Web Page Hosting Software

Web servers have special software to display Web pages to users.

The two most popular web server platforms are Microsoft Windows and UNIX.Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. You will have to evaluate your needs to determine which one is right for you.

Apache

Most installations of the Apache Web server hosting software are on Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. While Linux is not free, Apache is free. Linux and Apache are open source with many developers supporting these applications.

Internet Information Server

Microsoft's calls its Web server Internet Information Server (IIS). IIS only works on the Windows operating system, which means it is not a free product. Windows and IIS support the .NET framework, a powerful environment on which to build Web services and sites. Other related software applications that run on Windows Server are Exchange e-mail server and SharePoint.

Summary

IIS and Apache are both strong Web page hosting software applications. In general, Microsoft solutions will cost much more money if hosted in-house. If, however, you purchase hosting from an external vendor, you will need to make side-by-side comparisons of the two environments and decide which development road you will travel. Whichever you choose, it will be difficult to switch to the other if you should change your mind, so plan carefully.

References

• Netcraft: January 2010 Web Server Survey
• Website Server: Windows Website Servers vs. Linux Website Servers

Resources

• The Apache Software Foundation
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2: Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5