ASP vs. PHP

Both ASP and PHP are both software script languages that can be used to generate dynamic web pages. ASP can be used on a Windows-based server whereas PHP is supported through Unix or Linux servers. They are both free and have tutorials available online, however PHP seems to have more extensive tutorials and free tools. Most web hosting comes with free PHP support, but you need to make sure if you are using ASP that ASP scripts will work with your hosting server. ASP does take more memory so it is slower in loading and is less efficient than PHP. Although PHP can do everything that ASP can do, many programmers choose to use ASP because they like the functionality and choose to stick with what they know and like.

Benefits of using ASP

ASP (Active Server Pages) is a scripting language created by Microsoft. ASP is a powerful tool used by web programmers, web designers and database engineers to create more effective web sites. It is faster and easier to use than CGI. ASP can be used in conjunction with HTML to create dynamic web pages. It is free to download from Microsoft and there are tools available to help make scripting easier. If you use ASP you must have a Windows-based server so make sure the web hosting provider you choose offers that option. ASP scripts can be directly embedded within your HTML pages, so it is easy to learn and flexible. If you already know another scripting language such as VBScript you basically already know how to use ASP.

ASP.NET Web Hosting and Functionality

ASP.NET is the next generation scripting language to ASP (Active Server Pages). It was developed by Microsoft and allows web developers to create dynamic web pages using databases. ASP.NET adds the ability to support code from Visual Basic, C++ and Perl , and you gain server controls for easier editing. Microsoft has also created more tools for ASP.NET which support easier development. You can distinguish ASP.NET pages from ASP pages by their extensions -- .asp or .aspx (for ASP.NET). ASP.Net also supports XML. It does take more memory which can become a problem for web-based applications. ASP Web Hosting is usually based on a Windows server and you need to make sure your web host offers ASP support.

Definition of ASP

ASP stands for Active Server Pages. ASP is a scripting language developed by Microsoft, and is free for downloading from Microsoft. It is an open language and can be used with any HTML document to build dynamic web sites and does not have to have a specific editor to create ASP scripts but can be edited with any text editor. There are some tools which make it easier to create ASP scripts and are available from Microsoft. The only limitation with ASP is that you need to have hosting which can provide the ASP functionality on the server (a Windows-based server). ASP hosting is generally a bit more expensive and not as widely available as other hosting, but is a very popular scripting language with web developers.

ASP vs. PHP

Finding good affordable ASP web hosting is just the same as finding any good web hosting company. ASP needs a Windows-based server, so it is generally more expensive for hosting but usually it is just a few dollars more each month. Make sure you find a company with a good reputation, high uptime, and ask tons of questions. Hosting is not “you get what you pay for” because you can pay high dollars and not receive what you thought you were getting. But you can also find cheap web hosting which is not reliable. You just need to make sure you determine what your highest priorities are for hosting (security, reliability, cost, uptime, customer support, ASP hosting, etc.) and then research and ask questions.