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Alpine Linux

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Alpine Linux vs Centos: What are the differences?

Alpine Linux and CentOS are widely used operating systems. Let's explore the key differences between them:

  1. Package Management: Alpine Linux uses its own package manager called APK, which is known for its simplicity, small size, and efficient security model. On the other hand, CentOS uses the YUM (Yellowdog Updater, Modified) package manager. YUM provides a rich set of features and is widely used in the Red Hat ecosystem.

  2. Image Size: One of the main differences between Alpine Linux and CentOS is the size of their base images. Alpine Linux emphasizes minimalism and, as a result, has a significantly smaller image size compared to CentOS. This smaller image size leads to faster downloads, reduced storage requirements, and improved performance in containerized environments.

  3. Security Model: Alpine Linux has a strong focus on security and adopts a minimalist approach by using a small attack surface. It utilizes a hardened kernel and minimal set of default packages to reduce the potential for vulnerabilities. CentOS, on the other hand, offers a more traditional security model and includes a wide range of features and packages that cater to enterprise-level security requirements.

  4. Community Support: CentOS has a larger and more established community compared to Alpine Linux. This results in a wider range of documentation, tutorials, and user forums available for CentOS. The larger community also means that CentOS receives more contributions and updates, making it a preferred choice for enterprises and organizations seeking long-term support and stability.

  5. Default Software Packages: Alpine Linux follows a philosophy of including only essential packages in its base image. This minimalistic approach means that Alpine Linux does not include many of the software packages commonly found in CentOS, such as MySQL, Apache, or systemd. While this approach reduces the attack surface and improves performance, it may require additional effort to manually install required packages.

  6. Memory Usage: Another key difference between Alpine Linux and CentOS is their memory usage. Alpine Linux is optimized for resource-constrained environments and has a smaller memory footprint compared to CentOS. This lower memory usage is particularly beneficial for running containerized applications, where efficient resource utilization is crucial.

In summary, Alpine Linux is a more lightweight and minimalistic option, whereas CentOS provides a more comprehensive and enterprise-ready environment.

Decisions about Alpine Linux and CentOS
Jerome/Zen Quah
Chose
UbuntuUbuntu
over
CentOSCentOS

Global familiarity, free, widely used, and as a debian distro feels more comfortable when rapidly switching between local macOS and remote command lines.

CentOS does boast quite a few security/stability improvements, however as a RHEL-based distro, differs quite significantly in the command line and suffers from slightly less frequent package updates. (Could be a good or bad thing depending on your use-case and if it is public facing)

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Pros of Alpine Linux
Pros of CentOS
  • 10
    Secure
  • 9
    Good in containers
  • 8
    Fast
  • 1
    Supports armhf, aarch64, x86, ppc64, armv7,s390x
  • 1
    Does not run glibc binaries
  • 1
    Minimal dependencies
  • 1
    Widely used in docker containers everywhere
  • 1
    Musl based
  • 1
    Choice of init system
  • 1
    Excellent Package Manager
  • 1
    Small footprint
  • 1
    Small install footprint
  • 1
    Small memory footprint
  • 16
    Stable
  • 9
    Free to use
  • 9
    Reliable
  • 6
    Has epel packages
  • 6
    Good support
  • 5
    Great Community
  • 2
    I've moved from gentoo to centos

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Cons of Alpine Linux
Cons of CentOS
  • 2
    Cannot install metasploit
  • 1
    Does not run glibc binaries
  • 1
    Not for inexperienced users
  • 1
    Yum is a horrible package manager

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What is Alpine Linux?

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

What is CentOS?

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

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What companies use Alpine Linux?
What companies use CentOS?
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What tools integrate with Alpine Linux?
What tools integrate with CentOS?

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What are some alternatives to Alpine Linux and 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.
CoreOS
It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.
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.
Android OS
It is a mobile platform which powers phones, tablets, watches, TVs, cars etc. It makes doing business easier, in the office or out in the field. Manage entire fleets of devices with a touch. Keep corporate data protected with built-in security. And help your employees get more done.
Void Linux
It is a general purpose operating system, based on the monolithic Linux® kernel. Its package system allows you to quickly install, update and remove software; software is provided in binary packages or can be built directly from sources with the help of the XBPS source packages collection.
See all alternatives