AlmaLinux project issues first stable release of CentOS replacement. AlmaLinux is an open-source, community-driven project that intends to fill the gap left by the demise of the CentOS stable release.
If you missed the news, AlmaLinux OS is a 1:1 binary compatible fork of RHEL 8. It is built by the creators of the established CloudLinux OS. CloudLinux has committed a $1 million dollars annual endowment to support the project.
AlmaLinux announced the launch of the first stable release during a live stream earlier today.
So, after about 4 months since the decision to steer CentOS in a different path, you now have a 1:1 binary compatible drop-in replacement, with a very long support timeframe. CloudLinux has committed to supporting AlmaLinux OS until 2029, including stable and thoroughly tested updates and security patches.
Of course, you can use AlmaLinux for any general purpose computing need:
- Bare-metal installations
- Virtual machines
- Containers
- On cloud providers
The relevant official images for all those cases will be provided by AlmaLinux.
AlmaLinux Open Source Foundation
The formation of a non-profit organization that will take over responsibility for managing the AlmaLinux OS were announced. The foundation will hold the trademark for AlmaLinux so that it can’t be captured by an interested party and to make sure that trademark is used in a way that protects AlmaLinux from extinction. It is not intended to raise money.
The governing board include:
- Jack Aboutboul, former Red Hat and Fedora engineer and architect
- Jesse Asklund, global head of customer experience for WebPros at cPanel
- Simon Phipps, open source advocate and a former president of the Open Source Initiative
- Igor Seletskiy, CEO of CloudLinux
- Eugene Zamriy, director of release engineering at CloudLinux
In addition to, two additional members of the governing board will be selected by the AlmaLinux community. The board will manage, promote and continuously improve AlmaLinux for the benefit of its user community.
The sudden shift in direction for CentOS that was announced in December created a big void for millions of CentOS users. As a drop-in open source replacement, AlmaLinux provides those users with continuity and new opportunity to be part of a vibrant community built around creating and supporting this new Linux distribution under non-profit governance. I give a lot of credit to CloudLinux for stepping in to offer CentOS users a lifeline to continue with AlmaLinux.
said Simon Phipps
In an effort to fill the void soon to be left by the demise of CentOS as a stable release, AlmaLinux has been developed in close collaboration with the Linux community. These efforts resulted in a production-ready alternative to CentOS that is supported by community members.
said Jack Aboutboul
Download AlmaLinux 8.3
You can find the ISO downloads here or download them from one of the public mirrors. Go right ahead and use it.
