrated into versions of Windows Vista as a desktop application.  If you are like most users, you will surely appreciate its power.

There are a number of factors that must be considered when it comes to choosing the web server application you want to utilize.  Elements such as the operating system, the level of security, scalability and price should all come into play when basing your decision.  It can be a grueling process but focusing on these key components will make your choice much easier.

Operating Platform

The operating system you choose to run the server on will have a major influence on the software you decide to go with.  The most popular platforms today are Windows, Unix and various flavors of the Linux operating system.  While all can perform in a multitude of environments, Windows is usually preferred in the business setting while Unix and Linux are designed for more complex and demanding tasks.  There are also other choices such as Mac OS X, but this platform isn’t as common and therefore lacks support from the web community.

Solid Security

Above all, security should be your number one priority in choosing web server software.  Since most websites are public, they make a prime target for hackers and other cyber criminals looking to steal sensitive information.  Even if you decided on a seemingly secure application, keep in mind that the server is really only as secure as its configurations.  For example, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to leave the default security settings intact because the attackers have already discovered ways around them.  Additionally, you want a server that is easy to patch and update to ensure that the latest security vulnerabilities and issues are addressed.

Easy Scalability

Scalability refers to your web server’s ability to grow alongside the growth of your web operations.  This is an extremely important quality as a slow server could end up costing you new visitors and customers as well as existing ones.  On the web, they say that you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of potential customers.  If your web server can’t perform or slows down after a couple thousand hits, you have essentially set yourself up for failure.

Good Support System

Apache is the most popular and widely installed web server in the world.  The software is freely available and can be downloaded by virtually anyone.  While this is definitely a plus, it can also be a disadvantage considering how you view the situation.  Apache and other open-source programs come at the price of limited formal support.  If you don’t have an experienced IT staff on hand to deal with the server, you may want to choose a product that comes with official support to help out when things get rough.

True Value

Cost is often the first factor many people consider when they want to invest in something.  With a web server, it should be the last thing you consider.  As we mentioned, there are free servers as well those that come with expensive licenses, particularly Microsoft’s IIS (Internet Information Services).  This specific application ranks up there with the best but you could actually hurt your efforts by judging web servers on cost.  Pick the cheap software and you just might end up with a product the lacks the compatibility, scalability and functionality you need to be successful.