One of the greatest advantages of utilizing a VPS (Virtual Private Server) to power your website or online application is the ability to install any server operating system of your choice, which is particularly beneficial for developers or applications that have specific resource and OS requirements. Unlike shared hosting, virtual private servers are their own dedicated section, virtual machine, within a shared server which is what allows you to run an operating system of your own choice, rather than having to use the one currently being used to power that particular server.
There are many operating systems available for use including a multitude of Linux distributions or Microsoft Windows environments. Choosing the right one for you should be based on your websites or applications requirements and your technical ability to manage and maintain a particular operating system.
Available Operating Systems
As above, there are many Linux based operating systems and a selection of Windows systems available for installation on your virtual private server. The Windows environments are fairly standard in terms of how each work, although some editions offer an increased number of features, while each of the Linux distributions vary in terms of features, ease of use and specific usage cases. Many are also based on the same underlying source code or original distribution.
Linux Distributions
The following is a list of available Linux distributions, most of which are open source and free to use for both personal and commercial purposes.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu, one of the most popular distributions, is a free open-source Linux operating system overlooked by it’s parent company, Canonical Ltd. Ubuntu is beginner friendly and users are encouraged to modify, edit and learn from the underlying source code.
Fedora
Fedora, owned by Red Hat Linux, is a community driven operating system and moderated by a selection of members chosen by the Fedora community. Due to the relatively short life cycle of new Fedora versions, it is not generally recommended for software and product development.
Debian
Debian, one of the most popular Linux distributions for personal server use, is relatively easy to use and makes for a perfect OS for both website hosting and development. One of the most desirable features of Debian is the repository of thousands of pre-configured environments.
OpenSUSE
OpenSUSE is a popular general usage operating system which makes it a perfect choice for development and general server hosting. The OpenSUSE team also encourages members to modify and learn from the source code and interact with the community.
CentOS
CentOS, short for Community Enterprise Operating System, is an enterprise grade operating system that is popular within the online development community and makes for a great operating system for most virtual private server uses.
Gentoo
Gentoo, built with the portage package management system, is a free open source Linux operating system which has been designed to be easy to manage, maintain and use while still being extremely flexible, portable and modular.
Some of the other Linux virtual private server operating system distributions include:
– FreeBSD
– SlackWare
– RHL (Red Hat Linux)
– ArchLinux
– CloudLinux
– Scientific Linux
Windows Operating System
Microsoft Windows Operating Systems are generally more popular and most widely used within the corporate world due to it’s premium support and backing from Microsoft. In saying this, and can also be a great operating system for personal VPS use, however it does have a cost attached which may not be ideal for some.
Some of the Windows OS versions available include:
- Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
– Windows Server 2003 Standard
– Windows Server 2003 Enterprise
– Windows Server 2003 Data Center
– Windows Server 2008 Web Edition
– Windows Server 2008 Standard- Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
– Windows Server 2008 Data Center
– Windows Server 2012 Foundations
– Windows Server 2012 Essentials
– Windows Server 2012 Standard
– Windows Server 2012 Data Center
Choosing The Right Operating System
With so many choices available, for both VPS hosting and cloud web hosting, it is important to study and learn about each operating system before selecting the one that you find best suits your requirements. If you are unsure of which one is best suited for you, most virtual private server providers should have no problem in assisting you or recommending a particular operating system.
At the end of the day, each operating system generally provides similar features and support, so choosing one may be based more-so on their ease of use. This provides a few options for Linux distributions and also each of the web and standard Microsoft editions due to their familiar interface to that of a Windows PC operating system.
