AlmaLinux is a new operating system designed to be a substitute for CentOS. What led to the creation of AlmaLinux? On December 8, 2020, RedHat, the corporation that develops and maintains RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), announced that CentOS would be renamed CentOS Stream. CentOS Stream currently serves as an upstream testing environment for new and updated software before it is published to RHEL customers. CentOS vs AlmaLinux have simialrities that can be more then 90%.
What is Linux CentOS?
CentOS Linux is a community-supported distribution developed from Red Hat or CentOS git for Red Hat Enterprise Linux sources that are freely available to the public (RHEL). As a result, CentOS Linux aspires to be functionally equivalent to RHEL. Generally, the CentOS Project modifies packages to remove upstream vendor branding and artwork. CentOS Linux is free to use and share.
What exactly is AlmaLinux?
The CloudLinux team produced AlmaLinux, a free Centos substitute. CloudLinux is a downstream distribution of RHEL, which means the team has prior experience maintaining a RHEL clone. The AlmaLinux foundation will drive the AlmaLinux community. AlmaLinux’s software is designed to be binary compatible with RHEL and CentOS (non-stream).
CentOS vs AlmaLinux
- Overall, CentOS and AlmaLinux are quite similar, with only a few variances in who drives each project.Comparison of CentOS with AlmaLinux
- Downstream from RHEL: AlmaLinux and CentOS are both Redhat Enterprise Linux variants.
- AlmaLinux and CentOS both have a 10-year lifespan for receiving software upgrades beyond their first release date.
- The CentOS project and the AlmaLinux foundation are both community-driven. Both are community-driven and supported by businesses with expertise implementing enterprise-grade operating systems.
- Price: Both CentOS and AlmaLinux are provided for free and have no related payments.
- Package Management: Both distributions’ software packages are in RPM format. On CentOS 8 and AlmaLinux 8, the DNF program installs and updates RPMs.
Differences Between CentOS vs AlmaLinux
Apart from the name, there are little distinctions between AlmaLinux and CentOS. RedHat supports the CentOS project, while CloudLinux supports the AlmaLinux foundation. While the benefactor firms differ, the communities they assist have nearly identical aspirations.
CentOS versus AlmaLinux Advantages and Disadvantages
CentOS’ advantages
- CentOS is available for free, even for business uses. This cost advantage makes it a very appealing alternative for both individual users and businesses trying to keep expenditures under control.
- RedHat Software Pedigree: RedHat has tested and deployed all of the software that CentOS utilizes. This testing ensures that CentOS software is reliable and ready for even the most demanding commercial large-scale deployments.
- Long support lifetime: Before reaching its end-of-life date, each major version of CentOS will get software updates for 10 years, which is longer than most other Linux distributions, which normally have EOL dates ranging from two to five years.
- Ease of Installation: CentOS is a simple operating system to set up. New CentOS users may simply use the installation UI, while business customers can use kickstart scripts to methodically deploy CentOS at scale.
Disadvantages of CentOS
- Barriers to newer software versions: Due to CentOS’ downstream location, new software takes a long time to be deployed. Furthermore, rather than delivering new versions of software with new features, Redhat follows the conservative approach of backporting security and bug patches to current software versions. Users of CentOS can add third-party software repositories to obtain access to newer software packages, however they are often not as well vetted as the native software versions CentOS provides.
- Graphical Interfaces feel dated: Desktop users of CentOS will notice a very plain interface. Redhat applies its stability philosophy to the user interface, which means minimizing moving parts. This decision means that many UI and UX touches of flair and style are not implemented in favor of having an interface that “just works.”
Advantages of AlmaLinux
- Because AlmaLinux is so young, there’s only so much that can be said about its advantages so far. AlmaLinux and its developers, on the other hand, are off to a great start.
- AlmaLinux is a 1:1 binary compatible with CentOS versions prior to CentOS Stream, making it highly familiar and easy to use for old CentOS users. AlmaLinux has received mostly favorable reviews so far, with no serious difficulties noted.
- AlmaLinux is likewise quite simple to install and get up and running.
- AlmaLinux, like CentOS, is free to use for personal and business purposes. Previous CentOS customers saw AlmaLinux’s commitment to offer a forever-free downstream distribution as a benefit.
Disadvantages of AlmaLinux
- AlmaLinux’s disadvantages are fairly similar to those of CentOS.
- Newer software version barriers: The same software version barriers apply to AlmaLinux.
- This is likely to continue unless the team makes adjustments, given AlmaLinux’s downstream position in development.
- AlmaLinux has an antiquated visual interface. Users who have had bad experiences with CloudLinux may transfer their feelings to AlmaLinux, but given the community-driven nature of AlmaLinux, it’s probably too early to make those judgments.
What’s the Difference Between CentOS and AlmaLinux?
Before determining which operating system to employ, users must first define their priorities. AlmaLinux and CentOS have essentially comparable user experiences, thus CentOS users will feel right at home with AlmaLinux. CentOS users still have time to switch to AlmaLinux or another Linux distribution because the last supported version of CentOS is supported until 2024.
