What is CentOS and what are its top alternatives?
CentOS is a popular Linux distribution known for its stability and long-term support, making it a suitable choice for servers and enterprise environments. Key features include regular security updates, access to a large repository of software packages, and compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. However, CentOS recently announced a shift in focus towards CentOS Stream, leaving users looking for alternatives to maintain the traditional CentOS model.
- Ubuntu Server: Ubuntu Server is a widely used Linux distribution known for its ease of use, strong community support, and regular releases. Pros include a large software repository, long-term support options, and straightforward upgrades. Cons may include a different package management system compared to CentOS.
- Debian: Debian is a robust Linux distribution known for its stability, security, and extensive package selection. Key features include a strong focus on free and open-source software, regular security updates, and multiple architectures support. However, the release cycle may be slower compared to CentOS.
- Fedora Server: Fedora Server offers the latest in open-source technologies, frequent updates, and a strong focus on innovation. Pros include cutting-edge software packages, a user-friendly interface, and a vibrant community. On the downside, the short lifecycle of each release may require more frequent upgrades.
- openSUSE: openSUSE is a user-friendly Linux distribution with both a stable release and a rolling release option. Key features include the YaST configuration tool, a wide range of software packages, and strong support for desktop and server environments. However, some users may find the release cycle and version upgrades challenging.
- Rocky Linux: Rocky Linux aims to provide a downstream, community-supported, free Linux distribution that is binary compatible with RHEL. Pros include a focus on maintaining CentOS-like stability and support for long-term releases. Cons may include a shorter track record compared to more established alternatives.
- AlmaLinux: AlmaLinux is another CentOS replacement that aims to provide a stable, community-driven, open-source Linux distribution. Key features include compatibility with RHEL, long-term support options, and an active community. However, users may encounter challenges in transitioning from CentOS to AlmaLinux.
- Oracle Linux: Oracle Linux is an enterprise-class Linux distribution built from RHEL source code, offering premier support options, compatibility with Oracle products, and advanced security features. Pros include additional testing and optimization for Oracle workloads, but licensing considerations and support costs may be a concern for some users.
- ClearOS: ClearOS is a Linux distribution specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses, offering a user-friendly interface, a wide range of server applications, and a marketplace for additional features. Pros include ease of use and centralized management tools, while potential cons may include a focus on specific business use cases.
- Mageia: Mageia is a community-driven Linux distribution focused on desktop and server use, offering a customizable installation process, a wide range of software packages, and strong security features. Pros include a supportive community and a focus on user experience, but the release cycle and support options may vary compared to CentOS.
- Slackware: Slackware is one of the oldest actively maintained Linux distributions, known for its simplicity, stability, and adherence to Unix-like principles. Key features include a minimalistic approach, lightweight system requirements, and a high level of customization. However, the lack of graphical tools and package management may be challenging for some users.
Top Alternatives to CentOS
- Ubuntu
Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers. ...
- Fedora
Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system. ...
- Debian
Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software. ...
- Amazon Linux
The Amazon Linux AMI is a supported and maintained Linux image provided by Amazon Web Services for use on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). ...
- openSUSE
The openSUSE project is a worldwide effort that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. openSUSE creates one of the world's best Linux distributions, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community. ...
- Linux
A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance. ...
- iOS
It is the operating system that presently powers many of the mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It is designed to make your iPhone and iPad experience even faster, more responsive, and more delightful. ...
- Alpine Linux
Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox. ...
CentOS alternatives & related posts
- Free to use230
- Easy setup for testing discord bot96
- Gateway Linux Distro57
- Simple interface54
- Don't need driver installation in most cases9
- Open Source6
- Many active communities6
- Software Availability3
- Easy to custom3
- Many flavors/distros based on ubuntu2
- Lightweight container base OS1
- Great OotB Linux Shell Experience1
- Demanding system requirements5
- Adds overhead and unnecessary complexity over Debian4
- Snapd installed by default2
- Systemd1
related Ubuntu posts
We use Debian and its derivative Ubuntu because the apt ecosystem and toolchain for Debian packages is far superior to the yum-based system used by Fedora and RHEL. This is large part due to a huge amount of investment into tools like debhelper/dh over the years by the Debian community. I haven't dealt with RPM in the last couple years, but every experience I've had with RPM is that the RPM tools are slower, have less useful options, and it's more work to package software for them (and one makes more compromises in doing so).
I think everyone has seen the better experience using Ubuntu in the shift of prevalence from RHEL to Ubuntu in what most new companies are deploying on their servers, and I expect that trend to continue as long as Red Hat is using the RPM system (and I don't really see them as having a path to migrate).
The experience with Ubuntu and Debian stable releases is pretty similar: A solid release every 2 years that's supported for a few years. (While Ubuntu in theory releases every 6 months, their non-LTS releases are effectively betas: They're often unstable, only have 9 months of support, etc. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone not actively participating in Ubuntu the development community). Ubuntu has better integration of non-free drivers, which may be important if you have hardware that requires them. But it's also the case that most bugs I experience when using Ubuntu are Ubuntu-specific issues, especially on servers (in part because Ubuntu has a bunch of "cloud management" stuff pre-installed that is definitely a regression if you're not using Canonical's cloud management products).
There is a question coming... I am using Oracle VirtualBox to spawn 3 Ubuntu Linux virtual machines (VM). VM1 is being used as a data lake - just a place to store flat files. VM2 hosts Apache NiFi. VM3 hosts PostgreSQL. I have built a NiFi pipeline that reads flat files on VM1 and then pipes the data over to and inserts it into the Postgresql database. I left this setup alone for a while, and then something hiccupped on VM3, and I had to rebuild it. Now I cannot make a remote connection to Postgresql on VM3. I was using pgAdmin3 on VM3, but it kept throwing errors - I found out it went end-of-life in 2018 and uninstalled it. pgAdmin4 is out, but for some reason, I cannot get the APT utility to find/install it. I am trying to figure out the pgAdmin4 install problem and looking for a good alternative for pgAdmin4 that I can use to diagnose the remote database connection problem. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Fedora
- Great for developers22
- Great integration with system tools10
- Represents the future of rhel/centos10
- Good release schedule9
- Reliable7
- Fast6
- Docker integration5
- Has SeLinux4
- Latest packages3
- Updated with Bleeding-edge software3
- Great for ops teams3
- Awesome community3
- Python distribution2
- Complies with International Standard2
- Bugs get fixed slowly from kernel side3
- Much less support from Wiki2
- Systemd2
- Boring2
- Less packages in official repository1
- A bit complicated1
- Learning curve for new users1
- Slightly difficult to install for beginners0
related Fedora posts
We use Debian and its derivative Ubuntu because the apt ecosystem and toolchain for Debian packages is far superior to the yum-based system used by Fedora and RHEL. This is large part due to a huge amount of investment into tools like debhelper/dh over the years by the Debian community. I haven't dealt with RPM in the last couple years, but every experience I've had with RPM is that the RPM tools are slower, have less useful options, and it's more work to package software for them (and one makes more compromises in doing so).
I think everyone has seen the better experience using Ubuntu in the shift of prevalence from RHEL to Ubuntu in what most new companies are deploying on their servers, and I expect that trend to continue as long as Red Hat is using the RPM system (and I don't really see them as having a path to migrate).
The experience with Ubuntu and Debian stable releases is pretty similar: A solid release every 2 years that's supported for a few years. (While Ubuntu in theory releases every 6 months, their non-LTS releases are effectively betas: They're often unstable, only have 9 months of support, etc. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone not actively participating in Ubuntu the development community). Ubuntu has better integration of non-free drivers, which may be important if you have hardware that requires them. But it's also the case that most bugs I experience when using Ubuntu are Ubuntu-specific issues, especially on servers (in part because Ubuntu has a bunch of "cloud management" stuff pre-installed that is definitely a regression if you're not using Canonical's cloud management products).
Since #ATComputing is a vendor independent Linux and open source specialist, we do not have a favorite Linux distribution. We mainly use Ubuntu , Centos Debian , Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora during our daily work. These are also the distributions we see most often used in our customers environments.
For our #ci/cd training, we use an open source pipeline that is build around Visual Studio Code , Jenkins , VirtualBox , GitHub , Docker Kubernetes and Google Compute Engine.
For #ServerConfigurationAndAutomation, we have embraced and contributed to Ansible mainly because it is not only flexible and powerful, but also straightforward and easier to learn than some other (open source) solutions. On the other hand: we are not affraid of Puppet Labs and Chef either.
Currently, our most popular #programming #Language course is Python . The reason Python is so popular has to do with it's versatility, but also with its low complexity. This helps sysadmins to write scripts or simple programs to make their job less repetitive and automating things more fun. Python is also widely used to communicate with (REST) API's and for data analysis.
- Massively supported54
- Stable50
- Reliable21
- Aptitude9
- Customizable8
- It is free8
- Turnkey linux use it8
- Works on all architectures6
- Old versions of software10
- Can be difficult to set up on vanilla Debian2
related Debian posts
At labinator.com, we use HTML5, CSS 3, Sass, Vanilla.JS and PHP when building our premium WordPress themes and plugins. When writing our codes, we use Sublime Text and Visual Studio Code depending on the project. We run Manjaro and Debian operating systems in our office. Manjaro is a great desktop operating system for all range of tasks while Debian is a solid choice for servers.
WordPress became a very popular choice when it comes to content management systems and building websites. It is easy to learn and has a great community behind it. The high number of plugins as well that are available for WordPress allows any user to customize it depending on his/her needs.
For development, HTML5 with Sass is our go-to choice when building our themes.
Main Advantages Of Sass:
- It's CSS syntax friendly
- It offers variables
- It uses a nested syntax
- It includes mixins
- Great community and online support.
- Great documentation that is easy to read and follow.
As for PHP, we always thrive to use PHP 7.3+. After the introduction of PHP 7, the WordPress development process became more stable and reliable than before. If you a developer considering PHP 7.3+ for your project, it would be good to note the following benefits.
The Benefits Of Using PHP:
- Open Source.
- Highly Extendible.
- Easy to learn and read.
- Platform independent.
- Compatible with APACHE.
- Low development and maintenance cost.
- Great community and support.
- Detailed documentation that has everything you need!
Why PHP 7.3+?
- Flexible Heredoc & Nowdoc Syntaxes - Two key methods for defining strings within PHP. They also became easier to read and more reliable.
- A good boost in performance speed which is extremely important when it comes to WordPress development.
We use Debian and its derivative Ubuntu because the apt ecosystem and toolchain for Debian packages is far superior to the yum-based system used by Fedora and RHEL. This is large part due to a huge amount of investment into tools like debhelper/dh over the years by the Debian community. I haven't dealt with RPM in the last couple years, but every experience I've had with RPM is that the RPM tools are slower, have less useful options, and it's more work to package software for them (and one makes more compromises in doing so).
I think everyone has seen the better experience using Ubuntu in the shift of prevalence from RHEL to Ubuntu in what most new companies are deploying on their servers, and I expect that trend to continue as long as Red Hat is using the RPM system (and I don't really see them as having a path to migrate).
The experience with Ubuntu and Debian stable releases is pretty similar: A solid release every 2 years that's supported for a few years. (While Ubuntu in theory releases every 6 months, their non-LTS releases are effectively betas: They're often unstable, only have 9 months of support, etc. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone not actively participating in Ubuntu the development community). Ubuntu has better integration of non-free drivers, which may be important if you have hardware that requires them. But it's also the case that most bugs I experience when using Ubuntu are Ubuntu-specific issues, especially on servers (in part because Ubuntu has a bunch of "cloud management" stuff pre-installed that is definitely a regression if you're not using Canonical's cloud management products).
Amazon Linux
related Amazon Linux posts
- Stable4
- Lightweight for server3
- Snapshot2
- Rolling release2
- Reliable2
related openSUSE posts
Linux
- Open Source17
- Free11
- Reliability8
- Safe5
related Linux posts
Personal Dotfiles management
Given that they are all “configuration management” tools - meaning they are designed to deploy, configure and manage servers - what would be the simplest - and yet robust - solution to manage personal dotfiles - for n00bs.
Ideally, I reckon, it should:
- be containerized (Docker?)
- be versionable (Git)
- ensure idempotency
- allow full automation (tests, CI/CD, etc.)
- be fully recoverable (Linux/ macOS)
- be easier to setup/manage (as much as possible)
Does it make sense?
There is a question coming... I am using Oracle VirtualBox to spawn 3 Ubuntu Linux virtual machines (VM). VM1 is being used as a data lake - just a place to store flat files. VM2 hosts Apache NiFi. VM3 hosts PostgreSQL. I have built a NiFi pipeline that reads flat files on VM1 and then pipes the data over to and inserts it into the Postgresql database. I left this setup alone for a while, and then something hiccupped on VM3, and I had to rebuild it. Now I cannot make a remote connection to Postgresql on VM3. I was using pgAdmin3 on VM3, but it kept throwing errors - I found out it went end-of-life in 2018 and uninstalled it. pgAdmin4 is out, but for some reason, I cannot get the APT utility to find/install it. I am trying to figure out the pgAdmin4 install problem and looking for a good alternative for pgAdmin4 that I can use to diagnose the remote database connection problem. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
- Integrated with other Apple products2
- Privacy1
- Apple1
related iOS posts
Alpine Linux
- Secure10
- Good in containers9
- Fast8
- Supports armhf, aarch64, x86, ppc64, armv7,s390x1
- Does not run glibc binaries1
- Minimal dependencies1
- Widely used in docker containers everywhere1
- Musl based1
- Choice of init system1
- Excellent Package Manager1
- Small footprint1
- Small install footprint1
- Small memory footprint1
- Cannot install metasploit2
- Does not run glibc binaries1
- Not for inexperienced users1