AlmaLinux Release History

Since its launch in 2021, AlmaLinux has strictly followed a release cadence that is 1:1 compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), providing users with a stable and reliable enterprise-grade Linux experience. As of June 2026, the latest stable releases are AlmaLinux 10.2 "Lavender Lion" and AlmaLinux 9.8 "Olive Jaguar" (both released on May 26, 2026).

Release Timeline

AlmaLinux 10 Series (2025–present)

AlmaLinux 10.2 "Lavender Lion" (May 26, 2026)

• Based on: RHEL 10.2
• Kernel version: Linux 6.12
• What's new:
  • Added software streams such as Python 3.14, PostgreSQL 18, MariaDB 11.8, Ruby 4.0, and PHP 8.4
  • Updated compiler toolsets (GCC Toolset and others)
  • Refreshed container and virtualization stacks
  • Added i686 userspace support

# Check the system version
cat /etc/almalinux-release
# AlmaLinux release 10.2 (Lavender Lion)

AlmaLinux 10.1 "Heliotrope Lion" (November 24, 2025)

• Based on: RHEL 10.1
• Kernel version: Linux 6.12
• Key features:
  • Introduced Btrfs file system support
  • Software stream and security patch updates
  • Cloud image and container image optimizations

AlmaLinux 10.0 "Purple Lion" (May 27, 2025)

• Based on: RHEL 10.0
• Kernel version: Linux 6.12
• Milestone features:
  • General availability (GA) of the AlmaLinux 10 major version
  • Fully binary compatible with RHEL 10
  • Continues to support the x86-64-v2 instruction set (RHEL 10 raised the baseline to x86-64-v3), for compatibility with older processors
  • Frame pointers enabled by default, facilitating system-level performance analysis and tracing
  • UEFI Secure Boot support on ARM platforms, retained SPICE support, and a technology preview of KVM virtualization on IBM POWER

# Check the system version
cat /etc/almalinux-release
# AlmaLinux release 10.0 (Purple Lion)

AlmaLinux 9 Series (2022–2032)

AlmaLinux 9.8 "Olive Jaguar" (May 26, 2026)

• Based on: RHEL 9.8
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0
• What's new:
  • Added compiler toolsets and software streams such as Python 3.14
  • Updated module streams such as MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and Ruby
  • Refreshed container and virtualization stacks

AlmaLinux 9.7 "Moss Jungle Cat" (November 17, 2025)

• Based on: RHEL 9.7
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0
• Main updates:
  • Security patch and software stream updates
  • Hardware compatibility improvements

AlmaLinux 9.6 "Sage Margay" (May 20, 2025)

• Based on: RHEL 9.6
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0
• Main updates:
  • Software stream refresh and security updates
  • Container and cloud image optimizations

AlmaLinux 9.5 "Teal Serval" (November 18, 2024)

• Based on: RHEL 9.5
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0-503
• Main updates:
  • Added hardware support
  • Module stream and development toolchain updates

AlmaLinux 9.4 "Seafoam Ocelot" (May 6, 2024)

• Based on: RHEL 9.4
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0-427
• What's new:
  • Security patch updates
  • Hardware driver optimizations
  • Performance improvements

AlmaLinux 9.3 (November 2023)

• Based on: RHEL 9.3
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0-362
• Main updates:
  • Added hardware support
  • Container technology enhancements
  • Network stack optimizations

AlmaLinux 9.2 (May 2023)

• Based on: RHEL 9.2
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0-284
• Highlights:
  • Improved SELinux policies
  • Enhanced storage subsystem
  • Updated development toolchain

AlmaLinux 9.1 (November 2022)

• Based on: RHEL 9.1
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0-162
• Important updates:
  • Security vulnerability fixes
  • Driver updates
  • System stability improvements

AlmaLinux 9.0 (May 2022)

• Based on: RHEL 9.0
• Kernel version: Linux 5.14.0-70
• Milestone features:
  • A brand-new major version release
  • Support for the latest hardware architectures
  • A modernized user interface
  • Enhanced security features

AlmaLinux 8 Series (2021–2029)

AlmaLinux 8.10 (May 2024)

• Based on: RHEL 8.10
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-553
• Final update:
  • Long-term maintenance release
  • Continued security patches
  • Stability optimizations

AlmaLinux 8.9 (November 2023)

• Based on: RHEL 8.9
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-513
• Important improvements:
  • Container runtime enhancements
  • System monitoring optimizations
  • Networking improvements

AlmaLinux 8.8 (May 2023)

• Based on: RHEL 8.8
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-477
• Main features:
  • Enhanced virtualization support
  • Improved file system performance
  • Updated compiler toolchain

AlmaLinux 8.7 (November 2022)

• Based on: RHEL 8.7
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-425
• Core updates:
  • Security framework enhancements
  • System performance optimizations
  • Hardware compatibility improvements

AlmaLinux 8.6 (May 2022)

• Based on: RHEL 8.6
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-372
• Important features:
  • Support for new storage technologies
  • Improved network stack
  • Enhanced container support

AlmaLinux 8.5 (November 2021)

• Based on: RHEL 8.5
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-348
• Key improvements:
  • System security enhancements
  • Performance tuning
  • Driver updates

AlmaLinux 8.4 (May 2021)

• Based on: RHEL 8.4
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-305
• Important milestone:
  • The first stable release
  • Full RHEL 8.4 compatibility
  • All architectures ready

AlmaLinux 8.3 (March 2021)

• Based on: RHEL 8.3
• Kernel version: Linux 4.18.0-240
• First release:
  • The first public release of the AlmaLinux project
  • Complete basic functionality
  • A community testing release

Version Support Policy

Lifecycle Management

Version Series	Release Date	End of Mainstream Support	End of Security Support	Current Status
AlmaLinux 10	May 2025	May 2030	May 2035	Active support (latest 10.2)
AlmaLinux 9	May 2022	May 2027	May 2032	Active support (latest 9.8)
AlmaLinux 8	March 2021	May 2024 (ended)	May 2029	Maintenance mode (final 8.10)

Update Cadence

# Major Release
# Released every 3-4 years, providing major feature updates

# Minor Release  
# Released every 6 months, containing feature improvements and security updates

# Patch Release
# Released as needed, primarily containing security fixes

Architecture Support History

Supported Processor Architectures

Architecture	AlmaLinux 8	AlmaLinux 9	AlmaLinux 10
x86_64	✅	✅	✅
aarch64	✅	✅	✅
ppc64le	✅	✅	✅
s390x	✅	✅	✅

Architecture Release Lag

Day 0    x86_64 release published
Day 1-3  aarch64 release published
Day 3-7  ppc64le, s390x releases published

Important Security Updates

History of Critical Vulnerability Fixes

Major Updates in 2024

• Log4Shell vulnerability: CVE-2021-44228 fix
• Spring4Shell vulnerability: CVE-2022-22965 fix
• Dirty Pipe vulnerability: CVE-2022-0847 fix

Major Updates in 2023

• Spectre/Meltdown: ongoing microcode updates
• Container escape vulnerabilities: multiple CVE fixes
• Network protocol vulnerabilities: TCP/IP stack security enhancements

Major Updates in 2022

• Polkit vulnerability: CVE-2021-4034 fix
• Kernel vulnerabilities: multiple kernel security patches
• OpenSSL vulnerabilities: cryptographic library security updates

Package Version History

Evolution of Core Component Versions

Component	AlmaLinux 8.3	AlmaLinux 9.0	AlmaLinux 10.0
Kernel	4.18.0-240	5.14.0-70	6.12
glibc	2.28	2.34	2.39
GCC	8.5.0	11.2.1	14.2.1
Python	3.6/3.8/3.9	3.9/3.10/3.11	3.12
Node.js	12/14/16	16/18	20/22

Container Technology Evolution

# AlmaLinux 8 series
podman --version
# podman version 4.4.1

# AlmaLinux 9 series  
podman --version
# podman version 4.6.1

# AlmaLinux 10 series
podman --version
# podman version 5.x

Release Quality Assurance

Testing Process

1. Alpha testing: internal quality assurance
2. Beta testing: public community testing
3. RC candidate: release candidate version
4. GA release: general availability release

Quality Standards

Before each release, every version goes through multiple layers of quality assurance, including:

• Automated testing: unit tests, integration tests, and system tests
• Security scanning: static code analysis, dependency vulnerability checks, and runtime security testing
• Compatibility verification: ensuring 1:1 binary compatibility with the corresponding RHEL version

Community and Ecosystem

AlmaLinux is maintained by a global community, and every release reflects the work of numerous contributors in building, testing, documentation, and mirror distribution. The project's code and release process are fully open, and the related contributions can be viewed in the AlmaLinux GitHub organization. As more and more users migrate from CentOS, AlmaLinux's mirror sites and cloud platform images continue to expand.

Future Release Plans

AlmaLinux 10 Roadmap

AlmaLinux follows the RHEL release cadence, typically releasing one minor version each in May and November:

• Released: 10.0 (2025-05), 10.1 (2025-11, introducing Btrfs), 10.2 (2026-05)
• Second half of 2026: 10.3 minor release (expected November)
• Beyond: continued tracking of RHEL 10.x minor releases until the end of mainstream support in 2030

Technical Direction

• Cloud-native optimization: better container and Kubernetes support
• Security enhancements: zero-trust architecture support
• Performance optimization: tuning for modern hardware
• Developer experience: an improved development toolchain

AlmaLinux's release history demonstrates the project's rapid development and the strong support of the community, providing users with a trustworthy enterprise-grade Linux solution.