Since RedHat announced that CentOS8 would be discontinued in 2020, new Enterprise Linux distributions have developed and competed with each other. Almalinux and Rocky Linux are two popular open-source forks of RHEL that were developed when CentOS8 was discontinued to rebuild RHEL, so it makes sense to discuss these two popular operating systems released as alternatives to CentOS 8.
Today, with the expansion of the Linux family, Linux users are more interested in using advanced Linux distributions. Since the cost and investment in buying a Linux VPS have always been important, in addition to the fact that users are looking to buy a cheap Linux VPS, it is also important to choose a suitable and efficient operating system for their purposes. Therefore, because of the variety of Linux distributions, users always face a dilemma in choosing the right Linux distribution. To get rid of doubts about choosing Linux distributions, the best thing to do is to raise the level of awareness about Linux distributions so that you can choose the most suitable distribution for your purposes.
Alma Linux and Rocky Linux have the same purpose and functionality, both are developed for enterprise use and are designed to provide a free and similar platform to Enterprise Linux and fill the gap of CentOS8. But since many distributions have been developed to fill the gap of CentOS8, it has become difficult to choose a distribution that is suitable for Linux users.
Users who are looking for a suitable distribution for use in enterprise-level, should check Alma Linux and Rocky Linux in all respects and know their important differences from each other; As a result, they can make the best decision according to their needs.
In this article, we will compare Alma Linux vs Rocky Linux from all aspects and introduce you to the key differences between Alma Linux and Rocky Linux. At the end of this article, you will reach a level of knowledge about Alma Linux and Rocky Linux that, in addition to getting to know these two distributions and their differences and making the right choice according to your needs, you can also guide your friends in deciding between Alma Linux and Rocky Linux. So read this article till the end.
Alma Linux vs Rocky Linux Comparison: Key Differences
Alma Linux and Rocky Linux are open-source and binary Linux operating systems that were developed as downstream distributions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and both serve as a replacement for CentOS8 and a rebuild of RHEL. Rocky Linux's slogan is "designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux" and Alma Linux was developed with the slogan "1:1 binary compatible with RHEL and pre-Stream CentOS."
So these two operating systems are compatible with RHEL and are developed based on the RHEL repository code. Alma Linux is supported by Cloudlinux and Rocky Linux is supported by Google Cloud and CentOS developer (Gregory Kurtzer). These two operating systems will be supported until 2029, so we can hope for the stability of these two operating systems and fixing their bugs for at least the next 6 years. To better understand the differences between Rocky Linux and Alma Linux, we present a table about their advantages and disadvantages below to guide you in your decision.
product | Advantages | Advantages |
|
Alma Linux | • Regular release and update cycle with a 10-year support • Ease of use and installation • Enterprise-level OS • Having commercial support • none cost • open source • Offering the same platform as RHEL • 1:1 RHEL binary compatibility • ARM support • RHEL-based source code • Extensive community support • Focused on long-term sustainability • Ease of migration from CentOS and other RHEL-based distributions to Alma Linux | • Providing a graphical interface similar to Cloud Linux • new distribution • Less budget compared to Rocky Linux • Uncertain future of Alma Linux |
|
Rocky Linux | • Free • Enterprise operating system • Migration script support to facilitate migration from enterprise Linux distributions • Having commercial support • open source • 1:1 RHEL binary compatibility • Stable • Community support • Regular release cycle with a 10-year support | • New distribution and less user experience with Rocky Linux • Continuous non-updating and delay in providing the latest programs • An uncertain future for Rocky Linux |
Alma Linux and Rocky Linux are similar in purpose and function, and they can be replaced with each other, but they have key differences in the field of package management, security mechanism, commercial and financial support, and release cycle that distinguish them from each other. In this article, you will learn about these differences.
Security
In providing security, Rocky Linux and Alma Linux use different mechanisms and protocols. The CIS (Center for Internet Security) standard is implemented in the Alma Linux security mechanism. In addition to CIS support, Alma Linux includes the OpenSCAP tool to automatically detect vulnerabilities. Let's look at Rocky Linux, we will see its support for the SELinux security module and Secure Boot, NTP, and Network Time Security protocols.
Support
Alma Linux is officially financially supported by CloudLinux, and Rocky Linux is also supported by the CIQ support team by receiving 26 million dollars annually. Financial and enterprise support of Linux distributions gives them credit and it makes users sure of the stability of new Linux projects. Of course, it should be mentioned that the budget of Rocky Linux is more compared to Alma Linux.
In addition to financial support, thanks to their open-source nature, these two operating systems are managed and supported by a growing community for guidance, notification of security updates and new versions, and user troubleshooting. The developer of Rocky Linux (founder of CentOS) formed a company called RESF to build the community and also, the founder of AlmaLinux founded a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization to promote and grow a community of partners and providers. The existence of forums for Linux distributions is an advantage so that whenever you have a problem, they are at the service of users, although Rocky Linux has performed a little weaker than Alma Linux in this regard.
Package Managers
The DNF package manager is implemented by default to manage software and check for package updates in Almalinux repositories, while Rocky Linux uses the rpm package manager.
Performance
Custom software in Alma Linux and Rocky Linux creates differences in the performance of these two distributions, while both distributions were developed to rebuild RHEL and are focused on stability, and are production-ready, enterprise-grade operating systems. With the updates of these two distributions, new features and facilities are added to the capabilities of these two distributions, for example, support for dynamic programming languages, web servers, and debugging tools included in the new versions improve the performance of each of them.
These two distributions can be used in large organizations that are looking for a stable and compatible operating system with RHEL that can provide RHEL features for free. Alma Linux can be used as a basic platform to create a safe and efficient operational architecture in the program. Also, Rocky Linux is the ideal option for cloud computing and Superscale processing. In addition to personal use for use on the server, both distributions have stable and efficient performance.
Choosing the winner between Almalinux and Rocky Linux
Alma Linux and Rocky Linux were developed for free as candidates to replace CentOS8 and rebuild the RHEL platform, and both are enterprise-level open-source operating systems, so they share common functionality and goals. In providing features such as desktop environment and support for BaseOS, AppStream, and Extras repositories, use cases and support for architectures such as x86_64, aarch64, and ppc64le, these two distributions are similar, but they have differences in the field of security, financial and commercial sponsors, and package management which may influence users' decision-making.
By checking the advantages and disadvantages of Alma Linux and Rocky Linux that we presented in this article and comparing Rocky Linux vs Alma Linux, you should have made your decision by now. The increase in the community and users of Rocky Linux defines Rocky Linux as the winner in this comparison, but at any moment it is possible to be surprised by the progress and changes of Alma Linux, so in order to make the right decision, you should make your choice based on your needs and goals. If you need more guidance in this regard, refer to the link almalinux vsrocky linux.
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