Windows VPS Hosting: Everything You Need to Know

In 2018, the virtual private server market was valued at $2.6 billion and it is expected to reach $8.3 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 16.2 percent.

Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting has become an increasingly popular option because it combines the affordability of shared servers and high reliability of dedicated servers. VPS hosting is differentiated according to the operating system that runs on the server. The two popular VPS variants available in the market include Windows and Linux.

But to choose the right VPS, you need to know how it works and what is the main difference between Windows and Linux VPS hosting.

A virtual private server (VPS) leverages the power of a virtualization software in order to partition physical servers into various virtual servers. Each of the virtual servers has the ability to run its own operating system and applications. The biggest advantage of using a VPS is that it gives you the feel of working on your own dedicated server with your own OS, storage, RAM, CPU resources, and other customization options -- but it costs way less than a dedicated server.

A virtual private server hosting with Windows means the server is run on Windows OS. It is especially useful if you are planning to use Windows applications like Microsoft Active Server Pages or Microsoft Front Page.

A Windows VPS means a virtual private server which is run on the Windows Server. Similarly, a Linux VPS is run on a Linux OS server.

The main difference between Windows VPS and Linux VPS include:

• Control Panel: For Windows VPS, Plesk, with a user friendly interface, is used as the main control panel, whereas Linux VPS uses cPanel and Web Host Manager (WHM) for it.

  
  

• Compatibility: Windows hosting is perfect for Windows specific platforms like ASP.NET, MySQL, MS Access, and VB Development.

  
  

• Support: With Windows, you get dedicated support through Microsoft, but since Linux in itself is an open source OS, you can only get support through the community forums.

  
  

• Ease of use: As compared to Linux, Windows has a more intuitive interface.

  
  

Though the popularity of Linux VPS hosting is set to increase by 2026, most users that are familiar with Windows still choose to go with Windows VPS hosting because it decreases the overall learning curve.

1. 1.Cost effective

   
   

   Budgeting can be a problem, especially when you are building a new website. Putting money and time into shared hosting only to have your website outgrow it, can be an incredibly poor investment choice. All the money that you tried to save would eventually go into migrating the website to a new server.

   
   

   At the same time, overspending on a dedicated server for a site that doesn't even need will eventually lead to excessive future costs. Windows VPS hosting gives you the perfect middle ground with the necessary affordability and scalability.

   
   

2. 2.High level of security

   
   

   Generally speaking, VPS hosting offers more security than shared hosting, primarily because of the fact that data and other applications are stored on a virtual server which is completely isolated from other users.

   
   

   With shared hosting, if another site on the same server as yours suffers from a malware infection or a security breach of any kind, then it can also affect your website as well. On the contrary, with a separate storage, OS and resources, a virtual hosting server is a lot harder for infections to spread.

   
   

   With Windows-based VPS plans, you get additional security measures offered by Microsoft like intrusion monitoring, regular backups, and updated firewalls.

   
   

3. 3.More control

   
   

   You get more control over your VPS hosting server since the hosting plan is completely independent of the physical server it is located on. The option to customize your hosting server you want and install the software of your choice makes Windows VPS hosting incredibly powerful.

   
   

Windows VPS hosting gives you the flexibility of a virtual server while still maintaining the familiarity of Windows. If your business has already been working on the Windows OS and you need an affordable server for your new website, then Windows virtual private server is the best hosting option