CentOS

CentOS

CentOS

CentOS (Community ENTerprise Operating System) was one of the most widely used Linux distributions in the server sector for over 15 years. As a free, binary-compatible variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS offered companies and operators a stable, long-term supported platform without commercial license costs – thus becoming the standard choice in data centers, hosting environments, and scientific institutions worldwide.

CentOS Linux – An Era Comes to an End

CentOS Linux was founded in 2004 and brought under the Red Hat umbrella in 2014. For years, the distribution was considered the “free RHEL” – fully compatible, stable, and equipped with long support cycles. At the peak of its popularity, CentOS ran on a significant portion of all Linux servers worldwide.

At the end of 2020, Red Hat announced the discontinuation of CentOS Linux. CentOS 8 reached its End-of-Life on December 31, 2021 – years earlier than originally planned. CentOS 7 received updates until June 30, 2024, and has since also been without active support. Operators still relying on CentOS 7 or 8 urgently need to act: systems without security updates pose a significant risk.

CentOS Stream – A Different Concept

As the successor to CentOS Linux, Red Hat positions CentOS Stream. However, unlike its predecessor, CentOS Stream is no longer a downstream clone of RHEL, but a rolling-release upstream: CentOS Stream includes changes that will only later be incorporated into the next minor version of RHEL. This makes CentOS Stream particularly suitable for developers who want to work closely with the RHEL upstream, or for environments where current packages are more important than maximum stability.

For production environments where CentOS Linux was previously used, CentOS Stream is generally not a suitable replacement. Instead, binary-compatible community distributions such as AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux are recommended, as they continue the original promise of CentOS Linux.

CentOS Migration

Anyone still relying on CentOS 7 or CentOS 8 should not postpone migration any longer. Both versions no longer receive security updates and should be replaced promptly. Proven tools are available for migration:

  • migrate2rocky – official migration script from the Rocky Linux project
  • AlmaLinux ELevate – supports in-place upgrades from CentOS 7 to current RHEL-compatible distributions

credativ® supports you in planning and executing CentOS migrations – whether to AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, or another suitable platform. Early migration protects your systems and lays the foundation for long-term stable operation.

Professional Support

Contact us if you operate CentOS systems in your infrastructure and require support with the assessment, planning, or execution of a migration. credativ® has many years of experience in operating and migrating enterprise Linux environments.

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