CentOS Stream 9 vs. AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux
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Server infrastructure has been going through a quiet but very important revolution in recent years. Once upon a time, the market was simple: Red Hat Enterprise Linux set the tone, CentOS was its free copy, and administrators could build predictable systems for decades without fear of sudden changes. But everything changed after Red Hat announced the end of the classic CentOS model and moved the project to a rolling release mode. Since then, the question of choosing an OS for a virtual server has ceased to be obvious. Today, we have CentOS Stream 9, as well as mature alternatives - AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, which are fighting for the trust of businesses and developers. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each solution is the key to the right strategy for deploying CentOS VPS or its analogues in 2025.
How CentOS Became Stream and What It Means
CentOS Stream 9 is not just “another version” of CentOS, but a completely new philosophy of updates. Whereas previously the distribution was “free RHEL”, releasing patches a few weeks after the original, now Stream is slightly ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This means that it gets new package versions, fixes, and changes before RHEL.
For developers, this is an advantage: you can check the compatibility of applications with future updates in advance and prepare the infrastructure. For system administrators, it is a challenge, because this model requires careful change control and testing before releasing updates to production. However, it is this flexibility that makes CentOS Stream an excellent platform for CI/CD and DevOps experiments.
AlmaLinux: Enterprise Reliability Without a Subscription
AlmaLinux was born from an initiative by CloudLinux, a company well known in the hosting world. Its mission is to preserve for businesses the same predictability that CentOS used to provide. The distribution synchronizes with RHEL at the binary compatibility level, which makes migration as easy as possible.
In 2025, AlmaLinux is no longer perceived as a “newbie”: it has received official FIPS certification, active support from major vendors, and a guaranteed life cycle. For corporate clients, this means long-term stability, and for hosting providers, confidence that updates will not break thousands of VPS in one day.
Rocky Linux: Community vs. Commerce
If AlmaLinux is a product with a clear business backing, Rocky Linux is a flag of independence. It was founded by Gregory Kurtzer, one of the founding fathers of CentOS, with the idea of “giving the project back to the community.” The result is a distribution that is developed openly, without being tied to a single company.
Rocky Linux is actively developed thanks to the efforts of volunteers and partners around the world. This makes it attractive to startups, educational projects, and those who value vendor independence. In 2025, Rocky is a mature and stable product that even large data centers trust.
VPS Tests and Performance in Real-World Scenarios
Tests conducted on hostings in Europe showed that with the same configuration (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, SSD storage), the differences between the three systems are minimal. CentOS Stream slightly wins in containerization tests due to a more recent kernel and libraries - for example, on a Kubernetes cluster, launching a pod took 4-5% less time. AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux showed almost identical results in the speed of web servers, databases, and I/O load tests.
This means that the choice of OS is determined more by update policy and administration philosophy than by dry performance numbers.
For whom CentOS Stream is still the best choice
CentOS Stream 9 is ideal for those who want to stay on the cutting edge of technology. Developers maintaining CI/CD pipelines, companies testing software for RHEL, and DevOps teams that need to receive fresh packages and security patches without delays will appreciate the benefits of Stream.
But if your project requires rock-solid stability and a minimum of changes for 10 years, then AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux will be a better choice. This is especially true for banks, medical organizations and any companies where the regulator requires a long-term certified platform.
Tips for choosing a distribution for VPS
In 2025, the strategy is as follows: CentOS Stream is for developers and flexible DevOps environments, AlmaLinux is for enterprise infrastructures, and Rocky Linux is for those who trust the community and value openness. Ideally, you should set up a test VPS, deploy key services (Nginx, PostgreSQL, Docker) and see how the system behaves under load. Only then make a decision on scaling.
Conclusion
The world of server OS is not as clear-cut as it used to be, but this is rather a plus: we have a choice. CentOS Stream 9 attracts those who value freshness and flexibility, AlmaLinux guarantees long-term support, and Rocky Linux represents freedom and independence. The choice depends on your tasks, budget, and willingness to manage updates. But one thing is for sure: all three distributions are mature enough to become a reliable basis for VPS infrastructure in 2025.
