CentOS
centos.org
CentOS is a Linux distribution that was built to be a free, community-supported version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It started back in 2004, and for a long time, it was the go-to choice for servers and anyone who wanted enterprise-grade stability without paying for a Red Hat subscription.
The idea was simple: Red Hat releases RHEL, and CentOS takes the same source code, removes the Red Hat branding, and gives it away for free. You get the same reliability and long-term support, just without the official support contract. This made CentOS incredibly popular for web servers, databases, and all kinds of infrastructure.
But things changed in a big way. In 2020, Red Hat announced they were shifting focus to CentOS Stream, which sits between Fedora and RHEL instead of being a straight copy of RHEL. This meant CentOS would no longer be a stable, downstream clone — it would be a rolling preview of what's coming in RHEL. A lot of people were not happy about this.
Since then, many users have moved to alternatives like Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux, which are both created by former CentOS founders or community members to fill the gap. CentOS Stream still exists and gets updates, but it's not the same rock-solid system it used to be.
So these days, CentOS is kind of a mixed bag. It's still around, and CentOS Stream has its uses, especially if you want to see what's coming down the pipeline. But if you're looking for the old CentOS experience — free, stable, and enterprise-ready — you're probably better off with Rocky or Alma.
The idea was simple: Red Hat releases RHEL, and CentOS takes the same source code, removes the Red Hat branding, and gives it away for free. You get the same reliability and long-term support, just without the official support contract. This made CentOS incredibly popular for web servers, databases, and all kinds of infrastructure.
But things changed in a big way. In 2020, Red Hat announced they were shifting focus to CentOS Stream, which sits between Fedora and RHEL instead of being a straight copy of RHEL. This meant CentOS would no longer be a stable, downstream clone — it would be a rolling preview of what's coming in RHEL. A lot of people were not happy about this.
Since then, many users have moved to alternatives like Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux, which are both created by former CentOS founders or community members to fill the gap. CentOS Stream still exists and gets updates, but it's not the same rock-solid system it used to be.
So these days, CentOS is kind of a mixed bag. It's still around, and CentOS Stream has its uses, especially if you want to see what's coming down the pipeline. But if you're looking for the old CentOS experience — free, stable, and enterprise-ready — you're probably better off with Rocky or Alma.
