Shared Linux web hosting packages are probably the cheapest web hosting packages available. As web-hosting providers don’t have to add any additional costs to their pricing structures as a majority of Linux distributions are free to use and the web hosting control panel that is used by most Linux web hosting providers, cPanel, is very cheap in terms of how much web hosting providers have to pay for their cPanel licenses.
A shared Linux web hosting package has a lot to offer that Windows shared web hosting services can’t such as reliability and value for money; it is for these two reasons that most users of Linux web hosting services have considered Linux shared hosting packages over any other forms of web hosting that are available.
Linux web hosting packages are the best form of web hosting to use if you are looking to host a PHP/MySQL based website; the main reason for this is that you will achieve a level of performance that can’t be beaten by other web hosting platforms, and that considering that both PHP and MySQL will run well on many other operating systems apart from Linux.
Shared Linux web hosting packages tend to be feature packed meaning that making the most of a Linux web hosting service isn’t as hard as you think it may be, and this coupled with the fact that many web hosting providers are now being much more generous with the resource assignments will allow you to host more than one website on your Linux shared hosting package. Linux web hosting servers are more stable performance wise for a number of reasons, but the main advantage that any Linux server will have over a Windows web hosting server is that Linux uses up fewer resources than Windows; this will result in your web hosting server is much more stable in the long run.
What can shared Linux hosting offer me when compared to shared Windows web hosting services?
There are many benefits that you will receive when choosing Linux shared hosting services over Windows web hosting services, but it is important for you to ensure that the Linux web hosting platform will be able to support your requirements. The main thing which shared Linux hosting services can offer which shared Windows web hosting packages cant offer is reliability; this is one factor that is incredible to businesses and individuals who are running important, mission-critical websites. Security is another factor that shared Linux web hosting packages can offer safely whilst Windows web hosting packages lack tough security; Linux servers are a lot less susceptible to viruses and there are also a lot more security measures that web hosting providers can put in place that are unavailable on Windows web hosting servers. You will also find that shared Linux web hosting packages are a lot cheaper than their Windows counterparts; this helps to make shared Linux hosting packages much more cost effective and offers users a cheap way of getting started with Linux web hosting services. In summary, Linux shared hosting packages can offer you the following advantages over Windows shared hosting services:
* Reliability – the reliability of a web hosting service is one thing that both businesses and individuals are likely to consider in a web hosting package and shared Linux hosting services are seen by many as a good way to get a reliable web hosting package for the price of a cheap web hosting package – the reliability of a shared Linux web hosting package will differ between web hosting providers, but the consensus is that Linux servers are much more reliable because Linux as an operating system uses up fewer system resources meaning that a Linux web hosting server is able to handle a higher load than a Windows web hosting server
* Security – there are many different security measures that your web hosting provider can put in place on their shared Linux web hosting servers to ensure that malicious attackers are unable to gain entry to the web hosting server, no matter how hard they try – with Windows web hosting servers the most that a web hosting provider can do is install a firewall and anti-virus application even though Windows servers are much more susceptible to attacks and viruses than Linux servers – if you are going to be using your website for the processing of personal data then shared Linux hosting services will suit you, although depending on the information you will be processing it may be more beneficial to consider Linux VPS hosting
* Cost – because web hosting providers don’t have to pay any fee in order to use a Linux distribution, the overall cost of a shared Linux web hosting package will be much lower than that of a shared Windows web hosting package – although web hosting providers have to take into consideration the cost of the control panel on their cPanel based shared Linux hosting packages, most cPanel web hosting providers opt to use the VPS version to offer their cPanel web hosting packages which means that they are able to offer their shared Linux web hosting packages as cheaply as possible.
The above factors show just how much a standard shared Linux web hosting account has to offer over any shared Windows web hosting service. It is advised that you use shared Linux hosting services if possible and that you only consider Windows web hosting services if absolutely necessary, such as for the hosting of Windows based websites and applications. Both security and reliability are large factors that will influence the decisions of most when it comes to their choice of web hosting package, and so it is important for you to choose a reputable web hosting provider that can meet your requirements and offer you a shared Linux web hosting package on a server that is secure and reliable. Those who are considering shared Linux web hosting services are likely to be taking their budget very seriously, and because of this shared Linux hosting packages are perfect for those with low budgets because of the average price of a shared Linux hosting package.
What are the disadvantages of using shared Linux web hosting packages?
Due to the fact that shared Linux web hosting packages are a form of shared web hosting there can be some disadvantages to using them, although they are still the best web hosting solution available for someone with a small budget. The main disadvantage of shared Linux web hosting services is the amount of uptime you will receive; although Linux web hosting servers are more reliable than Windows web hosting servers, it is still easy for one website to overload the entire server which would cause it to crash which would in turn cause downtime for you and the other users who are on the same. Vulnerabilities in the scripts and web pages used by other websites on the same server as you could also pose a very credible security risk both to your website and all the other websites hosted on the same server as yours; although most web hosting providers make use of the latest security measures that are available such as the CSF firewall and mod_security, no server is immune from being hacked. Shared Linux hosting in general can sometimes be inconvenient for those who are wanting to run custom-built applications in a shared web hosting environment; with shared Linux web hosting packages this could mean that there are certain server-side applications that you need to be able to ensure that your website will function correctly, but your web hosting provider may not be able to supply them. In summary, the main disadvantages of shared Linux web hosting services include:
* Uptime – it is important to choose a reputable web hosting provider who doesn’t oversell their shared Linux web hosting packages as by doing this you will be able to ensure that you receive a high level of uptime with your shared Linux web hosting package – web hosting providers who oversell their web hosting services or host too many websites on one web hosting server are putting the reliability of their customers websites at risk as if the server isn’t able to cope with the load that all the websites are putting on it, it will simply crash
* Vulnerabilities – because of the number of websites that every shared Linux web hosting server will be hosting, it is highly likely that at least one of these websites will have some sort of vulnerability in it that could be exploited by spammers and hackers in order to get access to the entire server – although your web hosting provider should have measures in place to prevent this, it is suggested that you don’t use shared web hosting for the processing of personal information since if a hacker was to get access to the hosting server then it would be fairly easy for them to steal any data that the server has
* Custom programs or applications – sometimes you may require an additional piece of software or a server-side component to allow your website to function correctly, but you may find that in such cases your web hosting provider won’t have the needed component or application installed on their web hosting servers, and because of the nature of shared web hosting services it is unlikely that your web hosting provider will be willing to install the application or component for you.
The disadvantages of shared Linux web hosting services are only going to affect those who are using shared web hosting services when really they should be considering VPS server hosting services for their needs. Shared Linux web hosting packages are only meant for the hosting of smaller websites, and if you use shared Linux web hosting for this purpose then you are unlikely to face any issues.
In conclusion, shared Linux web hosting packages offer much better value for money than Windows shared web hosting packages. Users can obtain an acceptable level of reliability for a cost that is suitable for most people, and as long as you choose a reputable web hosting provider then you are unlikely to face any problems. You should take into consideration the other users who will be hosted on the same server as you when it comes to security, and this means ensuring that any scripts or web pages that you are using are as secure as possible.
