CentOS Linux is a popular Linux distribution whose code was first released in 2004 and is based on RHEL 2.1 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Red Hat's own distribution). Since its inception, the project has always been closely affiliated with Red Hat, and both distributions are fully compatible.
In December 2020, the CentOS community and Red Hat announced the discontinuation of CentOS. Red Hat also announced the launch of CentOS Stream, a new upstream development platform for the CentOS community.
This week, Red Hat announced restrictions on access to the CentOS Stream sources, which will impact alternative distributions such as AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Oracle Linux.
CentOS 7 and 8 are the final versions of CentOS Linux. The end-of-life dates for CentOS 7 and 8 are as follows:
CentOS 8 - December 31, 2021
CentOS 7 - June 30, 2024
In light of the latest developments, we do not recommend migrating to a RHEL fork if you are looking for an alternative to CentOS Stream.
Here are our recommendations:
Debian
Debian is another very popular GNU Linux distribution. The first version was released in 1993, with the goal of offering an OS composed entirely of free software. Versions have followed one another, reaching version 12 today.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is another GNU/Linux distribution, itself based on Debian, and is extremely widespread, both for personal computers and servers. Ubuntu presents itself as "Simple, intuitive, and secure", and it is true that the natively embedded graphical interface is often a significant advantage in choosing this distribution.
