Server Alma Linux vs Rocky Linux
AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux for cPanel servers
cpanel almalinux 8 or 9 - cpanel rocky linux 9 vs almalinux 9
upgrade almalinux9 - AlmaLinux Alternatives
CentOS 8 reached End-of-Life (EOL)
cPanel will continue supporting AlmaLinux, RockyLinux, and CloudLinux OS versions. AlmaLinux, RockyLinux, and CloudLinux have pledged to keep those OS versions going after the Red Hat change.
Control Panel Compatibility
cPanel & WHM
Compatible with many operating systems. The most popular options are AlmaLinux, RockyLinux, and CloudLinux. cPanel has also committed to supporting Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, with future Ubuntu versions on the horizon.
Operating System Versions
AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux is a new operating system that is based on CentOS. It is a free and open-source operating system designed to be compatible with CentOS. Originally kickstarted by the CloudLinux team and released to the community, AlmaLinux is a good choice for those who want a stable and secure operating system for cPanel.
Rocky Linux
Rocky Linux is a new operating system based on CentOS. It is a free and open-source operating system designed to be compatible with CentOS. Rocky Linux is a good choice for those who want a stable and secure operating system for cPanel. While Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux are very similar, AlmaLinux tends to see more frequent usage with cPanel and Plesk systems.
CloudLinux
CloudLinux is a commercial operating system designed for running cPanel. It is based on CentOS but has many security features in the open-source version. CloudLinux is also a good choice for those who want to improve the performance of their cPanel server and add additional kernel-level features and protections. Something important to consider for the future is that CloudLinux plans to create its own distribution of Linux, starting with CloudLinux 10.
When selecting cPanel as your control panel of choice for your VPS or dedicated plan, you can rest assured that it will continue to have solid OS versions that it can run on.
cPanel currently supports many
OS versions, such as AlmaLinux, RockyLinux, CloudLinux, and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
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Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux are two
open-source Linux distributions that appeared as viable replacements for CentOS after Red Hat decided to discontinue the OS and
replace it with CentOS Stream.
Both distributions are stable and bug-for-bug compatible with RHEL, making them similar, if not identical, in terms of performance.
This article will show the key differences between the two operating systems and help you choose which one to use.
AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux is an open-source downstream RHEL fork created in 2021 by
CloudLinux. This company makes custom Linux-based operating systems for large hosting providers and data centers. Its initial name was Project Lenix, but it later got the name AlmaLinux.
Although CloudLinux created the OS, the company is not the owner, but one of the sponsors.
The image below shows the AlmaLinux desktop environment:
Rocky Linux
Rocky Linux is another open-source enterprise-grade OS completely compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and based on its source code. The first stable version was released in 2021 and has since been under intensive development by the community.
The founder of CentOS, Gregory Kurtzer, created Rocky Linux with the goal of making an OS with the same purpose as CentOS. The distribution is downstream and maintains binary compatibility with RHEL.
The image below shows the Rocky Linux desktop environment:
AlmaLinux vs. Rocky Linux: Key Differences
Although both operating systems are identical forks of RHEL, some differences set them apart. The following table shows an overview of the key features of the two operating systems, their similarities, and differences:
|
Rocky Linux |
AlmaLinux |
Creation date |
June 2021 |
March 2021 |
Created by |
Former CentOS founder Gregory Kurtzer |
CloudLinux |
Lifecycle |
10 years |
10 years |
Purpose |
A community-supported, production-grade enterprise OS. |
A community-supported, production-grade enterprise OS. |
System base |
RHEL |
RHEL |
Security |
High security with NTP and Secure Boot support. |
High security with CIS (Center for Internet Security) Benchmark. |
RHEL compatibility |
1:1 bug-for-bug compatibility. |
1:1 bug-for-bug compatibility. |
Support |
Around 8 years with extended support from commercial providers. |
Around 8 years. |
Architecture support |
x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x. |
x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x. |
Updates |
Regular updates with a lag of up to one business day. |
Regular updates with a lag of up to one business day. |
Funding |
$26M secured for funding the project by CIQ, the founding sponsor and services partner. |
$1M in annual sponsorship from CloudLinux Inc and support from other sponsors. |
Since both operating systems are built from RHEL source code to fill the gap left by CentOS, there aren't many differences in compatibility, supported architecture, or purpose.
The main differences lie in the project funding, which is based on different sponsors, and security. AlmaLinux comes with CIS Benchmark, allowing users to configure their system security and obtain a full report on potential security issues. Rocky Linux comes with the Network Time Security protocol for
NTP and Secure Boot support.
The sections below explain each OS' features and differences in detail.
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Either option works well for cPanel servers. It's really about whichever distro you personally prefer. My vote goes towards Rocky at this point as they've got some fantastic people behind the project.
It doesnt really matter, they are actually very similar and nearly identical the only difference is the teams behind it alma is supported by cloud Linux team so thats a plus for me
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Alma Linux ,
Alma Linux 8 Alma Linux 9
6-12-2023 Alma Linux 9 Experimental
Experimental Operating System Warning: cPanel & WHM v116, for CloudLinux v9.3.0, is experimental software and is not recommended for production environments. We do not provide support for experimental operating systems. You will need to install on a supported version of a Linux distribution.
:
https://phoenixnap.com/kb/rocky-linux-vs-almalinux
https://lowendtalk.com/discussion/18...cpanel-servers
https://endoflife.date/almalinux
https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/...%9C%93#results
https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/...rating-system-
https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us/...ted-by-cPanel-
https://features.cpanel.net/topic/22...ng-almalinux-9
https://www.liquidweb.com/kb/os-version-compatibility/
https://docs.cpanel.net/tags/operatingsystems/
https://docs.cpanel.net/knowledge-ba...rocky-linux-9/