5 Best Linux CentOS Replacement Options & Alternatives

Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Best for large enterprises

The first name that emerges as an alternative to CentOS is naturally Red Hat Enterprise Linux, as it’s the open-source operating system on which CentOS is based. Therefore, many users think that going directly to the source is naturally a good idea, and they’re not wrong.

RHEL has gained its reputation among big enterprises for providing a modern, security-oriented OS. Companies with advanced digital resources, technology stacks, and workloads use the OS to scale and perform on-premises, on virtual machines or containers, and in the cloud. The OS is certified on hundreds of clouds and with thousands of hardware and software vendors.

Figure A

Features

• Stability and community support: RHEL is a very stable OS designed to be used in mission-critical environments. There is also a large and active community of RHEL users and developers to offer support.
• Security: Security is at the core of RHEL. The system includes a great number of advanced security features.
• Official support and benefits: Red Hat provides 24/7 support for RHEL, and all versions have a 10-year life cycle. Plus, Red Hat connects users with its extensive hardware, software, and cloud partner ecosystem.
• Supported architectures: It runs on servers and workstations, and supports a wide range of hardware architectures like x86, ARM, IBM Power, IBM Z, and IBM LinuxONE.
• Automation and management: The OS includes Red Hat Insights, a managed service for analytics and remediation that delivers continuous vulnerability alerts and guidance.
• Security and compliance: RHEL can simplify risks and automate security and compliance with built-in features like live kernel patching, security profiles, security standards certification, and a trusted software supply chain.
• Migration: From installing to migrating or updating, the vendor offers tools to streamline the processes, whether users are coming from CentOS Linux or another OS.

Pros

• Stable and reliable software.
• High-performing security and compliance.
• Well-supported OS.
• Wide range of features.
• Large and active community.

Cons

• Not free; commercial pricing can be expensive for small companies.
• Can be complex to manage.
• Not as flexible as some other Linux distributions.

Pricing

RHEL variants include the Server edition and RHEL Workstations, which are optimized to run on high-performance workstations. Additionally, other versions are Linux for Virtual Datacenters, Linux for IBM Power Little Endian, and Linux for SAP Solutions.

Pricing starts at $196.90 for the Workstation, and the most expensive solution, Linux Virtual Datacenters, starts at $2,748.90.

SEE: For more information, read Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.

Oracle Linux: Best for IT and software development companies

Oracle Linux is another solid alternative for those looking to migrate from CentOS for several reasons. First of all, Oracle Linux is 100% Red Hat Enterprise Linux compatible. It can handle a wide variety of workloads, heavy-duty databases, application servers, and DevOps. Additionally, users can migrate from CentOS to Oracle Linux seamlessly using built-in migration features. And, they will benefit from several features that are not available in CentOS.

Fully compatible with RHEL, Oracle offers a choice of two kernels: the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Oracle Linux or the Red Hat Compatible Kernel.

• The Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel provides the latest open source innovations, key optimizations, and security with a focus on performance, stability, and minimal backports by tracking the mainline source code as closely as is practical. It is a Linux kernel built by Oracle and supported through Oracle Linux support. UEK is designed for maximum performance and stability and drives Oracle Cloud and Oracle Engineered Systems, such as Oracle Exadata Database Machine. UEK is well-tested and used to run Oracle’s Engineered Systems, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and large enterprise deployments for Oracle customers.
• The Red Hat Compatible Kernel is for Oracle Linux, and it is compatible with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux kernel; this means that software that is compiled for RHEL will also run on Oracle Linux with RHCK.

Oracle Linux is a good choice for businesses and organizations that need a stable, reliable, and secure operating system. It is also popular among IT and software companies because of the features listed below.

Figure B

Features

• Migration: Oracle provides a quick and easy migration path to switch from CentOS Linux or other OS. The company also offers hands-on labs and tutorials to help users throughout the process.
• DevOps automation: IT companies and software developers leverage the automated DevOps features to accelerate production and deployment. Through these features, users can find five drivers for DevOps automation, recommendations, and more.
• Multi-environment performance and reliability: Oracle Linux is designed to support x86 and Arm architectures across on-premises, multicloud, and edge environments. It is also engineered for heavy workloads.
• Security and compliance: Users can apply security vulnerability fixes without downtime. Oracle Linux can help users detect exploits and use a distribution that has FIPS and Common Criteria certifications to meet compliance.
• Official support: Oracle Linux support must be purchased. The price for the 24/7 support starts at $499 per year.

Additional features that are not available in CentOS include:

• Zero-downtime patching with Ksplice.
• Cloud-native tools such as Kubernetes and Kata Containers.
• Kernel-based virtual machine virtualization and oVirt-based virtualization manager.
• Gluster Storage for Oracle Linux.
• The Btrfs file system (only available with UEK).
• DTrace dynamic tracing framework (only available with UEK).
• Oracle Linux Automation Manager and Automation Engine.
• Oracle Linux Manager utility to assist in patching and errata management.

Pros

• Offers free download, use, and distribution.
• Boasts high-performance, stability, security, and reliability.
• Provides automation for DevOps.
• Delivers superb support.
• Offers a wide range of features that CentOS does not.
• Includes a 100% RHEL compatible migration path for CentOS and other OS users.

Cons

• Support must be purchased.
• Can be complex to manage.
• Compliance features require advanced knowledge.

Pricing

Oracle Linux basic version is free to download, use, and distribute; this includes free source code and updates. The Oracle Cloud Infrastructure pricing can be estimated online, and a basic Linux Support plan costs $499 for one year and $1,497 for three years.

SEE: Is Oracle Linux a valid replacement for CentOS? (TechRepublic)

Rocky Linux: Best for die-hard CentOS fans

Rocky Linux is a community-supported Linux distribution that was created when CentOS announced its end-of-life cycle. The project is led by the original founder of CentOS, Gregory Kurtzer.

The OS is designed to be a drop-in replacement for CentOS. It responds to the needs of the CentOS community and has received support from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, VMware, Open Source Lab, and others.

Rocky Linux is an open-source enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux; however, as it is under intensive development by the community, it is not yet risk-free.

Figure C

Features

• Migration: Rocky Linux offers support and guides for users to use when migrating from CentOS, CentOS Stream, Alma Linux, RHEL, or Oracle Linux. Advanced skills are required for the migration and what Rocky Linux calls “a mildly risk-taking attitude.” A migration script is available free of charge.
• Production-ready: Despite it still being under development, the OS is enterprise-ready and provides solid stability with regular updates.
• Community support: The OS has the support of well-known CentOS leaders, as well as the wider community.
• CentOS features: The OS provides all the main CentOS features that developers and the community are familiar with, making the learning curve a straight line.

SEE: Learn to use Linux for IT and Sysadmin with this training bundle (TechRepublic Academy)

Pros

• Free and open-source.
• Reliable and secure.
• Well-supported.
• Excellent for users familiarized with CentOS.
• Supported by the CentOS active community.

Cons

• Under intense development.
• Not risk-free.
• Requires advanced knowledge.

Pricing

Rocky Linux is free and provides free upgrades along with a 10-year support lifecycle, all at no cost.

AlmaLinux: Best for those familiar with CentOS

AlmaLinux is another forked version of CentOS, owned and governed by a community of developers. Like RockyLinux, the OS began development when CentOS announced it would no longer offer support or release new versions.

The community behind AlmaLinux assures that the OS will always be free for enterprises, and that they are focused on long-term stability and a robust production-grade platform. The company adopted a Fedora-like distribution for anyone who does not want to pay for RHEL licenses. AlmaLinux is supported by CloudLinux Inc. and other sponsors.

Features

• Migration: AlmaLinux does not have built-in automated step-by-step technology that guides users through migration. AlmaLinux does offer guides, but only those with advanced skills will be able to follow them (Figure D).
• Production-ready: AlmaLinux OS is an enterprise-grade server OS. It is a stable Linux distribution and offers regular releases and support. It is designed for critical workloads. The organization provides official images for cloud providers including AWS, generic clouds, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, OpenNebula, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
• Community support: The AlmaLinux GitHub organization contains source code and tools used to build AlmaLinux OS and related infrastructure. The Reddit community is in place for users to receive updates and find and provide support. Additionally, other community forums are available.
• Supported architectures: AlmaLinux supports four architectures: x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le, and s390x.
• Performance and security: AlmaLinux is a very stable operating system that relies on the expertise of experts in the community. It is designed to be used in mission-critical environments, and it has a long history of reliability. It also provides a number of security features, which include SELinux and AppArmor.

Figure D

Pros

• Open-source and free.
• Migration support.
• High-grade enterprise distribution OS.
• CentOS-style features.
• Large community support.

Cons

• New to the market.
• Not risk-free.
• Requires advanced knowledge.
• Advanced tools such as automation and compliance may vary and depend on the level of user expertise.

Pricing

AlmaLinux is free. Upgrades and support provided vary depending on the version.

Fedora: Best for programming and rolling release distribution

Fedora is an innovative platform loved by programmers because it provides cutting-edge technology, is reliable and stable, and is a free and open-source OS packed with features.

Fedora is also a community-supported Linux distribution developed by Red Hat. In concept, it compares more to CentOS Stream than to CentOS because it offers rolling release distribution, giving users access to the latest technology. New features and updates are released on a continuous basis. The new features in Fedora are available before they are released in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Fedora also invests heavily in graphic user experience and provides easy-to-use, high-quality graphics through modern desktops (Figure E).

Figure E

Features

• Versions: Fedora is available in Workstation and Server versions, as well as for IoT, Cloud, and as a Container optimized OS. Each version is updated for approximately 13 months; upgrades between versions are quick and easy.
• Performance: With Fedora Server, users can run virtual machines and containers, build applications, deploy a server and workloads, and create stable ecosystems.
• Support: Provides issue tracking, chat support, resources, documentation, community support, and more.
• Rolling releases: Fedora is a rolling release distribution, which means new features and updates are released on a continuous basis. Users have access to the latest software available.
• Supported architectures: x86-64, ARM, PowerPC: PowerPC64 and PowerPC64le, s390x and RISC-V: F.

Pros

• Free and open source.
• Built-in migration tools and resources.
• Cutting-edge operating system, offers rolling releases.
• Community supported.

Cons

• Advanced skills are required.
• Setup can be complex.

Pricing

Fedora is free and provides free upgrades from version to version.