
Everybody knows Microsoft for its famous Windows operating system, a successful product line that has become a household name around the world. Not only is Windows installed in homes, but also in the offices of small, medium, and large enterprises, as well as an increasing number of web hosting data centers. Windows and other Microsoft products are now common in the network environment, forming the core for the hundreds of thousands of servers that help power the web. Ironically, the software innovator isn’t necessarily the dominant force in this industry because Microsoft has its hands full with the open-source market.
Read More on : Microsoft Windows Hosting vs. Open-source
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Apache |
Apache 2 |
| Details |
An HTTP web server that helps serves pages on the web. It is an open-source application and the most widely installed web server in the world. |
The official successor to Apache 1.0. It was first released to the general public in April, 2002 and offers numerous improvements over the original version. |
| Advantages |
- Cross platform
- Fast
- Secure
- Supports various programming languages |
- Enhanced XML support
- Works better with Windows
- Enhanced API
- Supports IPv6 |
| Disadvantages |
- Lacks XML Support
- Doesn’t work as well with Windows |
- Doesn’t support various Apache 1.0 components
- Doesn’t work as well with PHP
- More complex API |
| This web server is for you if… |
prefer to code primarily in PHP |
prefer a non-Unix-based platform or your project requires heavy XML usage |
| Our Recommendation |
WebhostingPad |
LunarPages |
Read more about Apache 2 at Introduction to Apache 2

Apache is a powerful web server application that has a played a major role in both the growth and continuous development of the web. As a free open-source solution, it backs up most popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Linux, Unix, FreeBDS, Mac OS X and Solaris to name a few. Apache has been the most widely installed server application on the web since 1996. As of November 2008, it is installed on over 50% of all websites.
While many providers are still using the original Apache, several more have made the upgrade to version 2.0. As you would expect, Apache 2 offers a number of improvements over the previous version which results in enhanced stability and performance. Some of the new features include:
Read More on : Introduction to Apache 2