AlmaLinux vs CentOS - A Detailed Comparison
Many AlmaLinux users arrive from CentOS. The name now refers to different products, so this page separates them.
CentOS Linux is no longer supported
Section titled “CentOS Linux is no longer supported”- CentOS Linux 8 support ended on 2021-12-31, as the CentOS Project announced.
- CentOS Linux 7 support ended on 2024-06-30, according to the CentOS Project.
After those dates the CentOS Project provides no further updates for those versions.
CentOS Stream is not CentOS Linux
Section titled “CentOS Stream is not CentOS Linux”The CentOS Project describes CentOS Linux as a rebuild of RHEL and CentOS Stream as the upstream, public development branch for RHEL. Its comparison page lists CentOS Stream 8 as ending on 2024-05-31 and CentOS Stream 9 as ending on 2027-05-31.
| CentOS Linux | CentOS Stream | AlmaLinux | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Described by its project as | a rebuild of RHEL | the upstream, public development branch for RHEL | targeting ABI compatibility with RHEL since July 2023 |
| Status | 7 ended 2024-06-30; 8 ended 2021-12-31 | 9 ends 2027-05-31 | 9 security support until 2032-05-31; 10 until 2035-05-31 |
Moving from CentOS to AlmaLinux
Section titled “Moving from CentOS to AlmaLinux”- The AlmaLinux FAQ names the
almalinux-deploytool for migrating a single host from CentOS or another Enterprise Linux distribution. See Online migration and Offline migration for the steps and prerequisites. - For CentOS 7, the FAQ points to the ELevate project, which uses the Leapp utility to move between major versions of RHEL derivatives. See ELevate upgrade.
- Take a backup or snapshot first and read Migration rollback.
Which should I choose
Section titled “Which should I choose”If you want a system with a published ten-year major-version lifecycle to replace CentOS Linux, AlmaLinux 9 or 10 fits. CentOS Stream makes sense only if you deliberately want to follow the upstream of RHEL and accept the support window listed above.