AlmaLinux vs CentOS Detailed Comparison

This page compares AlmaLinux in detail with CentOS (including CentOS 7, CentOS 8, and CentOS Stream), helping CentOS users choose the best migration path.

Version Comparison Overview

Current state of the CentOS product line

CentOS Version	Maintenance Status	Support End Date	Recommended Migration Target
CentOS Linux 7	EOL, no longer maintained	June 30, 2024	AlmaLinux 9/10
CentOS Linux 8	EOL, no longer maintained	December 31, 2021	AlmaLinux 8/9
CentOS Stream 8	EOL	May 31, 2024	AlmaLinux 9
CentOS Stream 9	Active (RHEL 9 upstream)	~2027	AlmaLinux 9
CentOS Stream 10	Active (RHEL 10 upstream)	~2030	AlmaLinux 10

Core Technical Comparison

System architecture comparison

Feature	AlmaLinux	CentOS 7	CentOS 8	CentOS Stream
Release model	Stable release	Stable release	Stable release	Rolling release
RHEL compatibility	1:1 binary compatible	1:1 binary compatible	1:1 binary compatible	RHEL upstream
Kernel version	5.14 (AL9), 6.12 (AL10)	3.10.x	4.18.x	5.14+
Package manager	DNF	YUM	DNF	DNF
Python version	3.9+ (AL9), 3.12 (AL10)	2.7/3.6	3.6/3.8	3.9+
Container support	Podman native	Docker	Podman/Docker	Podman native

Lifecycle management

Comparison Dimension	AlmaLinux	CentOS traditional releases	CentOS Stream
Support period	10 years	10 years	5 years
Security updates	Timely	Timely	Real-time
Release cadence	Follows RHEL	Follows RHEL	Rolling release
Stability guarantee	Production-grade stable	Production-grade stable	Development-version stability
Rollback capability	Supported	Supported	Limited support

Project Governance Comparison

Organizational structure

AlmaLinux

Governance structure:
  Organization type: 501(c)(6) non-profit foundation
  Decision-making: Community-driven board of directors
  Funding sources: Sponsored by multiple enterprises
  Independence: Fully independent of any commercial company
  Transparency: Fully open source, transparent decision-making

Technical characteristics:
  Build process: Fully transparent and auditable
  Source code: Publicly accessible
  Community participation: Open contributions, everyone welcome

CentOS Project

Governance structure:
  Organization type: Project under Red Hat
  Decision-making: Led by Red Hat
  Funding sources: Funded by Red Hat
  Independence: Dependent on Red Hat
  Transparency: Limited transparency

Technical characteristics:
  Build process: Partially transparent
  Source code: Based on RHEL source
  Community participation: Limited community participation

Roadmap

AlmaLinux development plan

2025: AlmaLinux 10 "Purple Lion" released, based on RHEL 10
2026: Iterating to 10.2 / 9.8, enhancing cloud-native and AI/ML toolchains
2027 and beyond: Expanding architecture support, improving security features
Long term: Staying in sync with RHEL, community-governed development

CentOS current state

CentOS 7: Support ended June 2024
CentOS 8: Support ended in 2021  
CentOS Stream: Continuing development as RHEL upstream
Traditional CentOS: No more new traditional stable releases

Detailed Technical Feature Comparison

Container and cloud-native support

AlmaLinux container ecosystem

# AlmaLinux 9/10 container support
dnf install -y podman buildah skopeo

# Official container images
podman pull almalinux:9
podman pull almalinux:9-minimal
podman pull almalinux:9-micro

# Verify container runs
podman run --rm almalinux:9 cat /etc/almalinux-release

CentOS container support comparison

Feature	AlmaLinux	CentOS 7	CentOS 8	CentOS Stream
Container engine	Podman (recommended)	Docker	Podman/Docker	Podman
Official images	Multiple variants	Single image	Base image	Base image
Image size	30MB-200MB	~200MB	~200MB	~200MB
Security features	Rootless containers	Requires configuration	Supported	Supported
K8s integration	Native support	Requires extra configuration	Supported	Supported

Cloud platform compatibility

Major cloud provider support

Cloud Platform	AlmaLinux	CentOS 7	CentOS 8	CentOS Stream
AWS	✅ Official AMI	✅ Official AMI	❌ Discontinued	✅ Community AMI
Azure	✅ Official image	✅ Official image	❌ Discontinued	✅ Community image
Google Cloud	✅ Official image	✅ Community image	❌ Discontinued	✅ Community image
Alibaba Cloud	✅ Community image	✅ Official image	❌ Discontinued	❌ Not supported
Tencent Cloud	✅ Community image	✅ Official image	❌ Discontinued	❌ Not supported
Huawei Cloud	✅ Community image	✅ Official image	❌ Discontinued	❌ Not supported

Migration Path Analysis

Migrating from CentOS 7

Migration complexity assessment

Low-complexity applications:
  - Static website servers
  - Simple LAMP/LEMP environments
  - Basic file servers
  
Medium-complexity applications:
  - Internal enterprise application systems
  - Database servers
  - Microservice architecture applications
  
High-complexity applications:
  - Applications with custom kernel modules
  - Applications heavily dependent on specific versions
  - Complex cluster environments

Recommended migration strategy

# 1. Assess the existing system
cat /etc/centos-release
rpm -qa --last | head -20
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running

# 2. Create a migration plan
# - Low complexity: Migrate directly to AlmaLinux 9
# - Medium complexity: Migrate to AlmaLinux 9 in phases
# - High complexity: Migrate to AlmaLinux 10 after detailed testing

# 3. Prepare the migration environment
# See: /migration/centos7-to-almalinux10

Migrating from CentOS 8

Using the ELevate tool

# Install the ELevate repository (source system is CentOS 8, use the el8 RPM)
dnf install -y http://repo.almalinux.org/elevate/elevate-release-latest-el8.noarch.rpm
dnf install -y leapp-upgrade leapp-data-almalinux

# Pre-check migration compatibility
leapp preupgrade

# Perform the migration to AlmaLinux 8
leapp upgrade --target almalinux8

# Verify the migration result
cat /etc/almalinux-release

Migrating from CentOS Stream

Migration considerations

Advantages:
  - Similar kernel versions, good compatibility
  - Close package versions
  - Similar system architecture

Challenges:
  - Stream is a rolling release and may have unstable packages
  - Production stability needs verification
  - Some configurations may require adjustment

Recommended approach:
  - Validate in a test environment first
  - Use snapshot backups
  - Migrate in batches

Performance Comparison Testing

System performance benchmarks

Test environment

Hardware configuration:
  CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2680 v4 (4 cores)
  Memory: 8GB DDR4
  Storage: SSD 100GB
  Network: 1Gbps

Test tools:
  - sysbench (CPU/memory/database)
  - fio (disk I/O)
  - iperf3 (network)
  - ab (web server)

Performance test results (qualitative)

Because AlmaLinux and CentOS (same-generation versions) are built from the same RHEL sources, performance on identical hardware is essentially the same; actual differences come mainly from generational gaps in kernel and package versions, not from the distribution itself.

Test Item	Overall Result
CPU / memory / disk / network	Roughly equivalent across same-generation versions
Newer kernel (AL9 5.14 / AL10 6.12)	Usually better than CentOS 7 (kernel 3.10) on new hardware and new workloads

Note: Performance depends heavily on specific hardware, kernel version, and workload characteristics. We recommend benchmarking in your target environment and not using fixed numbers as a procurement basis.

Web server performance

LAMP stack performance comparison

# Use tools like ab to benchmark in your target environment
ab -n 10000 -c 100 http://localhost/

For same-generation versions, LAMP/LEMP stack performance is roughly equivalent; newer versions generally perform better thanks to updated PHP, kernel, and libraries.

Enterprise Feature Comparison

Security features

Security Feature	AlmaLinux	CentOS 7	CentOS 8	CentOS Stream
SELinux	Enhanced version	Basic version	Enhanced version	Latest version
Firewall	firewalld	firewalld	firewalld	firewalld
Encryption support	LUKS2	LUKS1	LUKS2	LUKS2
Security updates	Fast response	Periodic updates	Discontinued	Real-time
Vulnerability scanning	Integrated tools	Third-party tools	Integrated tools	Integrated tools

Enterprise management tools

System management

# AlmaLinux 9/10 management tools
cockpit                 # Web management interface
dnf automatic          # Automatic updates
systemd-analyze        # System performance analysis
sosreport              # System diagnostic reports

# Compared with CentOS 7
yum-cron               # Automatic updates (legacy)
system-config-*        # Graphical configuration tools

Community Support Comparison

Community activity

Metric	AlmaLinux	CentOS Linux (traditional)	CentOS Stream
Project status	Actively maintained	EOL, archived	Active (RHEL upstream)
Community participation	Open contributions, active community	Discontinued	Led by Red Hat
Forum activity	Active	Stopped	Medium
Documentation updates	Continuously updated	Stopped	Limited
Chinese community	Actively growing	Stalled	Limited

Technical support channels

AlmaLinux support channels

Official support:
  - GitHub Issues: https://github.com/AlmaLinux
  - Official forum: https://forums.almalinux.org/
  - IRC: #almalinux on Libera.Chat
  - Mailing lists: Multiple technical topic lists

Chinese community:
  - Chinese forum: Under construction
  - QQ group: Technical discussion group
  - WeChat group: Official technical group
  - Documentation: Chinese documentation site

Commercial support:
  - AlmaLinux OS Foundation partners
  - Third-party service providers
  - Cloud provider technical support

Migration Cost Analysis

Direct costs

Cost Item	AlmaLinux	CentOS maintenance	Notes
License fee	Free	Free	AlmaLinux is permanently free
Training cost	Very low	-	Operations are essentially identical
Migration tools	Free	-	Official migration tools provided
Technical support	Community/commercial	Limited	Multiple support options

Hidden costs

Risk cost:
  CentOS 7: No security updates after 2024, high risk
  CentOS 8: Support ended, extremely high risk
  CentOS Stream: Stability risk, medium risk
  AlmaLinux: Long-term support guaranteed, low risk

Maintenance cost:
  Maintaining the status quo: Increases security risk and labor cost
  Migrating to AlmaLinux: One-time cost, long-term benefit

Opportunity cost:
  Not migrating: Missing out on new features and performance gains
  Migrating: Gaining a modern technology stack and ecosystem

Decision Recommendations

Recommended migration strategy

Immediate migration scenarios

Strongly recommended to migrate immediately:
  - CentOS 8 users (support ended)
  - High-security environments
  - Systems requiring long-term stable support
  - Cloud-native applications

Recommended to plan a migration:
  - CentOS 7 users (support ended June 2024)
  - Traditional enterprise applications
  - Critical systems requiring assessment and testing

Migration timeline recommendation

Start immediately: CentOS 7/8 system migration (both are EOL and should be completed as soon as possible)
Within 1 month: Complete migration validation in the test environment
Within 3 months: Complete batched migration in production
Ongoing: Any still-running CentOS systems should be treated as the highest priority

Version selection recommendation

Use Case	Recommended Version	Reason
New deployment	AlmaLinux 10	Latest features, long-term support
CentOS 7 migration	AlmaLinux 9	Stable and mature, good compatibility
CentOS 8 migration	AlmaLinux 9	Directly corresponding version
Cloud-native applications	AlmaLinux 10	Best container and K8s support
Legacy applications	AlmaLinux 9	Production-proven, stable and reliable

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Summary: AlmaLinux offers CentOS users a stable, free, long-term-supported migration choice. CentOS Linux 7/8 have both reached EOL and no longer receive security updates; continuing to run them carries security risk, so migrating to AlmaLinux is a wise choice.

Next step: See the detailed CentOS Migration Guide to begin your migration journey.