Most website owners never think about whether their hosting runs on Linux or Windows, and for good reason: it usually doesn't matter. But if you pick the wrong one for the technology your website is built on, the site may not run at all. Here's how the two differ and how to know which one you need.
What Linux hosting is built for
Linux hosting is the standard for open-source website technology. It runs PHP, MySQL or MariaDB databases, and control panels like cPanel and DirectAdmin. WordPress, Joomla, and the vast majority of small business websites run on this stack. It's also generally the cheaper option, since there's no licensing cost for the operating system itself.
What Windows hosting is built for
Windows hosting exists to run Microsoft's own web technologies: ASP.NET, .NET Core applications, and databases built on Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL). If a developer built your website using these tools, it needs a Windows server to run properly, not a Linux one.
Which one do you actually need?
In practice, this comes down to what your website is built with:
- If your site runs on WordPress, PHP, or another open-source CMS, you need Linux hosting.
- If a developer built your site in ASP.NET or .NET, or it connects to an MSSQL database, you need Windows hosting.
- If you're not building the site yourself, ask whoever developed it (or will develop it) which server-side language and database it uses. That answer settles the question.
If you're unsure and the site already exists, look at the file extensions in the code: files ending in .php point to Linux, while .aspx or .cshtml point to Windows.
Cost, performance, and compatibility differences
A few practical differences are worth knowing before you choose:
- Cost: Windows hosting typically costs more, because the operating system and MSSQL both carry licensing fees that get passed on to you. Linux hosting has no such cost.
- Compatibility: Linux servers cannot run ASP.NET or .NET applications natively. Windows servers can run PHP, but it's usually less optimized than running PHP on a Linux server built for it.
- File paths: Linux treats file and folder names as case-sensitive (
Image.jpgandimage.jpgare different files), while Windows does not. This matters if you're migrating a site between the two.
What if you're building a new website?
Unless you have a specific reason to use Microsoft's technology stack, such as an existing business system built on .NET or MSSQL, Linux hosting is the right default for a small business website. It's cheaper, it's what WordPress and most CMS platforms expect, and it's the more common choice for standard business websites.
See our web hosting plans for details of what's included. If you're also unsure which control panel your account uses once you're set up, see cPanel vs DirectAdmin: What's the Difference and Which One Do You Have?