CentOS 8 going end of life at the end of 2021 has left many people with a choice to make.
- Do I stay with an unsupported OS?
- Do I move to CentOS Stream ?
- Do I move to a different distro ?
Most people use CentOS as it is binary compliant with RHEL, that is certainly the main reason why I do. It is also downstream from RHEL which means it is pretty stable. So what to do??
Staying with an unsupported Operating System is not an option for me, especially not in the current security landscape. Exploits and vulnerabilities are seemingly detected daily in most operating systems so it is important to use one that is supported and updated regularly. You must make sure to apply those updates of course.
CentOS Stream is upstream of RHEL and is the public development branch of RHEL. That is the best explanation I could find for its position and I found that at: https://www.centos.org/cl-vs-cs/
Whilst using a distro that is effectively a development branch is fine for home use, if you are using it for anything a little more serious you should probably be looking elsewhere.
I personally am looking to move away to another distro and the two I am considering are:
- Rocky Linux – https://rockylinux.org/
- AlmaLinux – https://almalinux.org/
I have done a bit of testing of both and at this stage I consider AlmaLinux to be a little more mature. This is not based on extensive testing of all aspects, just the parts I tend to use in the way I tend to use them.
Both distro’s have the backing of some major names, but whether either of them is suitable for your needs is ultimately down to you to find out.
I am about to re-validate my HAProxy installation process on AlmaLinux, using latest versions and builds where possible. This should be a good test to see if there are any gotchas. Look out for it in the not too distant future.
Tech Babble 