Shortly after Red Hat announced that it is shifting its focus from CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream, CloudLinux introduced its own CentOS replacement, Project Lenix. It is a 1:1 binary compatible fork of RHEL 8 and it is built by the creators of the established CloudLinux OS. The company also announced a $1 million annual sponsorship to its standalone, completely free OS.
Open-source RHEL fork
CloudLinux announced that Project Lenix is now rebranded as AlmaLinux. The company also stated that the CentOS alternative will arrive in Q1 2021 and has the support until at least 2029. CloudLinux also explained the name change with:
“Alma means soul in Spanish and other Latin languages. Looking back, it is easy to see that Linux is as popular and pervasive as it is thanks to the efforts of a passionate, diverse developer community. This community is the soul of Linux, and everyone that relies on a Linux distribution is indebted to the efforts of the Linux community. That is why we called our new distribution AlmaLinux.”