

CentOS and Rocky Linux compete in the Linux distribution category. Rocky Linux appears to have the upper hand with its timely community updates and focus on security, making it ideal for enterprise environments.
Features: CentOS is recognized for its stable platform, robust performance, and extensive hardware compatibility, closely aligning with Linux standards. It benefits from Red Hat compatibility and a supportive open-source community providing extensive resources. Rocky Linux is a CentOS alternative known for its stability, RHEL compatibility, and strong community backing. It is designed for long-term support with a focus on security enhancements, making it reliable for enterprises.
Room for Improvement: CentOS faces potential discontinuation and reduced support, which affects its reliability as a long-term solution. Users also experience challenges with intuitiveness and certain technical limits like NFS performance. Rocky Linux initially lacked some expected software components during its transition and could improve its marketing messaging and update frequency. Enhancing integration with Windows environments is a desire for both distributions.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: CentOS and Rocky Linux are primarily deployed on-premises with use in hybrid and cloud settings. CentOS relies on community forums for support and lacks official tech support. Rocky Linux also depends on community support but benefits from recent developments in support and engagement. CentOS users seeking commercially supported alternatives often turn to Red Hat for excellent service.
Pricing and ROI: CentOS is open-source and free, appealing to cost-conscious organizations; paid support from Red Hat is optional. Organizations report significant cost savings and reduced downtime using CentOS. Similarly, Rocky Linux is cost-efficient, with minimal costs noted in commercial cloud settings like AWS. Both solutions offer substantial ROI due to their robustness and low operational costs.
I have seen a return on investment, particularly in terms of money saved because I do not pay for the servers.
The money saved was significant, approximately fifteen percent of our IT budget.
It saved a lot of time through troubleshooting, which gives us substantial room for improvement in terms of fixing things.
When it comes to return on investment, a lot of money is saved since we moved from a purchased license to the open source provided by Rocky Linux.
ROI has been good as we have significant open source community involvement.
I have seen a return on investment since there was definitely money saved at the time due to the lack of need for licensing since Rocky is available openly.
I would rate the customer support for CentOS a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.
I've seen many people across the globe interacting, and when users encounter issues, the community provides solutions.
I would rate the documentation about eight in terms of usefulness.
The support level is extraordinary, providing on-time assistance.
We have not yet needed to contact a vendor regarding Rocky Linux.
Even if we raise a support ticket, we receive a resolution or a reply from the team within two business days.
CentOS is scalable and user-friendly without requiring complex configurations.
It allows users to scale resources vertically for upgrading hardware and horizontally by adding more servers, making it suitable for modern web hosting and containerized applications.
CentOS's scalability for my organization has handled growth and changing needs smoothly.
Even if the server is not responding and we want to attach the volume on another instance or a temporary instance, it is very easy and straightforward with no hiccups.
It has handled growth or changing needs well.
The scalability is quite good, though there are some issues with Rocky Linux.
CentOS is stable, reliable, flexible, and very useful.
CentOS's simplicity and stability make it easy to use.
I believe CentOS is stable, but we are gradually moving away from it.
Rocky Linux is stable, scalable, and it is very much easier to use.
Rocky Linux is stable.
The documentation and support could be improved, along with compatibility with newer hardware as hardware continually evolves over time.
Kernel parameters, sysctl config details, tuned profiles, process prioritization, optimized disk, and input scheduler choice are all points for performance optimization.
CentOS RADIUS server handles sensitive authentication data, so improving security is the priority.
It is based on customer requirements, as they might want to use Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, depending on their needs.
Rocky Linux could be improved by having more integration with Kubernetes.
Currently, it takes more than one month to release a new package or kernel, so speeding that up would help reduce reported vulnerability remediations.
There was no cost in terms of deploying it or getting the license for it.
CentOS is a free product with free updates.
The enterprise subscription cost is at a certain level, but CentOS saves customers from paying additional money, optimizing costs for enterprises and startups involved in application development.
We switched to Rocky Linux because of the license price, and in our business, we don't need to have a higher cost as that is not a good idea.
There is no extra cost for a license if we are purchasing Rocky Linux from the AWS Marketplace.
Rocky Linux is free, and I can download it and deploy it in whatever environment I have, whether it be H3C, VMware, or Hyper-V.
CentOS has helped me most through its enterprise-level stability.
The update cycle changed when CentOS was prioritized for updates, causing stability issues.
In my experience, the best feature that CentOS offers is the network configuration of a device from the command-line interface, which is exceptionally clean.
Rocky Linux has positively impacted my organization, specifically through cost savings, because we did not have to buy any licenses or extra licenses of other distros, such as Oracle or Red Hat.
For production deployment, Rocky Linux is a great choice because it offers full RHEL compatibility without licensing costs, along with strong community support.
Since migrating to Rocky Linux, I've seen specific outcomes such as improved security because CentOS stopped the project, and security patches aren't being released.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Rocky Linux | 13.0% |
| CentOS | 4.4% |
| Other | 82.6% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 30 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 22 |
| Large Enterprise | 28 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 5 |
| Large Enterprise | 14 |
CentOS offers a stable, secure, and compatible environment with Red Hat packages, providing robust performance and cost efficiency. Its lightweight, scalable design and strong community support make it ideal for handling heavy workloads with limited resources.
CentOS is a popular choice for organizations seeking reliable server and virtualization solutions. Known for its robust stability and security, it offers seamless integration and maintenance. However, after a shift from Red Hat, some challenges emerged, including weak NFS client performance and a more complex interface, which beginners find challenging alongside insufficient documentation. Despite these, CentOS remains a favored option for deploying web applications, server installations, and supporting cloud solutions, thanks to its efficient use in monitoring, databases, and telecommunications.
What are CentOS's key features?CentOS is widely used in industries requiring robust infrastructure, such as web hosting, scientific computing, and telecommunications. In data centers, companies deploy it to support virtual environments, testing, and development. The OS powers business applications, email servers, and cloud solutions, offering a cost-effective alternative to Red Hat.
Rocky Linux provides enterprise-grade stability and seamless Red Hat compatibility, coupled with extensive community support. Known for easy setup and minimal maintenance, its open-source nature ensures cost-effectiveness, making it ideal for critical systems.
Rocky Linux is an open-source operating system valued for its compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, making it an attractive choice for organizations migrating from CentOS. It focuses on stability, security, and long-term support, crucial for critical systems. Users benefit from seamless integration with automation tools and its strong community backing. While it offers ease of setup and package availability, areas like software availability and faster updates need enhancement. The system's UX design supports productivity, with potential improvements in documentation and security integration helping to maintain competitive advantages.
What Are the Key Features?Rocky Linux is widely implemented across numerous industries as a server platform and backend OS, supporting web hosting, big data projects, and cloud infrastructure. Companies in IT environments like Nutanix data centers and high-performance computing choose it for its compatibility with open-source tools, making it favored for automation with Ansible and monitoring through Prometheus.
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