Linux Server Hosting: Are Linux servers free?

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When you are using your phone or computer to access a service (shopping online, viewing an email, refreshing your DMs to see if your crush texted you, e.t.c.), you’re pretty much hitting a Linux server somewhere on the Internet.

Linux servers operate everywhere, allowing you to access content, browse apps, and access services provided by most businesses around the world.

You can use other operating systems for servers, but most businesses prefer to use Linux server operating systems. If you are a business, you may ask if Linux servers are free to use and why that would be.

The one thing that these servers have been preferred is that they are affordable compared to other server operating systems.

Linux operating system is free and open source. Businesses prefer Linux to other operating systems because they do not need to purchase expensive licenses to use Linux or the majority of Linux applications commercially. However, low additional costs are incurred to own a Linux server and use it for business.

Although Linux operating system is free and open-source, you need to have hardware resources that the operating system will run on.

You will need to purchase computer hardware resources that include RAM, SSD/HDD disk space, bandwidth, and CPU. One option is to set up the server yourself or buy an already set up and managed Linux server with the popular Linux server hosting providers.

I do not recommend creating a Linux server yourself because many things could go wrong. It would be time-consuming as you must constantly think about your server’s state. Besides, it will be more vulnerable to:

  1. Attacks
  2. Power outages
  3. Server misconfiguration
  4. Theft
  5. Physical damage
  6. Who knows, your cat may chew the cables

I recommend purchasing a managed Linux server that may be on a Shared hosting, Virtual private servers (VPS), Dedicated server, and Cloud hosting plan.

The best Linux server hosting providers are Digital Ocean, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Bluehost, SiteGround, e.t.c. Their pricing differs, and you can get excellent Linux server hosting services at ridiculously low cost and world-class resources, features, and support.

So, the main distinction here is that Linux operating system is totally free for commercial use, but purchasing the resources needed to install the operating system has an additional cost.

Fortunately, these resources are affordable to access.

Based on the use, Linux server hosting (VPS) costs between $3.49 to $421. On Hostinger, you can get started with a fully managed Linux server with 1 GB RAM, 20 GB disk space, and 1 core CPU for $3.49 per month. On AWS, you can get 4 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, and 4TB bandwidth for $421 per month.

Suppose you need one of the most affordable Linux servers. In that case, Digital Ocean is the perfect choice for hosting large and scalable web applications built with Python (Django), JavaScript (Node.js), PHP, and GO.

For the same resources, you would get on AWS for $421; on Digital Ocean, you get the resources for just $42 per month.

Linux server hosting suitable for e-commerce websites, machine learning, CI/CD applications, ad servers, web servers, e.t.c, costs $42 on Digital Ocean.

I also prefer Linux servers on Digital Ocean because they are General Purpose, CPU-Optimized, Memory-Optimized, and Storage Optimized. That way, you are assured of world-class Linux server hosting.

Digital Ocean VPS Linux servers features and cost

Another thing I love about Digital Ocean hosting services is that; they provide other affordable pricing points based on how large or small your deployment solutions are.

You can get started with Linux server hosting with a VPS that costs $4 for 1 Core CPU, 512 MB memory, 10 GB disk space, and 500 GB bandwidth. You can use this basic pricing option for small and simple web applications and blogs.

On Digital Ocean, you have the freedom to use their Linux servers to install Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian. Besides, you can install your customized operating system on their servers.

Which Linux server is the best?

Ubuntu server is the best server operating system because it allows flexibility, security, and scalability for your software solutions. CentOS and Debian provide similar capabilities, but these operating systems are more geared towards stability and security.

What are the uses of Linux servers?

You can use Linux servers for:

  • Web hosting. The most popular use of Linux servers is to host websites, blogs, e-commerce websites, e.t.c.
  • Email servers
  • File sharing
  • Media streaming
  • Ad serving
  • Distributed File system and Collaborative file editing
  • Distributed Database access
  • DNS services
  • DHCP services

Based on these and other uses that wouldn’t fit in the list, Linux is an excellent operating system for server hosting.

Linux will work great for you because it is more versatile and easier to use compared to Windows hosting.

Another perfect reason to choose Linux server hosting is that you will have access to many hosting services. Most hosting providers will provide Linux servers most of the time compared to Windows servers.

Let’s see the cost of deploying some of the most common uses of Linux servers on the popular Linux server hosting providers.

Here is the cost/pricing table for deploying e-commerce, WordPress, blog, and machine learning websites.

Hostinger (VPS)Digital Ocean (VPS)
WordPress websites$3.99 – $19.99 per month$4.00 – $18.00 per month
Ecommerce websites$9.99 – $29.99 per month$18.00 – $48.00 per month
Ad serving$18.00 – $48.00 per month
Machine learning applications$18.00 – $96.00 per month

Linux servers are very affordable when deploying your software solutions to be consumed by clients.

Use these links to check the best hosting service for your next WordPress, Ecommerce, or Machine learning website/web application. Besides, you will receive discounted rates and free credits when you sign up with them.

Digital Ocean

DigitalOcean Referral Badge

Hostinger

Conclusion

Linux servers offer highly secure, performance-scalable, and efficient resource usage compared to other server operating systems. Because of these reasons, Linux servers are preferred by companies, businesses, and developers when deploying their applications and software solutions.

Besides, Linux servers are affordable because Linux operating system requires free licensing to use commercially. As a business, you will only have to incur the cost of purchasing hardware resources from cloud hosting providers such as AWS or Digital Ocean.

Due to its effective resource usage, Linux servers tend to use fewer resources allowing businesses to use hosting services for very low prices.

Thus, Linux servers have been and will continue to be the best preference for server hosting as they provide the best features and capabilities at a low cost.

Linux servers’ reliability, security, performance, and stability make them the best choice for high-traffic websites, blogs, and e-commerce websites; machine learning applications, ad servers, file, database, and email serving; and file sharing and collaborative editing, among many other uses.

And that’s it basically for this article. I hope you understand that Linux server operating system is free for commercial use. You will only need to purchase the resources that Linux server operating system will run on and management/administration services.

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Badi
Badi

Badi here, creator of ngangasn.com— A website dedicated to providing helpful information and how-to's of web development and hosting. Inspired by a fascination to write the most efficient code to make a computer laugh, & humans, Steve has a passion for organizing characters to create code and informative content.
What makes me happy?
Well, nothing like the feeling of finally figuring out that one pesky bug that's been driving me crazy.

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