Linux Web Servers

In looking around for the best open source operating system to run a web server I'm leaning toward CentOS. I considered Novell's SuSE Linux but ultimately basing my decision on the fact that CentOS is a rebuild of the oldest Linux distro around, it's completely free, and has no plans to "go Red Hat" on me anytime soon. SuSE would be an excellent choice too, and they do offer a free version at openSUSE.org, but I'm paranoid about future support and a possible flip-flop on the free version. My opinion on Novell isn't based on any facts, just my own unsubstantiated fear of corporate decision making and their uncertain future intentions. CentOS, on the other hand, builds their distribution on the source code available from Red Hat, released freely as required by the GPL license.

Linux Magazine reviewed CentOS in their April 2006 issue (available as a two page PDF on their website). Keep in mind that CentOS, even though they won't mention the name on their website, is a rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Red Hat posted their own review of version 4's first year: Risk Report: A year of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4

Another option I'm still considering is FreeBSD, a direct descendent of Unix, rather than a clone. A base install of FreeBSD will likely outperform most popular Linux distros, but the features and supported hardware might be obstacles later. FreeBSD has been used by Yahoo (see Yahoo! And FreeBSD) since their early beginnings and continues to be used for their webhosting (and likely other services). Hotmail started on FreeBSD and ran on it for almost two years after Microsoft's aquisition of it. FreeBSD seems like the way to go, but my reservations lie in it's reputation for being slow in supporting third-party software. I've personally experienced this at work when I built a HylaFAX server using FreeBSD. The most difficult part was figuring out how to install support for the multiport adapter I wanted to use. The Diginet multiport was an old piece of hardware and I assumed there would be no problem getting it to work -- I was wrong, but eventually achieved success after a lot of research and long nights at the office. The fact, however, that Yahoo is still using FreeBSD is very encouraging and I haven't ruled it out. FreeBSD's inclusion of CVSup makes it slightly more desirable because it's an excellent utility for distributing and updating files from one server to another, a method that would be handy for creating an off-site mirror backup.

Right now I'm going back and forth between FreeBSD and CentOS. I'll play with both before making a final decision this weekend. I also need to consider my resources and other people that will help support my project when I'm not available. One that might get involved in the project is a Red Hat fan, so the scale is tipping to that side. My other thought behind CentOS is that if my needs grow, and I decide I want a commercially supported OS, it will be easier to move to Red Hat's enterprise distro from CentOS. It's basically the same truck, the paint is just a different color and it comes with a warranty.