A lot will hinge on the 24/7 availability and performance of your website. That may be much less true if your site is one that exists for personal interests or for anything that’s not related to a livelihood, but if it’s a site that puts your business on the map then the way the web pages load for visitors is important. And even more important is having the assurance that your site is going to be up and open on the web at all times. Providing that assurance is at the core of what makes a Canadian web hosting provider a good one or not, and here at 4GoodHosting we’ve made a name for ourselves to the point that we get to say we’re one of them. VPS hosting is best for business websites, and today we’re going to look at managed Linux VPS hosting .
There are different web hosting OS options that providers will make available to customers, but Linux is usually the default choice when it comes to widespread compatibility. A website is going to have infrastructure, and unless you’re code-savvy you’re not going to be able to distinguish it in the slightest. That’s fine, and we’re sure you have your own expertise. We’ll just say briefly that most websites have the type of infrastructure that lines up best with Linux web hosting. People with a new business website are encouraged to explore Canadian VPS hosting plans and more often than not they’ll be advised that Linux web hosting is going to be the best fit for them.
It is not often that new customers will come to us asking about this fit, but if they do this is usually the direction the conversation will go. The exception to that will be if they have a WordPress website, and that’s a fairly common instance as there are more WordPress sites than any other type out there on the World Wide Web. In either instance, managed web hosting is going to be an appealing option for business owners that are happy to assume the cost knowing that their website is an integral contributor to the success of the business. It costs more, but having everything taken care of for you as it relates to website performance and optimization is often well worth it.
So what we’ll do with this week’s blog entry is provide an overview of what’s the best operating system for Canadian VPS hosting. If you’re a regular reader here you’ll know this is right in our wheelhouse for subject matter expertise, and here we go.
Ideal Fit
Linux tends to be the best alternative to Windows as an OS for a virtual private server (VPS). It is open-source software that supports high-volume and multiple threading applications along with enabling the customization of core components like the kernel, graphical server, and bootloader. The reason many web developers use Linux for their VPS is because it provides an ease of optimization for all these processes. Each Linux-based OS includes a Linux kernel that manages hardware resources and connects its functionality to the application software.
Where this goes is determine which Linux distribution suits your website best. This will depend on the Linux kernel architecture. It is a suitable choice for those learning how to start a blog and aiming to have it run in a stable and reliable environment. Linux distributions also tend to be compatible with popular blogging platforms like WordPress, so there’s no reason to think there will be software compatibility issues between the two. That seems to be an ongoing misconception.
These are the best Linux distribution options for a VPS, and when you have Managed VPS hosting from 4GoodHosting you can trust that we’ll be reviewing all of them on an ongoing basis and replacing one with another if need be. The criteria for these decisions are familiarity, the software being run, and the distribution’s support community.
- CentOs : The reason this is one of the best distributions for managed Linux hosting is that it provides robust security and stable software. Many businesses use CentOs for their projects because of this superior reliability and we are big proponents of it too. It is also built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for better automation, micro services, and other features. CentOs also gets high marks with the way it offers various control panels, such as cPanel, VestaCP, and Webmin. With this OS it is easier to maintain the server and website.
- Ubuntu : Most in the industry will agree that the interface you get with Ubuntu is the one that is suitable for beginners, and that’s reason number one why it is the most popular Linux distribution. It is flexible and compatible with various architectures, and when people begin to explore Canadian VPS hosting plans they will almost always come across something saying much the same thing. Since Ubuntu supports a scale-out computing model, you can freely add up to 100 nodes to the server. Integration compatibility with various software like MongoDB, Apache Hadoop, and Inktank Ceph is good too.
- Debian : Debian is the best distribution for stable server performance, It is impressively stable because of the way developers thoroughly test the software before including it in the repository. As a result Debian users can run the same version for long periods and there are more than 50k packages which are free to download. Add extensive community support and there’s a lot to be said for going with this Linux distribution if you’re a managed web hosting provider in Canada.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) : Enterprise-class platforms always do best with this Linux distribution because it provides a powerful and reliable environment. It excels with providing automation and visualization tools and you can easily manage extensive data like data containers. This distribution also has a life cycle of up to 10 years and can be extended. This ensures that users will receive the latest updates with bug fixes, feature upgrades, and security patches.
- OpenSUSE : OpenSUSE is an easy-to-manage platform that works with popular Linux desktop apps. It is also compatible with various cloud services, such as Google Cloud, AWS, and IBM Cloud. Therefore, you can run on-demand services, and this is super beneficial for any VPS environment. Plus OpenSUSE offers a modular architecture, allowing you to perform reproducible builds across architectures and other distributions.
Choosing an OS for Your VPS
When a web hosting provider is deciding on a distribution for a Linux-based VPS, there is always the need to choose one that best meets the shared demands of sites that have a virtual private server through them. Here are the factors that are always taken into consideration when making that choice
Performance : Large amounts of data needed to solve complex problems quickly are going to rely on high-performance computing allows you to process large amounts of data and solve complex problems quickly. Linux server operations benefit when there is less of a need for physical tests, and this saves money and time. All of which are major considerations with managed Linux VPS hosting.
Ease of Use : An intuitive interface goes a long way in making certain distributions better than others too. It is standard for hosts to check whether the installation process is straightforward when selecting a Linux operating system. This is emphasized somewhat based on the fact that Linux isn’t known for its graphical interface, in comparison to the Windows operating system being widely recognized for its user-friendliness. Ubuntu is good here because it enables users to configure without a command line.
Cost : It’s common for Linux distributions to be made available for free, although some of the ones that offer commercial solutions will charge license fees. A commercial distribution like RHEL is specifically designed for businesses and enterprise-level companies. Better support and high scalability to meet operational needs will be what will make the cost acceptable for some users, but it is good to be aware that those costs can be in the hundreds of dollars. However, using a free Linux distribution is still a great option for beginners and smaller-scale projects.
Features : It’s also a good idea to consider a distribution’s features and whether they are sufficient to support web hosting needs and goals based on the types of customers a provider has. For example, RHEL provides more comprehensive features than other Linux distributions, and this makes it the better fit for large businesses. Any OS that makes the cut here is going to have a protected and supervisor mode so that the Linux kernel can be maintained and modified for certain CPU functions. Resource allocation will also be a need as it helps resources redistribute to other programs in need, and with resource and information protection the managed web hosting provider will have the needed resources and the ability to keep data safe from security threats.
Pre-Installed Packages : All Linux-based systems utilize client applications to manage software and some distributions feature pre-installed packages that many system administrators will prefer if other packages if needed. There are various ways to check which packages are included in your Linux installation. One of them is by running these commands:
- apt list –installed for Debianand Ubuntu.
- sudo yum list installed for CentOs and RHEL
Note that other command variations might be more effective for this. For example, to list all software packages on Ubuntu, use the $ apt list command.
Security : Security breaches simply can’t happen if you are managed Linux VPS hosting provider. As such there is a need to find the best Linux distribution that can protect your web server and other data. Linux has earned a reputation as a very secure OS with robust built-in security features, such as strict user privileges and kernel firewalls. Linux distributions with robust security are BlackArch Linux, CentOs, and Discreete Linux. Hosts lean towards them as they make it easier to offer a safer operating environment for VPS hosting.
Technical Support : The last aspect that makes Linux the most widely-compatible OS for websites and web hosting is the large community of developers that can help answer any queries. Many developers make their contributions to the kernel and software regularly and if there’s any need then a host can tap into this community to find solutions for Linux issues. In particular Ubuntu and Debian have some of the largest communities with thousands of developers and contributors worldwide.
