The Discontinuation of CentOS: A Discussion

CentOS has stopped maintaining and has moved to CentOS Stream and no longer available for production-friendly versions. Impacts include system migration and enterprise reevaluation of Linux policies. Alternatives are: 1. Migrate to RHEL, 2. Turn to Ubuntu or Debian, 3. Consider CentOS Stream as a test platform, 4. Use AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux. It is recommended to develop a migration plan as early as possible to evaluate existing system and team needs.

introduction

When CentOS announced the suspension of maintenance, a rippling ripples appeared in the hearts of developers and system administrators. As a stable and reliable Linux distribution, CentOS was once the first choice for many businesses and individual users. Today we will talk about the suspension of CentOS and what this means to us. Through this article, you will learn about the context, impact of CentOS suspension, and the alternatives and future directions we can take.

CentOS's Roles and History

CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) is derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which is known for its stability and long life cycle. Many businesses choose CentOS because it provides similar functionality and stability to RHEL, but is free. Looking back at the history of CentOS, it has always been a solid backing for enterprise-level applications, from web servers to database management to deployment of various applications, CentOS is almost everywhere.

However, CentOS has not been smooth sailing. In 2020, Red Hat announced that CentOS will no longer continue as a downstream version of RHEL, but will instead move to CentOS Stream, meaning that CentOS will no longer provide a stable, production-friendly version, but will become an upstream version of RHEL for testing and development.

The impact of CentOS suspension

The suspension of CentOS is a significant impact on many users. First, many existing systems need to be migrated to other distributions, which means a lot of work and resource investment. Secondly, CentOS's suspension also allowed some companies to reevaluate their Linux strategies to consider whether they need to switch to other distributions, such as Ubuntu, Debian, or use RHEL directly.

From personal experience, I have managed a production environment that relies on CentOS. When CentOS announced the suspension of updates, we had to quickly formulate a migration plan. This involves not only technical challenges, but also the cost of training the team and adapting to the new system.

Alternatives and future directions

Faced with the suspension of CentOS, we have several alternatives to consider:

Migrate to RHEL

RHEL is an upstream version of CentOS. Migrating to RHEL can ensure the stability and security of the system. However, RHEL is paid, which can be a challenge for some businesses with limited budgets.

Turn to other distributions

Ubuntu and Debian are two popular alternatives. Ubuntu is known for its ease of use and rich software library, while Debian is known for its stability and community support. Which one you choose depends on your specific needs and the familiarity of your team.

Consider CentOS Stream

Although CentOS Stream is no longer suitable for production environments, it can serve as a testing and development platform. If your team has the ability to manage multiple environments, CentOS Stream may be a good choice.

Other solutions

There are other RHEL-based distributions such as AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux that promise similar stability and compatibility to CentOS. These emerging distributions may become the ideal alternative to CentOS.

My advice and experience sharing

When facing CentOS suspension, my advice is to develop a migration plan as soon as possible. Evaluate your existing system and determine which ones can be migrated directly and which need to be refactored. At the same time, consider the team's skills and training needs to ensure that there are no big obstacles during the migration process.

From my experience, migrating to Ubuntu is a good choice. Ubuntu's documentation and community support are very powerful, which is very helpful during the migration process. In addition, Ubuntu has a shorter update cycle, allowing you to get the latest security patches and features faster.

Of course, each team has different situations, and which alternative option is chosen depends on the specific situation. No matter which option you choose, it is important to have a clear plan and execution strategy.

Conclusion

The suspension of CentOS is undoubtedly a challenge, but it is also an opportunity. Through this change, we can revisit our Linux strategy and choose a distribution that is more suitable for our needs. I hope this article can provide you with some useful information and suggestions to help you find your direction in the wave of CentOS suspension.

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