Buzz
A server is computer software or a computer that provides services for various programs or devices, known as clients. There are various types of servers: web servers, database servers, application servers, cloud computing servers, file servers, mail servers, DNS servers, and more.
The popularity of Linux operating systems has significantly increased, especially on servers. Nowadays, the proportion of servers on the Internet and data centers worldwide running Linux distributions has risen considerably.
Top software companies globally, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and many others, rely on Linux for their servers. Even the world's most powerful supercomputers run on the Linux operating system. So why is Linux server so widely favored? Let's explore the reasons through this article on the 6 advantages of Linux servers over Windows servers.
6 Reasons Why Linux Servers Excel Over Windows Servers
1. Free and Open Source
Linux or GNU/Linux is an open-source and free operating system. Users can examine the source code used to create Linux (kernel). Furthermore, users can check the code to identify errors, search for security vulnerabilities, or simply explore what the code is doing on their computers.
Go ahead and develop and install your own programs on the Linux operating system because of its plethora of programming interfaces readily available.
Building on the reasons why Linux servers outshine Windows servers mentioned above, you can customize the Linux operating system at its most fundamental level to meet server requirements, unlike Windows.
2. Stability and Reliability
Linux, crafted as an alternative to Unix, inherits Unix's design philosophy of providing a powerful, stable, and reliable yet user-friendly environment. Linux systems are widely recognized for their stability and reliability, with many Linux servers running for years without errors, and some not even requiring a reboot.
The question arises: what makes the Linux system stable? Several determining factors include system and program configuration management, process management, and security, much like other operating systems.
On Linux, you can modify system or program configuration files and make changes without necessarily restarting the server, a departure from the Windows approach.
Additionally, Linux provides efficient and reliable process management mechanisms. In case a process exhibits abnormal behavior, you can send an appropriate signal using commands such as kill, pkill, and killall to address performance-related issues system-wide.
The Linux operating system is also quite secure, limiting the impact of external sources (users, programs, or the system) that could be potential causes for server instability.
3. Security
Linux stands as the most secure kernel today, and evidently, operating systems built on Linux are secure and suitable for servers. To delve deeper, a server must be capable of accepting service requests from remote clients, and it becomes vulnerable by allowing certain clients to access its ports.
However, Linux implements various security mechanisms to safeguard files and services from attacks. You can secure services using programs like the Firewall (e.g., iptables), TCP packets (enabling and denying access to services), and Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux), which helps restrict the resources a service can access on the server.
SELinux ensures that only an HTTP server, FTP server, Samba server, or DNS server can access a restricted set of files on the system, defined by the context of the files, and only allows a limited feature set controlled by Booleans.
Certain Linux distributions like Fedora, RHEL/CentOS, and some others come with SELinux features enabled by default. However, if necessary, you can temporarily or permanently disable SELinux.
In Linux, before a user/group or any program accesses a resource or executes a file/program, it must have the appropriate permissions; otherwise, the system will block it.
4. Flexibility
Linux is a powerful and flexible operating system. You can tailor the operating system to meet your server needs, enabling you to accomplish anything you require. Additionally, you can install a graphical user interface (GUI) or simply operate the machine by accessing the Terminal on Linux.
Linux provides an array of utilities/tools, offering a multitude of choices for tasks such as system booting and service management, user addition, network and disk management, software installation, performance monitoring, security, and server administration. Moreover, the open-source operating system allows installation of binary files or building programs from open-source code.
Shell stands out as one of Linux's most potent standard programs today. The Shell provides a consistent environment for running other programs on Linux, facilitating interaction with the Linux kernel.
Even more crucially, Linux Shell provides programming structures enabling users to execute repetitive commands, create new functions/tools/utilities, and automate daily server management tasks.
Essentially, Linux grants you absolute control over your computer, assisting you in building and customizing servers according to your preferences (if feasible).
5. Hardware Support
Linux supports both modern and legacy hardware. This stands as one of the critical factors favoring Linux servers over Windows servers.
Linux also significantly supports relatively old hardware, such as Slackware Linux running on a Pentium III, 600 MHz with 512 megabytes of RAM. You can explore the list of supported hardware and related requirements for a specific distribution on their official websites.
6. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Maintenance
Ultimately, the total cost of ownership and server maintenance is the primary reason why Linux servers outperform Windows servers, encompassing licensing fees, purchase and maintenance costs of software/hardware, system support services, and administrative expenses.
Unless you're running an exclusive Linux distribution like RHEL or SUSE Linux requiring a subscription for support and premium services, you will have to allocate a cost during the operation of a Linux server.
Recent studies by Robert Frances Group (RFG) and similar companies reveal that the Linux environment is more cost-effective than Windows or Solaris, especially for web deployment.
Linux has become a strategic, efficient, and reliable platform for business systems in small, medium, and large companies. The proportion of servers on the Internet running the Linux operating system has significantly increased.
These are the 6 reasons why Linux servers surpass Windows servers. Is your server currently running on the Linux operating system? Share your thoughts with Mytour.
