Navigating the CentOS 8 Migration Landscape: Exploring Your Options

CentOS 8 reached its end-of-life on December 31, 2021. As a result, users are forced to migrate to a different operating system. Red Hat’s decision to end support for CentOS 8 remains controversial in the Linux community. However, it is important to find a suitable replacement for CentOS 8.

Alternatives to CentOS 8

There are several alternatives to CentOS 8, all of which are based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) code. These include:

• AlmaLinux
• Rocky Linux
• Oracle Linux
• CentOS Stream

These distributions are all 100% binary compatible with CentOS 8, meaning that your current projects running on CentOS should run on each of them in the same way.

Choosing an Alternative

The decision of which distribution to migrate to is less about the functionality of the operating system and more about how it is developed and maintained. Some of the alternatives are free community projects, while others are backed by large-scale commercial businesses.

AlmaLinux

AlmaLinux is a semi-commercial project that is widely recognized in the IT community. It is supported by CloudLinux, a company that invested approximately $1 million to develop AlmaLinux. AlmaLinux is a good choice for users who are looking for a stable and well-supported distribution.

Rocky Linux

Rocky Linux is an independent project with a free community support. It is led by Henry Kurtzer, one of the co-founders of the original CentOS operating system. Rocky Linux is a good choice for users who are looking for a distribution that is developed by a team of experienced Linux developers.

Oracle Linux

Oracle Linux is a distribution that is backed by Oracle, one of the most prominent IT companies. Oracle Linux is a good choice for users who are looking for a distribution with commercial support.

CentOS Stream

CentOS Stream is a rolling release distribution of RHEL. It is a good choice for users who want the latest software and features. However, it is important to note that CentOS Stream is not as stable as other distributions.

Table Comparing CentOS 8 Alternatives

How to Migrate from CentOS 8

Before migrating, make sure to back up your data.

How to Migrate to AlmaLinux

Update your current distribution by running the command:

dnf update

Download the distribution from GitHub using the command:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy/master/almalinux-deploy.sh

Assign all necessary permissions to the script by running the command:

chmod +x almalinux-deploy.sh

Run the script by typing the command:

./almalinux-deploy.sh

Reboot your system by running the command:

reboot

How to Migrate to Rocky Linux

Update your current distribution by running the command:

dnf update

Download the distribution from GitHub using the command:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rocky-linux/rocky-tools/main/migrate2rocky/migrate2rocky.sh

Give the script all necessary permissions by running the command:

chmod u+x migrate2rocky.sh

Execute the script itself by running the command:

./migrate2rocky.sh -r

Reboot your system by running the command:

reboot

How to Migrate to CentOS Stream

Update your current distribution by running the command:

dnf update

Start the installation by typing the command:

dnf install centos-release-stream

Change the repository for CentOS Stream by running the command:

dnf swap centos-linux-repos centos-stream-repos

Sync all your existing packages with the new distribution by running the command:

dnf distro-sync

Reboot your system by running the command:

reboot

How to Migrate to Oracle Linux

Update your current distribution by running the command:

dnf update

Download the distribution from GitHub by running the command:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oracle/centos2ol/main/centos2ol.sh

Replace your CentOS 8 with the Oracle by running the command:

./centos2ol.sh

Reboot your system by running the command:

reboot

Additional Information

• All of the distributions mentioned in this article are very close to the original CentOS 8.
• Developers of all mentioned distributions also made it easy to migrate using just a few commands.
• Your decision which alternative to use should be based on who stands behind each project.
• If you were to recommend just one distribution, it would undoubtedly be AlmaLinux. It has the stability thanks to the backing of CloudLinux and the energy coming from the community.

Conclusion

The end of life of CentOS 8 is a major event in the Linux community. However, there are several alternative operating systems that are available. By following the steps in this guide, you can migrate your server to a new operating system with minimal downtime.