The short answer
Pick PortWall for Windows if your websites run on IIS on a Windows Server: it installs on that server and protects every IIS site on it, plus the server itself. Pick the Linux appliance if your websites run on anything else (Apache, nginx, application servers, other machines), or if you want one gateway in front of many servers or customers.
Side by side
| PortWall for Windows | PortWall Linux appliance | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | The Windows Server that hosts your IIS sites | Its own virtual machine, cloud instance or physical server |
| Protects | Every IIS site on that server, found automatically | Any website it can reach over the network, on any web server |
| Also protects the server | Yes: Windows, RDP, SMB, SQL Server and mail logins, port scans, malware, outbound connections | Its own SSH logins |
| Licensed | Per server | By CPU cores used for inspection |
| Editions | Standard, Premium, Enterprise | Premium, Enterprise |
| Hosting panels | Works with plain IIS, SolidCP and Plesk for Windows | Not applicable |
| Install | portwall-install.exe, a small web installer |
Disk image (KVM, Proxmox, VMware, AWS, Google Cloud) or installer ISO |
| Console | On the server, or published over HTTPS | https://<appliance address>:9443 |
When Windows is the better fit
- Your sites are on IIS, and you would rather not add a machine or change DNS.
- You run a Windows hosting server with SolidCP or Plesk and many customer sites: every site, including new ones, is protected without per-site setup.
- You also want protection for the server itself: password guessing against Windows logins, RDP and mail, port scans, and malware dropped on the server.
- Your applications must see the real visitor address: PortWall passes it to IIS logs and applications.
When the appliance is the better fit
- Your sites run on Linux web servers, application servers or a mix of platforms.
- You want one security gateway in front of several web servers, or you are a provider protecting many tenants.
- You do not want to install anything on the web servers themselves.
- You want an appliance that updates itself as a whole, with Secure Boot and automatic rollback of a failed update.
Can I use both?
Yes. Each is licensed separately: a Windows licence for each Windows server, and an appliance licence for each appliance. See Prices.
Still unsure?
Write to [email protected] with how your sites are hosted and how much traffic they get, and we will suggest a setup.
Updated 2026-10-26Something unclear or missing? Tell us.