• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Start a Live ChatEmail us+31 88 3 088 099
Mail us

Utility Bar Right

Clientarea
Ajax
en en
  • en English en
Ajax

Snel.com

Self-managed dedicated and cloud hosting

  • Domains
  • Web Hosting
    • Professional Web Hosting
    • Reseller Hosting
  • Cloud Hosting
    • Cloud VPS
    • Managed Cloud VPS
    • Cloud VPS Upgrades
    • Operating Systems
  • Dedicated Hosting
    • Dedicated Servers
    • Managed Dedicated Servers
    • Budget Servers
    • Dedicated Server Upgrades
    • Operating Systems
  • Support
    • Support Portal
    • Snel NOC
    • Contact Support
    • Write for Snel.com
  • More
    • Our Story
    • Contact Us
    • Reviews
    • Add on Solutions
    • Managed Server Plans
    • Data Center
    • Network
    • Service Level Agreement
    • Payment Methods
    • Snelwallet
    • Affiliate Program
    • Blog
Snel.com
  • Domains
  • Web Hosting
    • Professional Web Hosting
    • Reseller Hosting
  • Cloud Hosting
    • Cloud VPS
    • Managed Cloud VPS
    • Cloud VPS Upgrades
    • Operating Systems
  • Dedicated Hosting
    • Dedicated Servers
    • Managed Dedicated Servers
    • Budget Servers
    • Dedicated Server Upgrades
    • Operating Systems
  • Support
    • Support Portal
    • Snel NOC
    • Contact Support
    • Write for Snel.com
  • More
    • Our Story
    • Contact Us
    • Reviews
    • Add on Solutions
    • Managed Server Plans
    • Data Center
    • Network
    • Service Level Agreement
    • Payment Methods
    • Snelwallet
    • Affiliate Program
    • Blog
Home > Blog > Making the open or closed source decision

Making the open or closed source decision

When it comes to setting up dedicated servers to run a website, one of the key questions that needs to be addressed is what web server software will be used. The key choice will be whether to opt for an open-source solution such as Apache HTTP Server or a closed alternative like Microsoft's IIS. There are many things to consider and one of the major issues will be how secure the solutions are.
It was noted by news provider Opposing Views that opinions differ on which is the best solutions and each has pros and cons. Therefore, it offered some details about the benefits of both choices.

Open source

The key feature of open-source software is all its code is freely available for users to study and compile. Advocates of this solution claim it is therefore more secure because of the large community that can assess the technology and can report vulnerabilities quickly.

Looking for weaknesses in compiled code is also said to be very time consuming and take real expertise, so only hackers planning to profit from exploiting vulnerabilities are likely to make the effort.

Closed source

On the other hand, solutions such as IIS are kept closed, with only the development team having access to the official copies of the source code. This means hackers would have to decompile the code themselves, which makes finding exploits more difficult. What's more, IIS does not rely on volunteers to identify vulnerabilities, while the development team can create patches for the software much more quickly, as IIS is a business product with dedicated staff whose job is solely to focus on making the solution more secure.
It was observed by Opposing Views there is no overall consensus on which approach is better from a security perspective, so it will ultimately be up to you to weigh up the positives and negatives of each and make the best decision for your business, taking into account all factors, not just security.

However, it was also noted that no matter what web server software you opt for, insecure settings by the end user will make the solution a tempting target for hackers, so IT personnel need to make sure they are doing all they can to minimise their risk.

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

earn money with our Affiliate program

Archives

  • November 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • March 2019
  • November 2018
  • April 2018
  • November 2017
  • August 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • August 2016
  • February 2016
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • May 2012
Start a Live Chat
Email us
+31 88 3 088 099 

Footer

Our Products

  • Domain name
  • Professional Web Hosting
  • Reseller Hosting
  • VPS
  • Managed VPS
  • Dedicated Servers
  • Managed Dedicated Servers
  • Managed Server Plans
  • Add on Solutions

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Reviews
  • ISO Certification
  • Data Center
  • Network
  • Snel NOC
  • Payment Methods

Legal

  • EU GDPR
  • Service Level Agreement
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Data Processing Agreement
  • Acceptable Usage Policy

Blog

  • Snel.com Interview with Top 10 Website Hosting
  • Self-managed or Managed Hosting?
  • Snel.com is now ISO 27001 certified

Show us some love

ISO 27001

Stay Updated

Copyright © 2021 Snel.com B.V. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve the experience of our visitors. Read moreOk, do not show again