Today we will know what is CentOS and the Versions Of CentOS. This internet platform has been able to create an integrated network for us. For that, we can communicate in all areas to meet our needs. The main reason for this connection is the servers that provide the processing power necessary for the Internet and storage space for our data. As you know, these servers, like computers, need an operating system.
Choosing the best operating system for your needs can play an important role in achieving your goals. Very recently Linux distributions for VPS have become very popular. Users are confused about selecting the best Linux distribution that can meet their needs.
There are many different distributions of Linux. Each with its own advantages; Of course, by now, among the various Linux distributions. You’ve heard of CentOS, but you might not be completely familiar with it.
CentOS is open-source. Linux-based operating system based on the Red Hat Enterprise (RHEL) source package. Its also a popular business and enterprise operating system. Which we will explain in detail for you to familiarize yourself with this operating system. For that, you are aware of the features, advantages, & disadvantages of CentOS.
About CentOS
CentOS stands for Community Enterprise Operating System. And It’s a free, open-source distribution with a Linux kernel. That is also a trading platform. CentOS was published in March 2004 by Gregory Kurtzer. It is one of the best Linux distributions. It provides an open-source operating system with a free enterprise-class computing platform.
Linux distributions
The Linux kernel is a collection of distributed software that typically uses GNU tools. CentOS is also distributed under the (GNU GPL) General Public License, called the GNU/Linux distribution.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
It is functionally compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which is its power source. CentOS developers use RHEL source code to build similar products, and users can benefit from RHEL stability and reliability; RHEL is a Linux enterprise operating system with a paid subscription. CentOs enable project developers to configure and develop projects by accessing RHEL source code; Most released CentOS versions are RHEL based and RedHat compatible.
The CentOS project, after some years of independent activity, nearly 2014. Its developers and RedHat staff formed a board of directors together and released versions of CentOS to the market. The Mirror version is a single version introduced in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This means that every time a new version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released, a few weeks or months later a similar version is launched as CentOS. Since then, this team has been responsible for support (designing, updating, system kernel, etc.) and further developing distributions, especially CentOS, and this distribution is now supported by the wider community.
Rich support team
Combined with a good and rich support team in CentOS communities and complete documentation of this operating system, CentOS becomes a great product for use in businesses, organizations, schools, universities, and other things that need a Linux that can be reliable on their servers and desktops. , by choosing CentOS, you no longer have to pay more for enterprise products.
CentOS
Most organizations use RHEL as the primary server, and CentOS is used as a backup and redundant server. Because of this, organizations did not need to hire multiple system administrators and could easily manage CentOS by hiring a single RHEL-based administrator. Architecturally, CentOS supports x86, x64, i386, and even PowerPC architectures as well as GNOME and KDE desktops and can be used as a server and workstation.
CentOS was created provide a development platform to provide a powerful platform for the growth of the open source community known as a robust, compatible, and secure distribution. Also, it has been launched as a great choice for any use that provides security updates to fix issues caused by security holes and malware and detect vulnerabilities.
Free features and security updates
CentOS is also a good alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux with its free download & installation capabilities and has attracted many users with its free features & security updates.
CentOS Mostly Use
As a member of the Linux family. CentOS Linux is similar to Unix and was continuously updated until CentOS8 was discontinued in 2021. But after CentOs8 ended its life. CentOS Stream replaces it. So users had to migrate to a new operating system to get security updates and take advantage of CentOS’s unique features; However, CentOS Linux7, which was released in 2017 based on the 3.10.0 kernel and has SELinux security; As per the plan. It will continue till 2024.
CentOS surpassed Debian as the most popular Linux distribution in the web hosting and VPS industry in 2010. Accounting for 30% of all Linux web servers; Most users have implicitly installed the CentOS version on their systems after purchasing a Linux VPS; This popularity of CentOS is due to its high compatibility with RHEL and most Linux software. We should not miss the fact that most hosting control panels use CentOS on dedicated servers.
CentOS Stream
CentOS Stream is a development platform for Red Hat Enterprise Linux that allows Red Hat developers to collaborate with members of the open source community. The RedHat community counts this distribution as a stable ABI/API for testing and development. CentOS Stream target to use of open source innovation to shape future sustainable RHEL versions. With RedHat developing the RHEL source code in CentOS Stream prior to the release of new versions. CentOS Stream is considered an implementation of the open-source development model and a preview of future versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Each version of the CentOS stream includes future minor RHEL updates. Of course, CentOS Stream is not an alternative to CentOS distribution. Cause CentOS is a redesigned Linux version of Red Hat Enterprise. While CentOS Stream is the RHEL development version.
Unlike CentOS Linux, where significant changes and upgrades can typically take years, in CentOS Stream. Users have access to official repositories, reducing the release cycle to weeks or days. Therefore, those who want to measure the resilience of their servers and ensure that they are stable enough to meet their needs can consider CentOS Stream as a step forward in advanced enterprise. Linux innovation and select it to meet their needs.
CentOS Stream developers are welcomed by Red Hat, which enables the developer community to try to solve specific problems and have a great impact on RHEL releases, migrate RedHat’s internal projects to CentOS Stream, and share operational best practices. The larger community. In any case, with the CentOSLinux project shutting down, its users have no choice but to switch to CentOS Stream, and the CentOS community will continue to work with other open-source program Linux distributions as part of the CentOS Stream project.
History Of CentOS
Before we know CentOS by this name; This product was called caAos Linux. And it was launched in 2002 by Gregory Kurtzer. In 2006, David Parsley. The lead developer of the Tao Linux operating system, one of the major RHEL clones, decided to program and develop the CentOS operating system after announcing his retirement and discontinuation of Tao Linux; A group of programmers undergoing an update called YUM rebuilt the CAOS distribution and converted it to CentOS.
CentOS was introduced to the world as an independent operating system from the beginning in 2014. It officially started working with Red Hat. The project was developed by an American company called Red Hat, Inc., located in Raleigh, North Carolina; The company was formed in the mid-1990s from the merger of two companies owned by Mark Ewing and Bob Young; Of course, the origins of CentOS go back much earlier than this date.
The first version of CentOS
The first version of CentOS was released in March 2004; Even Linux users migrated to CentOS after launching the first version of CentOS. Using YUM updates; In 2010. Cents became popular among Linux distributions for use on servers. It is worth noting that the CentOS.org Internet domain. Which is the largest community for this operating system, was previously registered by a man named Lance Davis. The CentOS management team purchased this from Lance Davis under a contract.
The 2nd version of CentOS was separated from RHEL version 2.1AS. And, until version 8. CentOS officially supported the x86-64, ARM64. And, POWER8 architectures, and from version 6. It also supported the IA-32 architecture; AltArch CentOS 7 versions for IA-32, Power ISA. And ARMv7hl and AArch64 ARM architectures are also available as of December 2015. At last, the latest version of CentOS 8 was released in 2019. And was discontinued in 2021 and replaced by the CentOS Stream version.
CentOS Linux Distribution Advantages
- Reliability
- Free and open source
- Fast performance
- High protection
- Strong support by a large community and direct bug fixes via centos.org
- Long maintenance and repair cycles
- Git services and open-source server software such as MySQL, CUPS, and Apache Web.
- Ability to use commercial RHEL features for free
- Virtualization technologies and hypervisors such as Xen, oVirt, and Docker
CentOS Features
The current CentOS version 7.0 (as of January 2017) is based on the Linux 3.10.0 kernel, secured via SELinux, and includes GCC (GNU Compiler Suite). This collection contains compilers for the most used C++ and Java programming languages. CentOS Linux supports Bluetooth, Internet Protocol (IPv6) version 6, hyper-threading (CPU splitter in two virtual processors to improve performance), plug and play, and older versions such as CentOS 5 and CentOS6; A compatibility library is available.
With CentOS access and control policies, you can control and manage various processes and files, as well as through regular Red Hat updates that release a new version of CentOS Linux every 2 years, with 10 years of support for each version, making you less As a result of issues and updates, use new software and features, and due to long release cycles; CentOS distributions are more stable, and you don’t need to update applications regularly.
CentOS open source allows users and developers to freely modify and distribute; There are also various management options in the CentOS user panel, such as Plesk, WebMin, Spacewalk, CWP, Virtualmin, VestaCP and cPanel; Also in standard distribution package; The following software is considered:
- Apache (httpd 2.4.6) as a web server
- Samba-4.1.x as a network administrator
- MariaDB 5.5.x, PostgreSQL 9.2.x as database
- PHP 5.4, Python 2.7, Perl 5.16.3 as the programming language
- X.org 7.7 as display server
- Firefox 45 as a browser
- LibreOffice 4.3.7 as a collection office
Versions Of CentOS
CentOS has released several versions so far with 6 public versions; CentOS versions are provided based on each version of RHEL, and CentOS versions are named according to the same RedHat Enterprise number and time stamp.
Each version’s timestamp is the same year and month that the RedHat version was released. The CentOS 8 version is called CentOS 8.0-1905 because RHEL 8.0 was released in May 2019. This operating system is named after 3 variable parts. The first number of these 3 parts represents the original version of the operating system and corresponds to the RHEL operating system; In fact, it is a reconstruction of each version offered, and its number is in the main version of the operating system and in the second part, separated by a dot; It indicates the updates provided for this operating system, for example, the operating system CentOS6.5 means the sixth version of RHEL has been rebuilt, and 6 update packages have been distributed so far.
The third part of the nomenclature relates to the month and date of the update and is displayed as a four-digit number with the two digits on the left indicating the year of publication and the two digits on the right indicating the month of the month. For example, the release CentOS 6.3.1110 tells us that our desired CentOS operating system received its third update in the tenth month of 2011 and is related to RHEL version 6.
Major Versions Of CentOS
There are 6 major versions of the CentOS release. Version 3 of the CentOS operating system was its first full version, launched in 2004 as the official operating system. Versions four and five were introduced in 2005 and 2007 respectively. They have been supported for a long time, especially version 5, which was supported for 10 years and served servers until 2017 as an operating system. As for updates, as mentioned earlier, CentOS updates are delayed by two to six weeks after RHEL, and a new original version of CentOS is usually released every 2 years. Each is supported for 10 years.
In the year 2014, version 7 of the CentOS operating system was released. It is one of the most authentic versions of this operating system, with excellent features such as support for IA-32, Power ISA, ARMv7hl, and AArch64 ARM architectures; Fortunately, it receives updates through June 30, 2024, and the latest version of CentOS; Version 8 was released on September 2019 and was a Linux 4.18 kernel that supported x86-64, POWER8 and ARM architectures, but was unfortunately discontinued on December 31, 2021, and replaced by CentOS Stream.
In general, the various versions of centOS have made great efforts to improve their performance and have a high level of ability to provide services to servers; This operating system is especially suited for web servers.
Why do People use CentOS Linux?
CentOS is the most famous Linux distribution for web servers & other Internet servers, but what’s the reason for this popularity? And what features has it now reached its current position? In the following, we will introduce you to these uncommon CentOS capabilities and features to prove our point.
Stability
The stability of an operating system is an appreciable advantage; This means that an operating system has been tested. And total bugs and problems have been fixed. CentOS distribution with regular updates to the global community of developers and expert users interested in Linux; test version; Help develop and manage updates.
Server stability is very important; Because any mistake on the server can lead to disaster. And, we may lose data or services may be suspended, or even suffer heavy financial losses and other unpleasant consequences which may sometimes be irreversible. Therefore, it is essential to use a professional and stable operating system on any server. Since CentOS is one of the most stable operating systems with a powerful kernel.
Security
Security is another advantage of CentOs over another distribution, Operating system security blocks. Possibility of third-party intrusion and exploitation of sensitive information and data on your operating system and servers. CentOS is very strong in terms of security as it has an SELinux kernel and is protected from unauthorized access and computer resources with NSA and RedHat support. The RedHat security team is liable for identifying CentOS threats and vulnerabilities.
Regularly update
Regular, short-term updates to CentOS versions occur every 6 months and 10-year support for each version. CentOS is ideal for users who use this operating system to develop and produce applications and for whom stability and long-term support are essential.
Good performance and support
CentOs perform well due to virtualization operations and the use of virtual machines to support x86_64 and x86 architectures; Especially CentOS7, which shines through the support of the developer community across various CentOS distributions, including support for ppc64le, Arm32, i686, and Arm64 architectures.
Flexibility and Management
The settings that CentOS provides users are not comparable to other Linux distributions; CentOS is very flexible; CentOS allows users to modify Add custom features and manage packages. You can change the core of the operating system by coding. Enable and disable each desired module and set up your operating system for any functionality.
Of course, implementing these changes requires knowledge and skills. But the features that CentOS provides users make this process much easier. Due to compatibility with various applications and high flexibility. This distribution can be run as a web server as like Nginx & apache, email server, database server, application server, and FTP proxy server.
Also, server management is one of the most important tasks of administrators, and the possibility to benefit from different control panels can simplify the process of server management. CentOS supports various control panels such as like; DirectAdmin, Spacewalk, CWP, Plesk, ISPConfig, Virtualmin, Vesta CP, cPanel, InterWorx, and WebMin. Allows users to create worry-free management and settings related to email, website, and FTP access. The control panel includes DNS settings, network settings, backups, databases, and additional security features such as CSF firewall, software installation (such as WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla), and protection against brute force attacks and virus scanning.
It should be noted that we mean the compatibility of this operating system with many types of control panels. And to get their features, you must install the desired control panels in different versions of CentOS; Of course, we explained how to install admin directly on CentOS7 in another article.
Well Community For Support
The CentOS Support Team consists of communities around the world. Those who work to improve and improve this distribution. With the development of SIG groups (small and specific working groups in the CentOS community that focus on a specific topic to optimize performance aspects and improve Linux distributions). This community pays a lot of attention to optimizing performance aspects such as virtualization and user experience and infrastructure.
This community, which was created to help beginners and professional users, is managed by a board of directors This management team has hired various posts to help users get direct advice from community members in different languages. existence of a growing and active support community; It is an advantage for an operating system that if you face any problem, you can easily contact the relevant forum directly and be guided.
Read also: Linux VS Windows VPS Server – Which one is perfect for you?
Conclusion
CentOS is one of the famous, powerful, and professional distributions of Linux. Which provides users with all the required and professional features due to its structure in terms of servers. Today there are many servers that rely on CentOS for stability, security, speed, and management options. It is a free and open-source computing platform and development environment for most of the host community. CentOS is also based on the RHEL source code and offers a powerful Enterprise edition for free. If you are searching for a stable and secure operating system that you can use for a long time. CentOS is the best option.
In this article, we’ve introduced the popular CentOS operating system and thoroughly tested it to get an in-depth look at CentOS and ensure you don’t make a mistake in selecting the right operating system for your server. Hopefully, this content will help you learn about CentOS.
