AlmaLinux vs Rocky Linux: which RHEL alternative to pick

AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux both appeared after CentOS Linux was retired. Each is a free, community-run rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and for most servers they behave almost identically. This guide explains where they differ so you can choose one with confidence, and why the choice matters less than it first appears.

Before you start

• A rough idea of what the server will run: a control panel, a web stack, Docker, or a specific vendor application.
• The vendor's list of supported operating systems for any commercial software you plan to install. That list is often the deciding factor.
• If you are unsure whether you want a RHEL-family system at all, read Choose a Linux distro for your VPS first.

What they have in common

For day-to-day administration, the two are interchangeable:

• Both use dnf and RPM packages, firewalld, SELinux in enforcing mode and systemd.
• Both follow RHEL's major versions (8, 9 and 10) and its minor point releases (such as 9.4 or 9.5).
• Both offer roughly ten years of updates per major version, in line with RHEL. At the time of writing, both projects list the end of security updates as May 2029 for version 8, May 2032 for version 9 and May 2035 for version 10.
• Most RHEL software and RPM packages, including EPEL, work on both.
• Commands, file paths and guides written for one almost always work on the other.

Origins and governance

• AlmaLinux is run by the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, a non-profit. It was started by CloudLinux, the company behind the CloudLinux OS used by many hosting providers, which remains a major sponsor alongside other members.
• Rocky Linux was founded by Gregory Kurtzer, one of the original CentOS founders. It is governed by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation, with CIQ as a major commercial sponsor.

Both are free to use, both publish their build systems openly and both have active communities. Neither requires a subscription or registration.

Compatibility approach

This is the main technical difference, and it dates from 2023, when Red Hat restricted public access to RHEL source code.

• Rocky Linux aims for bug-for-bug compatibility: the same packages as RHEL, built from RHEL sources, with the same behaviour, including known bugs.
• AlmaLinux switched to ABI compatibility: software built for RHEL runs on AlmaLinux unchanged, but AlmaLinux may ship a fix before RHEL does or carry small differences. It builds from CentOS Stream and other public sources.

In practice, an application certified for RHEL runs on both. The difference matters mainly if a vendor demands exact RHEL behaviour, or if you value AlmaLinux being able to ship a security fix independently.

AlmaLinux also offers some extras, such as builds for older x86-64 CPUs that RHEL 10 no longer supports, and a preview track called AlmaLinux Kitten. Rocky stays closer to RHEL's own choices.

Release timing

Both rebuild each RHEL release after Red Hat publishes it. Historically, AlmaLinux has often shipped new minor and major releases a little sooner, sometimes within days, while Rocky has sometimes taken longer. Timing varies from release to release, so do not treat this as a fixed rule.

For a server, a gap of a week or two rarely matters. Security updates within a release usually follow RHEL's errata closely on both.

Migration and upgrade tools

• Major version upgrades (for example 8 to 9) are not done with a plain dnf upgrade. The ELevate project, led by AlmaLinux and based on Red Hat's Leapp tool, supports in-place upgrades between major versions and between RHEL-family distributions. See Upgrade AlmaLinux 8 to 9 with ELevate.
• Switching distributions within the same major version is supported in both directions:
• AlmaLinux provides almalinux-deploy to convert other EL systems to AlmaLinux.
• Rocky provides migrate2rocky to convert other EL systems to Rocky Linux.

Control panel and vendor support

Most hosting software that supports one also supports the other. cPanel, Plesk and DirectAdmin list both AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux among their supported systems, but supported versions change over time. Always check the vendor's current requirements before you install. You buy the licence from the vendor, or use a trial, and install it on your Linux VPS.

If a vendor lists only one of the two, pick that one.

How to choose

• You run cPanel, CloudLinux or hosting software: AlmaLinux is a natural fit because of its close ties to that ecosystem, but check the vendor's list.
• You need exact RHEL behaviour for certified software: Rocky Linux's bug-for-bug goal is the closer match.
• You want the newest release as soon as possible: AlmaLinux has usually been quicker, though not always.
• You have no strong requirement: either is a sound choice. Pick the one your team or tooling already uses.

Whichever you pick, choose the newest major version your software supports, so you get the longest support window.

Check it works

After installing, confirm which distribution and release the VPS runs:

cat /etc/os-release

Look at NAME and VERSION_ID. Then confirm that updates work:

sudo dnf check-update

Troubleshooting

• A guide mentions CentOS commands: they almost always work unchanged on both. Replace yum with dnf if you like; yum is an alias on version 8 and later.
• A vendor installer refuses your OS: the vendor may support only certain versions. Check its requirements, and reinstall with a supported release from your VPS provider's control panel if needed.
• A package from a guide is missing: many extras live in EPEL. See Enable the EPEL repository.
• dnf shows no updates for an old minor release: that minor release is no longer maintained. Run sudo dnf upgrade to move to the latest one.

Next steps

• Plan for the long term: Linux release lifecycles.