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reviewer1892454 - PeerSpot reviewer
Teaching and research assistant at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Leaderboard
Simple to install, quick to deploy, and adaptable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free."
  • "Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved."

What is our primary use case?

CentOS is a platform that is specifically used for tools that are required in our organization.

We found a way to adapt it to our own needs.

How has it helped my organization?

It's one of two platforms that can work with the tools we use; without it, we couldn't do anything.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free.

What needs improvement?

Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved.

I would like to see support in the next 10 years. They will discontinue support for some CentOS versions.

Buyer's Guide
CentOS
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with CentOS for four years.

We're not working with the most recent version, but rather the one before it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Only the most recent version is unstable. The versions previous and the most recent are usually stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a PC-only solution with CentOS installed on each PC, making it scalable.

We have 10 users in our organization.

We have no plans to increase our usage.

How are customer service and support?

We have not contacted technical support. We haven't needed to.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I am also familiar with Xilin.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. I would rate the initial setup a two out of five.

It took approximately an hour to install CentOS on a PC.

What about the implementation team?

We did not use a third party such as an integrator, reseller, or consultant. We completed the deployment ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

CentOS is free.

There are no additional costs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Red Hat Fuse, which is a CentOS variant. We used CentOS as it's free.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend that you determine which CentOS version was used because some versions will no longer be supported in the coming years.

I would rate CentOS an eight out of ten. If they would continue to support the previous version, I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1053252 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Presales Consultant/ Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
MSP
Top 5
Relegated to a test bench, and therefore is no longer stable
Pros and Cons
  • "CentOS is very efficient and very powerful with many capabilities."
  • "I was using CentOS because it was very stable, and now it's not."

What is our primary use case?

It can be used for data centers to run the servers.

CentOS is a test bench for Red Hat. When Red Hat is testing new software, they will test it out in CentOS and Fedora. They will give it to the public, the public will complain about all the issues, then they will fix it, and include it in Red Hat.

I am not using it for the organization. However, I am using it in the business. For example, I help many clients back up Linux servers or protect Linux servers. But I am a Linux user at home, and I have been implementing products that revolve around Linux.

What is most valuable?

CentOS was one of the best Linux distributions out there. There was no community-based operating system like CentOS, except for Red Hat.

CentOS is very efficient and very powerful with many capabilities.

Anyone who has been using CentOs from the beginning of time has been using it because it has been a stable platform. Many companies have made solutions based on CentOS because it was a stable platform.

What needs improvement?

Unfortunately, Red Hat has changed the direction of the project.

The community is shocked that CentOS is no longer that stable branch, it's that development branch. 

They have now started a new project that some vendors are involved with, which is called Rocky Linux. 

Rocky Linux is a new Linux distribution that continues with what the community started with CentOS. The community now is making creating their own CentOS, because of Red Hat's decision to make this CentOS a test bench.

Most of the vendors in the market right now are making appliances, whether it be a firewall or a storage appliance, and most of them are using CentOS. Imagine the impact this will have on the vendors, on an international level, because they are relying on CentOS to be the most stable Linux distribution, and they chose the solution based on stability.

Red Hat made the decision of making CentOS a test bench, which means it will no longer be stable. Vendors will either push the new unstable update to customers, which is not something they would likely do or they would need to change to another Linux distribution.

It's a major decision for many companies to make. Because it is now a test bench many people are forced to change.

I was using CentOS because it was very stable, and now it's not. Will I use it? No. 

The main reason people use CentOS was because of its stability. Now that the stability has been compromised, no one will use it, unless they are Red Hat developers. The people who are learning Red Hat will also like it. But for us, the community, who might have been relying on CentOS as being a very stable platform, we will discard it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using CentOS for five years.

We used version CentOS 6, and CentOS 7, but the latest one is CentOS 8.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

CentOS had proven to be very stable, but now with the updates, CentOS is not the stable operating system that it used to be. 

How are customer service and technical support?

CentOS is not supported commercially. CentOS is a community project. If you have any issue, you open the forums online, you post about it, and they solve it for you. 

Red Hat is the one that is charging for it. You can buy Red Hat and purchase support from them and they'll support you.

How was the initial setup?

If you know your way around Linux, then it is easy to install CentOS.

Most of it is the command line. There is a graphical user interface installation, but if you know CentOS, you don't want to do anything with the graphics. Instead, you will want to do everything with the command line, otherwise, you should consider Ubuntu.

What about the implementation team?

I can install any Linux on my own, with no worries.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are no licensing fees for CentOS. It's a DPL project, there is no licensing cost.

What other advice do I have?

CentOS, Red Hat, Oracle Linux, and Fedora all share the same binaries, they have the exact same distribution, with very minor differences. 

CentOS started as a community project, a community enterprise operating system. It's basically free Red Hat. Red Hat was rebranded and called CentOS and released to the public.

I have had a really good experience with CentOS 6 or CentOS 7, but I have abandoned CentOS completely since Red Hat has made its position of CentOS very clear. CentOS now is discontinued. 

Red Hat is releasing CentOS Stream, which is new. Before, what used to be the situation? Red Hat would release the Red Hat Linux distribution online version six, for example, at the same time, Red Hat would release CentOS 6. Red Hat and CentOS 6 had no differences, except the fact that with Red Hat you can actually get a support contract, whereas, with CentOS 6, you cannot get a support contract. 

CentOS and Red Hat are the same. There's no difference between CentOS and Red Hat.

There used to be no difference between CentOS and Red Hat, but now CentOS is like Fedora.

There's no difference, it's just a test bench, with the latest updates, but it is not as stable as it is before.

Now, there was something called Fedora. Fedora is a Linux-based distribution. Usually, you have the latest updates, the brand new technologies, everything is in the Fedora, but it's not stable. Fedora is not stable.

Red Hat is the one controlling CentOS. Whenever Red Hat would release a version, they would release the same CentOS to the public. The only difference was that CentOS is supported by the community, and Red Hat is supported by Red Hat, the enterprise by the business. They used to have a test bench, which is Fedora. Fedora is a distribution based both on Red Hat or CentOS, but packages are very up to date, which is not stable. Now, Red Hat made a decision to stop CentOS and make something new called CentOS Stream. This CentOS Stream is just like Fedora.

It's not as stable as Red Hat. Before Red Hat was releasing a free version and a paid version. Both the free and the paid were the exact, same, they were identical, there were no differences. 

It has the same stability and the same everything. Now, CentOS is a test bench in which Red Hat releases the newest and latest code so that they can try it out on the community, to ensure that it is fine before they include it in Red Hat. CentOS is like Fedora. Good for testing, not for production, and not for servers.

For the time being, I would not recommend this solution to others. 

At one time CentOS was definitely a nine out of ten, but now with these recent updates, I would rate CentOS a zero out of ten. Imagine if you would create something for a specific purpose, but then in the middle, you would change it and make it the exact opposite. That would make any person who chose it, hate it.

I am very frustrated with the way the CentOS project has gone. I would rate it a Zero out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
CentOS
February 2025
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Aakash Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Architect at HCL Technologies
Real User
Cost-saving solution that helps to scale down usage
Pros and Cons
  • "CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
  • "CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring."

What is our primary use case?

CentOS is mainly used for server installations and VMs.

What is most valuable?

CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage.

What needs improvement?

CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

CentOS is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We use CentOS on a VM, so it's fixed usage.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've also used Debian and Ubuntu.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward as it's a managed service, so we just needed to spin up the VM. Deployment took around four to five months.

What about the implementation team?

We used an in-house team.

What other advice do I have?

I would give CentOS a rating of eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1597158 - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Solutions Architect - International Projects at a media company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Lightweight, powerful, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee."
  • "The solution is stable, however, it could always be even more stable if possible."

How has it helped my organization?

We just see it as an operating system to run our applications. We're in the media industry and we make a lot of TV programs and OTT items. We have developed backend applications that make, let's say, 10 locations happen or make OTT happen.

Everything is running on CentOS due to the fact that it's lightweight. It's not a huge overhead. It's not like Windows eating up a lot of CPU resources. 

What is most valuable?

The performance in the past, the open-source approach, has been great. 

It helps us with our internal applications for very low pricing.

All our applications internally have been running on CentOS since 2006 when I joined the company so we have been developing on things like that.

We use the solution due to the fact that it's a lightweight, powerful, stable OS. It's being used for a lot of different use cases. 

The stability is very good.

The pricing is good. We pay a minimal fee.

What needs improvement?

Often, the solution doesn't scale as you expect.

I cannot recall if there are features that need improvement or if there's anything that should be added.

For me, it just has to perform and carry our application. I don't really care about how the user interface looks like as we don't use the user interface. We have an application running on it and that needs to be stable and that's the only thing. Therefore, we have no issues with the solution and don't feel it's missing anything.

The solution is stable, however, it could always be even more stable if possible.

CentOS recently announced some changes. I'm not sure what they will be, however, we look forward to seeing what they come out with. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about ten to 12 years or so. It's been a very long time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. The reason that we have standardized the usage of CentOS is the stability. It has proven to us to be very stable compared to other options. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'm running around 1,400 CentOS VMs at the moment.

In terms of scalability, of course, things don't scale always as you want, however, it's a powerful solution.

The Dutch organization where I work has eight people on the payroll, however, we are not the users. We are the people building the backend and we have hundreds of thousands of people using the applications running on the data center. The people that watch OTT or watch television make use of parts of the installation.

How are customer service and technical support?

I'm not on the operational side of the business and therefore have never been in touch with technical support. I cannot speak to how helpful or responsive they are.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are using Ubuntu, CentOS, and also Red Hat. It really depends on the applications. If we buy applications or we use applications from vendors, if they say it has to run on Red Hat we'll run Red Hat. If they say it better runs on CentOS, it will run on CentOS. We have all the different file systems as we run applications that we buy or rent from vendors that make the applications.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is fairly straightforward. We have been using it for a long time it's an automatic deployment and has templates. People just have to click on the template being installed in the background. It's an automated process in VMware.

The end-user can go to the portal and they can just select which type of machine they want to have and which CentOS release is being deployed. It's a matter of minutes until they can log in.

What about the implementation team?

A company really doesn't need outside assistance. It's fairly automated and simple to manage. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is very reasonable. From what I understand, we pay a minimal fee, if we pay anything at all.

What other advice do I have?

We use different versions of the solution. It's a mixture depending on the application. Some applications are not upgraded by vendors and therefore we are using old versions. We try to stay with our own applications on the latest and greatest, however, generally, it's a mixture.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

I'd recommend the solution to other organizations.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Evans Choge - PeerSpot reviewer
Network and Security Administrator at Jambopay
Real User
An easy-to-integrate solution, scalable and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "It helps us install and deploy our applications."
  • "More security features could be included in the next release."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the solution is utilizing it as an OS in a virtualized environment. It helps us install and deploy our applications and other services accessed by other users, internally and externally. The solution is deployed on-premises.

What is most valuable?

We have found the ease of integration valuable. The solution is easy to integrate with other applications and with other services. For example, if you want to deploy something, it simplifies the integration with other applications and services.

What needs improvement?

The solution could include more integration of third-party solutions to check on the quality and vulnerabilities of the code.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. Approximately 1000 users are utilizing the solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward, and deployment took two to four hours.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented the solution in-house. Five developers are required for deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The license is affordable. I rate the price a ten out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good, but the integration can be improved, and more security features could be included in the next release.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System Administrator at Confidential
MSP
The solution is extremely stable, can be installed in under ten minutes, and is free
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is extremely stable."
  • "This solution is no longer supported and will not receive any updates going forward."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case for the solution is to host web servers, application servers, or databases.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is the stability and performance of the server.

What needs improvement?

The solution is an open-source version of Red Hat without some of the features. The solution can be improved by including some of the Red Hat features for free.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for over ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is extremely stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can be scalable depending on what you are using the server for. If you use the solution as a visualization system, it is scalable, but difficult to scale without having to use additional tools. Linux-based solutions require a lot of manual work unless other tools are used to automate.

How are customer service and support?

The solution is open source and does not have any official support only other users on forums. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward for advanced users and administrators. If you are a beginner the setup can be quite difficult, especially with the partitioning phase. The basic installation on the premises only takes ten minutes. If you are installing on the cloud there are a few extra steps that can take up to 20 minutes such as the provider's security, networking, public IP addresses, and some rules that have to be configured before the system is ready.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was completed in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is open-source and does not have any costs or licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

This solution is no longer supported and will not receive any updates going forward. Oracle Linux is similar to the solution and is also Red Hat compatible. I recommend that anyone thinking about using this solution switch to Oracle Linux.

For anyone interested in trying the solution there is a lot of information and support that is freely available online.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Taher Dungrawala - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivery head at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
Real User
high performance, simple to use, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use."
  • "CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs."

What is our primary use case?

We use CentOS an operating system if we want to install or do some processing.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using CentOS for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

CentOS is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of CentOS is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of CentOS is easy. You can do it with basic knowledge. The full deployment took approximately three hours.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of CentOS in-house. We have approximately two people for the implementation and maintenance.

What other advice do I have?

I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technial Lead at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Low memory consumption, many options for user access customization, and top-notch scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The user access level is most valuable. When you do administration with CentOS, the number of customizations that you can do for each user is higher than other solutions. It is very customizable."
  • "The YUM install manager can be improved. It is below average as compared to the other install managers. This is the only major problem that I see with CentOS. They should reduce dependency on the YUM manager."

What is our primary use case?

It can be used for setting up virtual spaces and the development environment. We have CentOS VPS.

What is most valuable?

The user access level is most valuable. When you do administration with CentOS, the number of customizations that you can do for each user is higher than other solutions. It is very customizable.

Its memory consumption is much lower than any other OS.

What needs improvement?

The YUM install manager can be improved. It is below average as compared to the other install managers. This is the only major problem that I see with CentOS. They should reduce dependency on the YUM manager.

They can improve the help for features. It has so many features, but there is no help. They should provide more information and tutorials. Currently, because of the lack of knowledge or availability of resources, features are getting underutilized.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using CentOS for around two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is one of the top-notch products in terms of scalability. For scalability, many premium features are available.

Currently, we have around 12 to 15 users. We have plans to increase its usage.

How are customer service and technical support?

We don't have much experience with their technical support.

How was the initial setup?

Its installation was quite straightforward. There is not much in terms of the setup cost. It was quite straightforward, and it happened quite quickly. From scratch, it took around one and a half hours.

What about the implementation team?

I installed it myself. For its deployment and maintenance, we don't have any technical team. We are able to manage with less than one person per month. We have a manager who manages it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is open-source, which means it is a free product. It has a one-time deployment cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Red Hat.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate CentOS a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free CentOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: February 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free CentOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.