I primarily use the solution for personal and testing purposes. It's used as an operating system.
DevOps and Automation Lead | Technical Expert at a comms service provider with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy to use with good performance and a robust community
Pros and Cons
- "The community and knowledge base are very robust."
- "The support could be a bit better."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use. The performance is good.
The community and knowledge base are very robust.
It has a lot of great features.
It is stable and reliable.
I have found the solution to be scalable.
What needs improvement?
The support could be a bit better. They should be more customer friendly. They could also be a bit faster.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for many years. I've used it for almost five years at this point.
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CentOS
October 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable. I'd rate it nine out of ten for reliability. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. The performance has been fine.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. I'd rate the scalability nine out of ten.
I'm not sure how many people are using the solution in my company.
How are customer service and support?
Support could be faster and more responsive. However, support is okay.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm also using Ubuntu.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. It is not complex. I deployed both on-premises and cloud options. It only takes a few hours.
I followed the documentation for preparing the nodes and the administration. There's good documentation for configuring time zones, networks, et cetera. The steps are pretty standard.
We had development and infrastructure teams on the solution. However, only one person can handle the deployment. I only have details on just my team and area. I'm not sure what it was like across the company.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the implementation in-house by myself.
What was our ROI?
I've never looked into the ROI of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not handle licensing. It's not in my scope of work.
What other advice do I have?
I've used the latest version of the solution.
I would recommend the solution to others. I'd advise people to have a clear view of how they will use the solution and take care to consider how they would like to scale.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
CRS at Kneedrag
A scalable, stable test and development solution that would benefit from notification features for upgrade deployment
Pros and Cons
- "The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use."
- "There is no notification before updates are applied to the solution, which occasionally means that new functionality isn't compatible with how the product is currently being used, and causes issues."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is mainly used for testing and development purposes.
What is most valuable?
The latest version of this solution has everything built in, making it comprehensive and very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
There is no notification before updates are applied to the solution, which occasionally means that new functionality isn't compatible with how the product is currently being used, and causes issues.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for around 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have found this solution to be stable during my time using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is very scalable, you simply add a node and expand a cluster so that you can scale out on your containerization.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for this solution is straightforward and very self-intuitive.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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CentOS
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,008 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technical Lead at Tata Communications Ltd
Allows you to securely store data, and command prompts make it simple to use
Pros and Cons
- "I like the command prompt of CentOS. It's very simple."
- "I would like the integration to be more secure."
What is our primary use case?
CentOS is one of the standard platforms we use to perform jobs.
There was a team of 15 people who were using this solution.
What is most valuable?
In Microsoft Windows, we store the data in a graphical way, but in CentOS we can store the data based on the command. That is the specialty of CentOS. In Windows, you can store the data in folders, and anyone can still see that data. In CentOS, it's more secure.
I like the command prompt of CentOS. It's very simple. You can share your files based on command prompt.
What needs improvement?
I would like the integration to be more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's very scalable. It's open-source.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We're also using Solaris. We're mostly using these for database storage to fix details and manage the organization data.
How was the initial setup?
Installation is simple. It doesn't take much time. It's just a simple operating system.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is very good.
Once you buy the license, Linux will provide you with yearly or monthly patches, so your systems will be scalable for a long time. You can decide whether or not you want to install a patch. They're giving patches instead of going for automatic updates because some of the services will not work.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 10 out of 10.
I would recommend this solution 100% for someone who is working in IT.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Unix System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to install and manage
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to install."
- "Updates are going to a streaming version."
What is our primary use case?
We have very varied, different uses. Mostly it's an appliance for applications.
How has it helped my organization?
It's required for some of the applications we have. In order to run those applications, we have to have CentOS.
What is most valuable?
It's easy to install.
What needs improvement?
They're changing how they're working, and I really enjoy the easy updates. Now they're going to a streaming version, which I don't like. We want to control the updates manually. We have an application that we don't want to be updated without our knowledge.
If you want to do something special on install, you can. But when they have 68 questions about how you want to install, you answer each one of them. A very simple, default install would be nice.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using CentOS for more than 12 months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is extremely scalable. We have about 200 people using it at this point, mostly engineers or database guys.
We'll probably have a minor increase in usage, but not a huge increase in how many nodes we'll have.
How are customer service and support?
CentOS has no technical support. You just look it up if you have a problem.
Red Hat is the paid version of Linux. They take out all the Red Hat stuff and make CentOS Linux with no support. But a lot of people use it, and a lot of people post. So if you have a problem, you just look online and it's fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did use Red Hat a long time ago, and I switched because they couldn't seem to decide how they wanted to charge for their service. I was perfectly happy to just pay them, but it would range by huge amounts. I couldn't maintain that.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is in between straightforward and complex. It could be easier. There are too many options, and I'd like a lot less.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment takes a half-hour, and we did it in-house. One person, myself, takes care of deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are zero licensing costs for the solution.
There are admin costs. We run it on VMware, so there has to be VMware cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There were a few other options, but CentOS is heavily used and that helps.
What other advice do I have?
Just be aware of the changes they're about to make, which is from the regular updates to streaming. That's major.
I would rate the solution nine out of ten. It's easy to install, it's easy to manage, it's free.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Cost-effective product with an easy setup process
Pros and Cons
- "It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions."
- "There could be more integration features included in the product."
What is our primary use case?
We use CentOS for repository features.
What needs improvement?
There could be more integration features included in the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using CentOS for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have five CentOS customers. It is a scalable and cost-effective product compared to public cloud solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process is easy. It requires five executives for deployment, including managers, admins, engineers, and developers. It takes around a month to complete.
What about the implementation team?
We take the help of a reseller to implement the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We don’t have to pay for the system’s licenses.
What other advice do I have?
I rate CentOS a nine out of ten.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Software Developer at NMB Bank
Highly availability, performs well, but user interface could improve
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of CentOS are it is built from Linux, has good performance, and can we can create scripts. The scripts are you to do minor work automatically."
- "If CentOS could add Office features then that would be beneficial. Additionally, the UI could improve."
What is our primary use case?
I am using CentOS for hosting applications.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of CentOS are it is built from Linux, has good performance, and can we can create scripts. The scripts are you to do minor work automatically.
What needs improvement?
If CentOS could add Office features then that would be beneficial. Additionally, the UI could improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS has been stable in our usage. We have had one server up for five years without any problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CentOS is scalable. However, it is depending on the deployment. We use Docker for our applications so we have not scaled the solution, but if the bandwidth is good then CentOS can be scaled.
Our entire company infrastructure is using CentOS. When I host an application, it's usable by about 1,000 people.
How are customer service and support?
The support is handled by our other team. Even though I'm facing an issue, I talk to our team. If they cannot handle it, then they scale it to the CentOS support team.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I use MacOS, Windows, and Ubuntu on a daily basis.
For a server environment, I would recommend CentOS, but for normal usage, I would recommend MacOS.
When you buy a Mac it just comes with MacOS which is beautiful to work on. If I'm using a Windows laptop, I would go for CentOS. However, the problem with CentOS is there is no Microsoft Office.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For the enterprise version of CentOS, there is a license required. However, for personal use, I do not need a license.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others is if they have a server environment then I would recommend CentOS. It's stable. One of the only letdowns is the repository for some applications, it takes time for CentOS to adapt.
It has to do with the ecosystem of CentOS, I'm not sure. When comparing CentOS to Ubuntu, if Ubuntu comes out with a release today and a few days later you see you can install it.
I rate CentOS a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group Manager at HCL Technologies
Easy to set up, great for access controls and captures inappropriate usage
Pros and Cons
- "It’s scalable."
- "In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people."
What is most valuable?
It is good for ensuring that only approved applications are allowed to run. Other applications, which have not been approved by IT, are picked up as violations. You really can define at the start of it, what is approved, what is not approved, and you can clearly identify if there's an exhibition of unapproved applications and that get filtered or blocked by the tool.
The security and IT team can go back and question the user to see why that particular application was run or maybe do further investigation in terms of seeing if that machine has attracted any malware.
The solution is stable.
It’s scalable.
The initial setup is pretty simple.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be a bit more user-friendly. In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using it for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found that the solution can scale.
Our company has 15 to 20 users leveraging it right now.
How are customer service and support?
I’ve never directly dealt with technical support. I can’t speak to how helpful they are.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using Redhat Linux. We just had the application need, which is why we adopted this product.
How was the initial setup?
It was just an application requirement. The application we are managing requires CentOS, which we had to install. There wasn't any choice.
For CentOS, the setup itself is straightforward. It didn't take much time. We installed it in one day. It was just the image that was installed. It also doesn’t take much staff to deploy or maintain the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is per device.
What other advice do I have?
I’m not sure which version of the solution we’re using. It might be version 8.
I’d recommend the solution to others. However, it all depends upon if the application needs it. If there is an application dependency, yes, you will need that. However, it'll come from a specific need.
We have not been using the OS as such. We have been just managing the application on the OS. We have been only supporting the application. We don't do anything, particularly on CentOS. We are doing all the settings on the application that's running on top of it.
That said, the product is okay. It's good, stable. It hasn't given us any issues, and we have no performance problems. I’d rate it overall an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Data Solution Architect at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
Useful for service applications that are Linux compatible but there could be more frequent updates
Pros and Cons
- "Setup is straightforward. You can complete it in about 30 minutes."
- "I would like to see more frequent updates."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for any server that needs the database, for any service applications that are Linux compatible.
We use a specific version for each user, but when we do a system, we use the latest. We deploy the latest version except when a vendor specifies a different version.
Usually, the developers request service for themselves and then the people using those servers will be varied. There are so many people using this solution that we cannot determine the exact number. There are some internal systems like finance or HR, for example. So, the numbers are not consistent.
As more products and requests come out, I think we are increasing the number of users.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
The good thing about it is that it's free.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more frequent updates.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable.
How are customer service and support?
For support, we just use internal skills.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were also using SUSE Linux in Windows.
How was the initial setup?
Setup is straightforward. You can complete it in about 30 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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