In general, Linux hosting refers to shared hosting, the most popular hosting service in industry. Windows hosting, on other hand, uses Windows as the servers’ operating system and offers Windows specific technologies such as ASP, .NET, Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL server (MSSQL).
Forget the idea of throwing away the Windows kernel and replacing it with a Linux kernel, because Microsoft's approach to Linux is far more pragmatic and comprehensive. Although the company is now thoroughly cross-platform, not every application will move to or take advantage of Linux. Instead, Microsoft adopts or supports Linux when the customers are there, or when it wants to take advantage of the ecosystem with open-source projects.
For all these benefits, Linux won't be the right setup for everyone. If your site is based on Microsoft technologies like ASP.NET or .NET
Linux
· Linux hosting is everywhere. Whether you're looking for a simple shared web hosting account or a powerful dedicated server, the chances are that you'll be offered a Linux-based option first.
· Linux is much more secure in that regard because of how it deals with file system permissions and such, which is why most serious web sites use Linux (usually some variety of Red Hat Enterprise Linux such as RHEL, CentOS, etc.) for their web hosting.
· Most web hosting packages run on Linux servers, and it's easy to see why: the operating system is
o fast
o reliable
o secure and free
o An impressive software ecosystem that includes some of the best web applications around.
· Linux hosting is a type of web hosting where a single physical server host multiple sites. Many users utilizes the resources on a single server, which keeps the costs low.
· Linux hosting is available from just about everyone, but anything less than a dedicated server is often fully managed by the provider (they set up, manage and maintain the OS and all its components for you). That's great for beginners, but more experienced users might be frustrated by the lack of features and control therein.
Windows
· Windows is much more susceptible to virus infections, especially of the web page infection variety.
· Windows hosting has some issues. You won't get the same choice of applications as with Linux, and there's less help available for troubleshooting apps like WordPress on the Windows platform. Furthermore, there are Microsoft license fees to pay, so it's a little more expensive than Linux plans.
· 'Microsoft and Linux' should be a phrase we're used to hearing by now.
· Microsoft is a member of not only the Linux Foundation but also the Linux kernel security mailing list (a rather more select community).
· Microsoft is submitting patches to the Linux kernel "to create a complete virtualization stack with Linux and Microsoft hypervisor".
· When Microsoft wanted to add container support to Windows, it picked an open-source specification designed originally for Linux rather than the internal Windows-centric implementation it had already written.
· Opting for Windows hosting doesn't restrict you to Microsoft products. Most plans offer easy one-click installation of popular apps like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, phpBB and more.
· There's no cPanel, but something similar (like Plesk) will make it easy to view your website status, create email accounts, tweak settings and generally manage your plan.
· Select a VPS or dedicated hosting plan and you'll also be able to use Remote Desktop to manage the server from its own desktop.
· Overall, though, if you need to take advantage of Microsoft technologies, Windows hosting can deliver a great service for a surprisingly low price.
