Windows → Linux hosting migration
Running Umbraco on Windows Server and IIS means paying for Windows licences and bigger servers. We move your site to Linux with .NET 10 and nginx, so it runs faster, leaner and cheaper, with no change for your editors.
Where the savings come from
Modern Umbraco runs on .NET 10, which is fully cross-platform. Your site doesn't need Windows any more, so you don't need to pay for it.
Linux has no OS licence fee. Drop Windows Server licensing costs, and the CALs and SPLA charges that come with it.
.NET 10 on Linux behind nginx is lean. Many sites run comfortably on a smaller server than they needed under Windows and IIS.
Linux plans on Azure App Service, AWS and most VPS providers are typically priced below their Windows equivalents.
nginx serves static files and handles TLS efficiently, while the Kestrel web server runs your Umbraco site. You get quick pages and low overhead.
Small Linux Docker images make it easy to run Umbraco on Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps or any container host.
For the right site, moving the database to SQLite at the same time removes SQL Server licence or managed database fees as well.
Windows vs Linux
| Windows hosting | Linux hosting | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system licence | Windows Server licence required | None |
| Web server | IIS | nginx reverse proxy + Kestrel |
| Runtime | .NET 10 | .NET 10 |
| Typical server size | Larger, to cover OS overhead | Smaller and leaner |
| Containers | Large Windows images | Small Linux images |
| Hosting choice | Fewer, pricier options | Almost any cloud or VPS |
| Editors & backoffice | Umbraco backoffice | Exactly the same |
| Your URLs & SEO | — | Unchanged |
Choosing your setup
There's no single right answer. It depends on your budget, your team and how busy your site is.
The most straightforward way to host Umbraco. IIS is familiar to most .NET teams, it's widely documented, and many hosts offer it ready to go.
It's also fully possible, and supported, to run Umbraco on Linux. .NET 10 runs your site, with nginx in front handling TLS and static files. We set it all up and hand it over documented.
SQLite works well for low-to-medium traffic sites. It handles many reads at once but only one write at a time, so it gets slow with lots of editors working together or with frequent form submissions writing to the database.
Both work on Windows and Linux. We'll recommend the right database for your site as part of your quote.
What we handle
Moving off Windows touches more than the server. We take care of every detail so nothing breaks on the way.
Free migration quote
Send us your site's URL and, if you can, a temporary backoffice login. We'll review your setup and send a fixed-price quote for the full Windows to Linux migration, usually within one working day.