Rocky Linux is the latest option available to all the disenchanted CentOS users whose preferred distribution was abruptly terminated in December 2020. Lead by CentOS founder Gregory Kurtzer, the project has announced its first release candidate for the upcoming version 8.3. for x86_64 and AArch64 architectures.
Alternative for CentOS
“This release is the culmination of months of hard work from every corner of the community. What started in a comment thread on a Red Hat blog in December of 2020 grew to a community over ten thousand strong in a Slack channel in a matter of days. From there you pulled together to build teams around infrastructure, branding, website, development, special interest groups, and more. By February of 2021, over 80 million hits had been recorded across various social media platforms and news sites,” said the announcement.
CentOS founder Gregory Kurtzer talked about Rocky Linux RC1, saying,
“Rocky Linux is a community enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with America’s top enterprise Linux distribution now that its downstream partner has shifted direction. It is under intensive development by the community. Release Candidate 1 is now available for testing. Contributors are asked to reach out using the communication options offered on this site.”
The Rocky Linux default desktop is GNOME. Compared to standard GNOME desktop elements, you can find new features in Rocky Linux.
- kernel 4.18.0-240.22.1.el8 (this kernel is EOL, but still supported by Red Hat)
- Based on RHEL 8.3
- GNOME 3.32
- sqlite 3.26
- virt-what 1.18
- samba 4.12.3
- dnf 4.2
- rpm 4.14
- glibc 2.28
To download Rocky Linux RC1
You can download it here. It is possible to send your interest to this e-mail address. If you encountered a bug while testing the release candidate, first, you should create an account using Rocky Linux Account Services, then head over to Bugzilla server to report any bugs.
It is one of the good options for those who look for a CentOS replacement that does offer commercial support. You can also test AlmaLimux with CloudLinux backing it. AlmaLinux OS 8.4 Beta has been released for testing.
FAQ
What is the latest version of Rocky Linux?
The latest version in Rocky Linux 8 series is 8.7 which was released on 14 November 2022, and in 9 series is 9.1 released on 26 November 2022.
How long will Rocky Linux be supported?
Rocky Linux 8.X versions will be supported until 2029 and Rocky Linux 9.X versions will be supported until 2032.
Is Rocky Linux free?
Yes, Rocky Linux is free and open-source software. It is released under the GNU General Public License.
Is Rocky Linux lightweight?
Rocky Linux is designed to be lightweight and minimalistic, it is built to be a drop-in replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and it uses the same packaging, management, and update tools. It aims to be a fast, stable, and secure platform for enterprise use, so it is not as lightweight as other Linux distributions such as Arch Linux or Gentoo, but it is still considered a lightweight distribution when compared to others that are designed for enterprise use.
Who owns Rocky Linux?
Rocky Linux is owned and developed by the Rocky Linux Project, which is a community-driven and open-source project. The project is led by Gregory Kurtzer, who is also the founder of the CentOS project.
Is Rocky Linux same as RHEL?
Rocky Linux is similar to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in many ways, as it is designed to be a drop-in replacement for RHEL and uses the same packaging, management, and update tools. It aims to be fully compatible with RHEL and to provide the same level of performance, stability, and security as RHEL.
Is Rocky Linux same as CentOS?
Rocky Linux and CentOS are similar in many ways, but Rocky Linux is a new project that aims to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of CentOS and it has some different goals and directions.
Is Rocky Linux good for servers?
Rocky Linux is designed for enterprise use and as a drop-in replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), so it can be a good choice for servers. It aims to provide the same level of performance, stability, and security as RHEL and uses the same packaging, management, and update tools.
Does Rocky Linux have a desktop environment?
Yes, Rocky Linux comes with a desktop environment, it ships with the KDE Plasma desktop environment by default, but it also provides other options like GNOME and Xfce that can be installed via the package manager. The desktop environment is just one of the many packages that can be installed on Rocky Linux, so users can choose to install a different desktop environment or none at all, depending on their needs.
Can Rocky Linux be installed on a virtual machine?
Yes, Rocky Linux can be installed on a virtual machine. A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run an operating system within another operating system. This means that you can install Rocky Linux on a virtual machine and run it on top of your current operating system, without the need to replace it or partition your hard drive. To install Rocky Linux on VMWare, you can refer to our article: How to create VM and install a Linux distro on VMWare Workstation