Amazon Linux vs Linux

Overview

Amazon Linux

Stacks145

Followers149

Votes0

Linux

Stacks3.1K

Followers2.5K

Votes46

Amazon Linux vs Linux: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Amazon Linux and Linux

Amazon Linux is a Linux distribution specifically designed and optimized for use on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud instances, while Linux is a general term referring to the family of open-source Unix-like operating systems. Here are the key differences between the two:

Kernel Customization: Amazon Linux uses a customized Linux kernel to provide better performance, scalability, and integration with AWS services. Linux, on the other hand, offers a more generic and community-supported kernel, which may not have the same level of optimization for cloud environments.
Package Management: Amazon Linux uses the yum package manager, which is based on rpm, making it easier to install, update, and manage software packages specifically for Amazon Linux instances. Linux distributions, on the other hand, use various package managers like apt (Debian-based), dnf (Fedora-based), or zypper (openSUSE-based), each with its own set of commands and package repositories.
Lifecycle Management: Amazon Linux follows a specific lifecycle management model where major versions are maintained for up to 5 years, and minor versions are released every six months with regular security updates. In contrast, Linux distributions have different support policies depending on the specific distribution, but they generally provide long-term support for major releases and regular updates.
Default Configuration: Amazon Linux comes pre-configured with optimized settings and packages that are tuned for AWS environments, providing a seamless experience when running applications on AWS. Linux distributions offer more flexibility in terms of customization and configuration, allowing users to tailor their systems to specific needs.
Backward Compatibility: Amazon Linux is highly backward compatible, ensuring that applications built on previous versions continue to work without major modifications. Linux distributions may have slightly different configurations and libraries, which may require some adjustments when migrating applications between different distributions.
Integration with AWS Services: Amazon Linux is tightly integrated with various AWS services, providing deep integration and optimized performance when running applications on AWS cloud instances. Linux, as a general-purpose operating system, does not have the same level of integration with AWS services out of the box, although it can still be used to run applications on AWS with some additional configuration.

In summary, Amazon Linux is a specialized Linux distribution optimized for AWS, offering a customized kernel, specific package management, lifecycle management, pre-configured settings, high backward compatibility, and deep integration with AWS services.

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CLI (Node.js)

Manual

Advice on Amazon Linux, Linux

Jennifer

Mar 16, 2020

Needs advice

Netdata introduces Linux eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) monitoring. With this enabled, monitor real-time metrics of Linux kernel functions and actions from the very same monitoring and troubleshooting dashboard used for watching entire systems, or even entire infrastructures.

This collector uses eBPF to monitor system calls inside your operating system’s kernel. For now, the main goal of this plugin is to monitor IO and process management on the host where it is running.

67.2k views67.2k

Comments

Justin

Open Source Program Manager at Reblaze

Aug 15, 2019

Review

If you have a file (demo.txt) that has 3 columns:

Column-1    Column-2    Column-3
Row-1a      Row-2a      Row-3a         
Row-1b      Row-2b      Row-3b
Row-1c      Row-2c      Row-3c
Row-1d      Row-2d      Row-3d
Row-1e      Row-2e      Row-3e

and you want to only view the first column of the file in your CLI, run the following:

awk {'print $1'} demo.txt

Column-1
Row-1a
Row-1b
Row-1c
Row-1d
Row-1e

If you want to print the second column of demo.txt, just replace $1 with $2

96.5k views96.5k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Amazon Linux	Linux
The Amazon Linux AMI is a supported and maintained Linux image provided by Amazon Web Services for use on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2).	A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.
AWS Integration;Secure Configuration;Package Repository Access;Security Updates;Lightweight;AWS Support	Portable(Multiplatform); Multitasking; Multi User; Multiprocessor SMP Support; Multithreading Support; Virtual Memory; Hierarchical File System; Graphical User Interface (X Window System)
Statistics
Stacks 145	Stacks 3.1K
Followers 149	Followers 2.5K
Votes 0	Votes 46
Pros & Cons
No community feedback yet	Pros 19 Open Source 12 Free 9 Reliability 6 Safe
Integrations
Amazon EC2	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Amazon Linux, Linux?

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Debian

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

Arch Linux

A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Fedora

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Linux Mint

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

CentOS

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

CoreOS

It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.

Gentoo Linux

It is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

Manjaro

It is an accessible, friendly, open-source Linux distribution and community. Based on Arch Linux, it provides all the benefits of cutting-edge software combined with a focus on getting started quickly, automated tools to require less manual intervention, and help readily available when needed.

Related Comparisons

Amazon Linux vs Linux: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Amazon Linux and Linux

Kernel Customization: Amazon Linux uses a customized Linux kernel to provide better performance, scalability, and integration with AWS services. Linux, on the other hand, offers a more generic and community-supported kernel, which may not have the same level of optimization for cloud environments.
Package Management: Amazon Linux uses the yum package manager, which is based on rpm, making it easier to install, update, and manage software packages specifically for Amazon Linux instances. Linux distributions, on the other hand, use various package managers like apt (Debian-based), dnf (Fedora-based), or zypper (openSUSE-based), each with its own set of commands and package repositories.
Lifecycle Management: Amazon Linux follows a specific lifecycle management model where major versions are maintained for up to 5 years, and minor versions are released every six months with regular security updates. In contrast, Linux distributions have different support policies depending on the specific distribution, but they generally provide long-term support for major releases and regular updates.
Default Configuration: Amazon Linux comes pre-configured with optimized settings and packages that are tuned for AWS environments, providing a seamless experience when running applications on AWS. Linux distributions offer more flexibility in terms of customization and configuration, allowing users to tailor their systems to specific needs.
Backward Compatibility: Amazon Linux is highly backward compatible, ensuring that applications built on previous versions continue to work without major modifications. Linux distributions may have slightly different configurations and libraries, which may require some adjustments when migrating applications between different distributions.
Integration with AWS Services: Amazon Linux is tightly integrated with various AWS services, providing deep integration and optimized performance when running applications on AWS cloud instances. Linux, as a general-purpose operating system, does not have the same level of integration with AWS services out of the box, although it can still be used to run applications on AWS with some additional configuration.

Amazon Linux vs Linux

Overview

Amazon Linux vs Linux: What are the differences?