As the two new enterprise Linux distributions, it makes sense to discuss AlmaLinux vs. Rocky Linux now that it’s been almost a year since Red Hat announced the discontinuation of CentOS 8. AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux are both the most popular RHEL forks. Linux-based OS fans can continue with CentOS Stream, but some bugs have been reported that require Red Hat Engineers to release security updates to address them. Undoubtedly, these distros are ideal for CentOS replacement. But to make the right choice the main differences must be considered.
Introducing Almalinux and Rocky Linux
Ten years after Lance Davis and Gregory Kurtzer founded CentOS, the CentOS team accepted a deal with Red Hat in 2014. AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux are both downstream rebuilds of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
AlmaLinux vs. Rocky Linux has some notable results, but they are not that different. Join us with this guide to review all the details needed to present an accurate view of AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux. Previously, you read about the history of Rocky Linux and also learned what Almalinux is. So, we’ll cut to the chase and avoid presenting repetitive content.
The founder of CentOS, who is behind Rocky, has a wealth of expertise in this area. However, AlmaLinux is primarily developed by the CloudLinux team, who also has excellent experience with CentOS. As a result, the core development team has more than ten years of experience building RHEL. So they both have experience.
To refresh your mind let’s start with the pros and cons comparison and then review the following major and key differences in this guide. As we have mentioned, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux are generally similar to each other. But there are options you need to check to be able to find a winner from your point of view. So, check out their pros and cons below.
AlmaLinux Advantages
- Free and open source.
- Regular updates (about 1 business day)
- Easy to install and use.
- Owned by a non-profit.
- Safe boots.
- Similar to the former CentOS.
- Commercial support.
- ARM support.
- 1:1 RHEL binary compatibility.
- PowerPC support
AlmaLinux Disadvantages
- CloudLinux prefers graphical interfaces.
- Newer distro than others.
Rocky Linux Advantages
- For Free
- Easy to install and use.
- ARM support.
- 1:1 RHEL binary compatibility.
- Commercial support.
- Safe boots.
- Regular updates (about 1 business day)
Rocky Linux Disadvantages
- Newer distro than others.
The Key difference between AlmaLinux & Rocky Linux
The following table gives you some helpful information at a glance.
| Feature | AlmaLinux | Rocky Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | March 2021 | June 2021 |
| Errata | Positive | Positive |
| Owned By | AlmaLinux OS Foundation | Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation |
| Lifecycle | 10 years | 10 years |
| ARM Support | Positive | Positive |
| Mirrors | 215 mirrors support for FTP, HTTP/HTTPS, and RSYNC | 107 mirrors support for HTTP/HTTPS and RSYNC |
| Kernel Update | 0-1 days | 0-16 days |
| Release Lag | 2-8 days | 6-57 days |
| s390x support | Planned | TBD |
| PowerPC support | Positive | Planned |
| Owned by org type | Non-Profit 501(c)(6) | For Profit, Public Benefit Corp |
| Secure Boot | Positive | Positive |
| Commercial support | 3rd party | 3rd party |
| Regular updates delay | About 1 business day | About 1 business day |
| 1:1 RHEL binary compatibility | Positive | Positive |
AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux; Security
CIS (Center for Internet Security) benchmarks are included with AlmaLinux OS. All users can secure their system configuration with CIS benchmarks. A tool called CIS-CAT even provides a comprehensive evaluation of all potential security concerns. Beta versions of AlmaLinux 8.4 and 8.5 support the CIS benchmark. Additionally, the OpenSCAP tool is a game-changer for people who want to proceed with extreme care. This program automatically finds vulnerabilities in your system. The Network Time Security Protocol is included for use with Rocky Linux 8.5 along with NTP and Secure Boot support.
Let’s see some more brilliant features of Rocky Linux 8.5:
- The fastest mirror DNF plugin.
- Thunderbird with PGP support.
- Raspberry Pi AArch64 support.
- Enhanced Cockpit web console.
- OpenJDK 17 support.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; Create the system
Both Rocky Linux and Almalinux are built using unique build methods. To build its resources, AlmaLinux uses a specially designed AlmaLinux Build System (ALBS). The first build on build.almalinux.com is from September 15, 2021, so I believe I can safely assume that AlmaLinux 8.6 and 9.0 are built with ALBS, although earlier releases may be as well. I can’t find any specific information about when AlmaLinux started using this build system, or if they’ve been using it since the beginning, but earlier releases may have.
Koji (and other Fedora components) were used by the Rocky release engineering team to build Rocky Linux prior to version 9.0. Rocky’s own Peridot replaces Rocky Linux 9.0’s build system. Most of the release latency in RL 9.0 was due to changes to the build system.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; desktop environment
Fortunately, those who have already installed the full desktop version of GNOME can still install KDE Plasma on AlmaLinux. KDE Plasma is actually available for BSD, Solaris, Windows, and Mac OS X users. The default desktop environment of AlmaLinux is the GNOME Desktop GUI. Fortunately, those who have already installed the full desktop version of GNOME can still install KDE Plasma on AlmaLinux. KDE Plasma is actually available for BSD, Solaris, Windows, and Mac OS X users.
KDE Plasma’s simple panel makes it easy to enjoy online browsing, file management, or any other specialized activity if you are a new Linux user. Your specific needs will ultimately determine whether you choose an Alma or Rocky Linux desktop environment.
AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux; Migration tools
Both Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux provide migration tooling to aid in the conversion of a system from another distribution. The ELevate utility from AlmaLinux is advertised as supporting “migration between major versions of RHEL derivatives”.
The migration to the rocky tool is available with Rocky Linux. The Rocky utility provides several scripts for migrating from EL8 to Rocky8 or EL9 to Rocky9 within a major version. By forcing the upgrade of EL8.x systems to at least 8.5, migrate2rocky reduces the number of variables it must manage during migration.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; community
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization, provides AlmaLinux. It was created with the following goals: i) further development and maintenance of AlmaLinux OS as a no-registration, ad-free, stable, open-source Linux distribution for the convenience and free use of the public, (ii) facilitation and promotion of AlmaLinux OS; (ii) growing a community of vendors and partners providing foundational or complementary solutions, and (ii) contributing members, mirror members, sponsoring members and alumni from the Foundation.
On the home page of their website, probably 99% of Linux distributions proudly fly the flag with the word “community”. As we all know, the Linux community can be built around this foundation.
Community is something that some Linux distributions really value and appreciate. Others see it simply as a marketing ploy.
As long as you have a question, a member of the AlmaLinux team is always available to welcome and answer you. Sadly, I can’t say the same with Rocky Linux.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; Architecture support
Both distributions initially supported x86 64, and with their 9.0 release, they now both support aarch64, ppc64le, s390x, and x86 64. Unlike 9.0, Rocky Linux has support for aarch64 from the start but not for ppc64le or s390x until RL 9.0.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; development process
The methods Rocky Linux and Almalinux use to build their distributions differ slightly from each other in terms of upstream sources, build processes, and architectural support. Being a product of CloudLinux, AlmaLinux uses the company’s existing CloudLinux “RHEL clone” upstream. Rocky Linux uses Red Hat’s public Git repository as its primary source. Have one advantage over the other? Not really, CloudLinux obviously draws directly from the Red Hat public git repository.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; Commercial support
Commercial support is now available for Rocky Linux and Almalinux. TuxCare is included in the first, while CIQ is included in the second.
KernelCare, as it was known in CloudLinux, it is included in TuxCare. It’s the new CloudLinux umbrella brand, which now includes support services for new existing distributions as well as live patching for critical end-of-life components and systems.
Almalinux vs Rocky Linux; Release lag
Initial release lag and update release lag are two different types of release lag.
Initial release interval
Actual release latency is first. This usually applies to major releases, but since AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux joined RHEL in mid-EL8.x, it is also true for minor releases.
AlmaLinux 8.3, which was released on March 26, 2021, is the first RHEL rebuild to receive a GA release.
For RL 9.0, the entire Rocky Linux build system was replaced, which accounts for the longer release cycle of RL 9.0. Because Peridot is now in use, all future releases of Rocky Linux will be built using it. Because a quality release is more important than being the first to release an asset, the Rocky Linux release engineering team commits to releasing assets only after they are tested and ready.
Update release lag
Update release lag is the second type of release delay. This is the time interval between package update releases by Red Hat and package updates by RHEL rebuild distributions. With so many updates to take into account, I’ll focus on a few of the kernel updates to get an idea of the expected release lag. The file dates on my local mirror act as the timestamps I’m comparing.
Update release lag has decreased significantly for both distributions since the release of 8.4, with a typical interval of a day or less after Red Hat distributes updates for RHEL.
Conclusion
AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux is discussed in this article. 10 different topics are explained to go through the similarities and differences to get to each of them. Generally, Almalinux and Rocky Linux are very similar to each other, however, they are managed and controlled very differently. If you have to choose an RHEL-based replacement, you are advised to go with AlmaLinux as Alma is easier to choose due to the management and funding system of each distribution. Also, you can consider that AlmaLinux has become more responsive and gets updates sooner.
