Taking a quick look around these VPS are usually Linux or Windows based. Can the Java programs run on these as a standard?
Yes, both OS's are very well supported by Java, and can run Java to a high standard.
Of the two I would recommend Linux, because:
- Windows VPS typically costs more, and the cost isn't worth it, unless you _must_ use Windows.
- Base install of Linux typically has a smaller footprint then a base Windows install (although this is less of an issue today, and custom Windows Server installs/setups can be made to be pretty slim).
- A real website often relies on other software living around it, and generally these always support Linux first, and Windows second (Ruby is a good example).
- Lots of website related setup guides are written for Linux.
I mean they need to have Java installed and be capable of running the JVM. Or do you explicitly need to look for VPS that provide this functionality for Java?
A VPS won't provide you with Java. Instead it provides an OS, and you install Java yourself on top of it, and set it up to be a web server. This is the downside of using a VPS, because your setting up the whole server yourself, from the ground up. This even includes things like backups (although VPS providers often include backups services, for a price).
If you know what you are doing, then a VPS is a _much_ more powerful option then buying shared hosting. The biggest plus is that you are able to get the setup you want, since you have total control. You typically get more performance then a shared host, and because of the added control, you can also optimize your website/application to run in a way that makes it run at it's best. For example on my VPS I have two webservers; one for handling PHP, and one for handling static content (namely images, CSS, JavaScript and html files). As a result it runs faster!
I also use Linode, and highly recommend it. I have used several shared hosting sites and have had issues with all of them (even the good ones). I have never had an issue with Linode. There was also a VPS performance benchmark blog post done a year or two ago, where
Linode came out on top. I know many web developers who also use Linode, and find it to be excellent.