Re:Ask YC: Questions on ASP.NET and Windows hosting (getting...
by johns on Wednesday June 04, 2008 @12:20AM
(#208589)
do all ASP.NET websites really require a VPS/dedicated server
No. A shared hosting plan will go a long way. From my experience the biggest performance issues with hosts have been with shared SQL servers with hundreds or thousands of dbs on them. I have not used SQL Express in a shared environment, so I can't comment on the performance of that scenario.
I'm guessing I would be running IIS
Correct
Would Windows Server 2003 be difficult to set up and manage from someone who is used to setting up Linux servers
No. The concepts are the same. You may find IIS limiting (no built in mod_rewrite for example) but you should be able to find your way around any limitations. The problem with running your own Windows server is that you have to become a Windows security expert. You can't know enough about how to secure a Windows box (and yes, it can be done). If you don't want to manage the server and security, there are plenty of managed hosting services.
On the same note, how memory-intensive are simple ASP.NET websites?
As memory intensive as simple PHP sites. The sites will use as much memory as you program them to. ASP.NET itself is not memory intensive. You can run a ton of small-traffic sites on a single box, although I'd recommend more RAM but that's for Windows and not ASP.NET specifically.
would I need to pay anything in terms of licenses
Nope. The Windows license is included in the hosting fee. SQL Server on a shared server will likely be included, SQL Express is free. If you get a VPS and want to run your own full-blown SQL Server instance, you will need to pay for it and it's expensive. Some hosting companies offer SQL licenses payable per month. Visual Web Dev and SQL Express are free to download and use, including for commercial sites.
No. A shared hosting plan will go a long way. From my experience the biggest performance issues with hosts have been with shared SQL servers with hundreds or thousands of dbs on them. I have not used SQL Express in a shared environment, so I can't comment on the performance of that scenario.
I'm guessing I would be running IIS
Correct
Would Windows Server 2003 be difficult to set up and manage from someone who is used to setting up Linux servers
No. The concepts are the same. You may find IIS limiting (no built in mod_rewrite for example) but you should be able to find your way around any limitations. The problem with running your own Windows server is that you have to become a Windows security expert. You can't know enough about how to secure a Windows box (and yes, it can be done). If you don't want to manage the server and security, there are plenty of managed hosting services.
On the same note, how memory-intensive are simple ASP.NET websites?
As memory intensive as simple PHP sites. The sites will use as much memory as you program them to. ASP.NET itself is not memory intensive. You can run a ton of small-traffic sites on a single box, although I'd recommend more RAM but that's for Windows and not ASP.NET specifically.
would I need to pay anything in terms of licenses
Nope. The Windows license is included in the hosting fee. SQL Server on a shared server will likely be included, SQL Express is free. If you get a VPS and want to run your own full-blown SQL Server instance, you will need to pay for it and it's expensive. Some hosting companies offer SQL licenses payable per month. Visual Web Dev and SQL Express are free to download and use, including for commercial sites.