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If you want to make an informed decision you should know know different types of hosting.

Free web hosting:

There are many hosting providers that do not charge you for hosting your files and site, in other words they are free. They normally cover their expenses through advertising which is added to your site like pop-ups, banner, and frames.

Advantages of free web hosting:

1. It is free.
2. You usually get a free email as well.
3. It is a good choice for hobby or small family sites.

Disadvantages of free web hosting:

1. You do not have your own domain name.
2. Limited or no technical support.
3. Lots of advertising in your site.
4. No security guarantee.

Paid web hosting:

If you want a decent web site with enough tools to build and manage your site and proper security and technical support, then paid web hosting is the way to go. In this type of web hosting you normally pay a fixed amount of money monthly and in return you get space in the hosting system, bandwidth, necessary software, and technical support.

There are three options for you purchase a hosting:

1. Shared hosting:

In shared web hosting your site is hosted in one server along with many other sites on the same server. This type of hosting is most common type of hosting that people buy and it is very popular. There are many advantages in shared web hosting such as having your own domain, very cost effective (between $2.00 to $19.00 per month), 24/7 support, and wide range of software.

2. Dedicated hosting:

If your site gets lots of traffic or it need special software, then you might need a dedicated server that exclusively hosts your site and you get root access to the server to control it completely. It is the most expensive type of hosting and you have unlimited control over software.

3. Collocated hosting:

It is exactly the same as dedicated server with one difference: In dedicated server you rent the server but in collocated hosting you own the server not the hosting company and you just pay for physical place in their facility and internet connection.

Both dedicated and collocated hosting are available as managed and unmanaged. In managed dedicated/collocated hosting you pay additional charges to hosting company to manage and maintain your server on your behalf, but in unmanaged dedicated/collocated hosting you have to manage, administer, and maintain your server including security, software update, and server hardware.

When choosing an operating system for a dedicated server, there are a number of factors coming in to play. Price of the operating system, employee familiarity and support (bug fixes, patches) are some of these parameters. Linux variants have become more popular among dedicated hosting services as you get it free and you have the full freedom of customizing it. Unlike Microsoft Windows Server versions, Linux does not require any additional license and subscriptions for support. Someone can argue about the poor support Linux distribution makers offer you when it comes to commercial hosting! Yes, this has been a burning issue for Linux variants and few of these companies now offer extended support for little money or no money at all. As an example, Redhat Linux offers the operating system and support following the same model as Microsoft but for a fraction of the price that you would end up paying for Microsoft. When it comes to Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. offers an extended support for their server versions totally free.

When it comes to software, again Linux based software dominates the industry. The simple fact is that this software is free as the operating system itself. You don’t have to add or buy this additional software since these are bundled in to the operating system. Most of the web services now run on LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) technology and the expertise is everywhere unlike the dark days of Linux. On the other side, Microsoft offers variety of software for server hosting which is again expensive. Therefore, most of the dedicated web hosting is not done on Windows platform mainly due to the cost involved and lack of control over the operating system.

When choosing an operating system for a dedicated server, there are a number of factors coming in to play. Price of the operating system, employee familiarity and support (bug fixes, patches) are some of these parameters. Linux variants have become more popular among dedicated hosting services as you get it free and you have the full freedom of customizing it. Unlike Microsoft Windows Server versions, Linux does not require any additional license and subscriptions for support. Someone can argue about the poor support Linux distribution makers offer you when it comes to commercial hosting! Yes, this has been a burning issue for Linux variants and few of these companies now offer extended support for little money or no money at all. As an example, Redhat Linux offers the operating system and support following the same model as Microsoft but for a fraction of the price that you would end up paying for Microsoft. When it comes to Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd. offers an extended support for their server versions totally free.

When it comes to software, again Linux based software dominates the industry. The simple fact is that this software is free as the operating system itself. You don’t have to add or buy this additional software since these are bundled in to the operating system. Most of the web services now run on LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP) technology and the expertise is everywhere unlike the dark days of Linux. On the other side, Microsoft offers variety of software for server hosting which is again expensive. Therefore, most of the dedicated web hosting is not done on Windows platform mainly due to the cost involved and lack of control over the operating system.