The year 2020 was certainly full of the unexpected: Covid-19, social distancing, and...FileMaker Server for Linux...? In an exciting move, Claris announced to the FileMaker community that their release of FMS 19.1.2 would now be available for Linux in addition to the normal Windows and Mac versions. For any Linux enthusiasts like myself, this news could not be more welcome.

Venturing into the world of Linux is not something new to Claris. They have been using it since 2016 to host their FileMaker for AWS deployments as well as the newer FileMaker Cloud. But now, the power and stability of Linux for FMS has been given to the masses. 

Claris has chosen the CentOS distribution of Linux which is essentially an open-source version of Redhat Enterprise Linux. They explain their choice of CentOS to be due to the “stability, reliability, and predictability” that this OS offers. 

In this article, we will explore what makes FMS on Linux unique, and what strengths and weaknesses it might have compared to Windows Server.

Linux vs Windows

Linux offers several advantages over Windows. 

1. Lower cost

2. Better security

3. Improved stability

There is no licensing cost for CentOS which makes it a tantalizing prospect since the only cost for running it will be the hosting cost and the FMS license costs; no more paying for that pricy Windows Server licensing. 

The savings from Windows licensing costs can be quite substantial. This is true whether you are hosting your solutions with some sort of hosting provider or if you have a server on-premise.

If that was not enough, Linux tends to have better security, especially since less malware is written for Linux devices. Lastly, the lower OS overhead for CentOS over Windows Server means that the server will be more performant and stable. Even the overhead of having a desktop GUI is done away with.

So what’s the catch? Well, there are a few things that might hold some back from jumping on board.

1. Custom Web Publishing is not supported—however, FM Data API, OData API, and Web Direct are still supported

2. The learning curve for newcomers

3. FMS for Linux is not time-tested

If you are currently using a large Custom Web Publishing solution then you’ll need to switch over to the Data API for your website needs. This could be a deal-breaker for some, but there is actually a (mostly) pain-free way to go about this. Mark DeNyse over at Driftwood Interactive has developed a translation tool that allows you to convert a website from CWP to the Data API with minimal effort. You can check out his publicly available project here on Github.

There is also a learning curve when switching to Linux from Windows. For those who are afraid to touch Linux because they’ve heard that it is difficult, it really isn’t that bad. At the same time, for those who think it’ll be a cakewalk, well...it’ll probably be harder than you think. If you’ve never gotten stuck inside of vim, then you’ll find out what I mean.

Other concerns could be that FileMaker Server for Linux is too new to trust for production, but there likely isn’t too much validity to this concern. Claris has been using Linux to host FMS since 2016, and they will continue to use it for their FileMaker Cloud solution. If they are comfortable with running FMS on Linux, you probably can be, too.

So what is it like using it?

CentOS doesn’t come with a graphical user interface, so no desktop with nice apps to click on with your mouse. No, you’ll be using the command line for most operations on the server itself. 

If you are just interacting with the FMS admin console, then it really shouldn’t be much different than what you are used to: after all, the admin console is still accessed via a web browser. But if you are trying to check memory usage or move files around on the server, then you’d better be prepared to get your hands dirty using the command line.
The actual installation of FMS may be difficult for anyone new to Linux. I would argue that it really isn’t any harder than installing on Windows, it’s just that most of us have experience setting up a Windows server but no experience for a Linux server. The actual installation time and difficulty isn’t too much different. Also, the FMS 19 installation guide does a good job of explaining how it is done.

The most difficult part for a newbie will probably be setting up the Linux server itself and learning how to connect to it, both of which are not really explained in FileMaker’s documentation since there are several different ways to do so. I would recommend spending time looking at your hosting provider’s documentation to see the best way to go about this. If you are setting up your own Linux machine, then you should already be proficient at Linux.

Wrapping up

After weighing out the pros and cons, I would have to recommend FMS for Linux to anyone who is willing to learn a new OS (or already knows it) and wants to increase server stability while decreasing costs. At PK Information, we have had success using it for several of our clients, and I can foresee transitioning even more clients to Linux in the future. If you would prefer sticking with the Windows OS or you already have too much invested in Microsoft infrastructure, don’t worry, you aren’t necessarily missing anything that is game-changing. But if you do get to the point of needing to upgrade your system, you may want to consider the benefits that Linux has to offer.

PK Information is a FileMaker-certified development agency serving the Tampa Bay, Miami Lakes, and Knoxville regions. We believe that software should work the way you do, with business priorities first and technology second.

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