{"id":4189,"date":"2012-01-03T04:25:44","date_gmt":"2012-01-03T09:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/?p=4189"},"modified":"2021-10-19T06:49:03","modified_gmt":"2021-10-19T10:49:03","slug":"linux-windows-comparison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/linux-windows-comparison\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle of the Giants: Linux and Windows Compared"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the world of superior web hosting, there\u2019s really only two main competitors as far as your operating system goes\u2014unless you\u2019re willing to be some kind of mad scientist, that is. Essentially, every webmaster must face the same battle during the earliest span of their career, staring at that blank server box while wondering, \u201cShould I load this up with Windows<\/a>, or will Linux<\/a> get the job done?\u201d We\u2019re unabashedly pro-Linux, but that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t points for both. In fact, the uninitiated among us may quickly find themselves in over their heads without a little guidance. So with that in mind, we\u2019d like to present our unbiased review of the major differences between a Windows-based and Linux-based server experience, starting from the ground up and arriving at the frilly stuff on top. And when putting the two head to head, there\u2019s really no better place to start than with:<\/p>\n

Security – Winner: Linux<\/h3>\n

In terms of raw security, it\u2019s really quite hard to do better than any available Linux distribution. This has to do with the very way in which Linux is coded\u2014including Unix branches of the operating system, if you were wondering. Unlike Windows, Linux has a superuser known simply as \u201croot.\u201d To access this level of control, a webmaster must have a direct connection to the server shell, as well as the password of the server itself. Once this link has been established, an administrator can do basically anything they\u2019d like to the server, including the hacking and stealing of precious data. However, because this level of authority requires root access\u2014and simply cannot be had any other way\u2014it\u2019s nearly impossible for an artificial-intelligence based virus to \u201chack\u201d into a Linux system. The probe would first need to tunnel into the server, establishing itself as a secure connection. Next, it would need to know the master password, which theoretically could be hacked, though to little purpose. Once inside the server, the bug would still need to pass several security checks to access privileged folders, guaranteeing a much harder fight than with Windows.<\/p>\n

Windows, it\u2019s worth noting, features little to no administrative control, a la the \u201croot\u201d user. Rather, the server establishes a single account as its admin, and then ties a password to that user. However, because of the registry that lies at the heart of a Windows system, it\u2019s relatively easy for a digital worm to wind its way into the heart of the hardware, accessing files as it pleases and relaying the found data back to another server: Or worse! All in all, Linux simply cannot be bested in terms of its superior security from outside threats.<\/p>\n

Support – Winner: Windows<\/h3>\n

However, Windows does have the upper hand in terms of technical assistance and support. Because Windows is a proprietary operating system, it comes fully backed by a team of Microsoft specialists that will help and guide you through any unexpected errors or struggles. These lines and forums are available 24\/7, 365 days a year, and can assist with any and all malfunctions. They will typically even perform some of the procedure for you, saving you the need to get your hands dirty with code.<\/p>\n

Linux, on the other hand, historically comes with no dedicated technical assistance, save the community itself. And though the world of Linux troubleshooting is alive and well across hundreds of forums spread out across the globe, there\u2019s simply no solid body to deal with the thousands of Linux variations and distributions that float freely in existence. Rather, it is ultimately the webmaster who must deal first-hand with technical complications, and if no quick solution is available, that webmaster\u2019s server may be in real steep stuff.<\/p>\n

Cost – Winner: Linux<\/h3>\n

That being said, Linux easily takes the cake in terms of raw overhead investment. Rare is a Linux distribution that costs anything, as most are available for free via the GNU public commons agreement. Furthermore, should some enterprising webmaster wish to create their own variation of the operating system, they\u2019re fully licensed to do so, as Linux is typically available in its entirety for free redistribution. Windows, however, must be purchased with a server license, which can be quite expensive. Further, technical assistance and software come at a premium, where Linux is loaded to the gills with freeware packages optimized for the system. But as mentioned, this corner cutting in a budgetary sense also comes with a lack of dedicated problem solving support. The difference is really like buying a used car, as opposed to leasing one: Should a problem arise with the used automobile, you\u2019re very likely up a certain creek without a means of locomotion. Should the leased vehicle fail, there\u2019s always an helping hand nearby, ready to handle your needs.<\/p>\n

Performance and Up-Time – Winner: Linux<\/h3>\n

Lastly, if you\u2019re looking for the final word in performance and up-time, Linux is hands down your top pick. A Linux system absolutely never requires a reboot because of a software update, nor does it ever necessitate a restart to unclog the processes. The operating system has been designed from the ground up to create dedicated threads for each open application, activating these threads when needed and closing them when unneeded. This not only preserves processing power, but ensures that no program can \u201cgo rogue\u201d behind the scenes, eating away at your server\u2019s resources and potentially causing a meltdown. Windows, on the other hand, typically faults at the background level, leaving software doors open with the lights running. To keep a Windows server clean, a frequent tune-up and maintenance sweep is typically required, in addition to an occasional system reboot. Each of these requires down-time, and without a backup server on-hand to deal with the lost connectivity, you\u2019re potentially facing irritated end-consumers. All in all, there\u2019s simply no more efficient way to run your server for extended periods of time\u2014Linux up-time is typically measured in years\u2014than with a Linux distribution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the world of superior web hosting, there\u2019s really only two main competitors as far as your operating system goes\u2014unless you\u2019re willing to be some kind of mad scientist, that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[3705,179,61,102,223],"class_list":["post-4189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-hosting-types","tag-cost","tag-customer-support","tag-linux","tag-security","tag-windows"],"views":167,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webhostinggeeks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}