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  1. Stackups
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  4. Operating Systems
  5. Centos vs Oracle Linux

Centos vs Oracle Linux

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

CentOS
CentOS
Stacks13.8K
Followers9.0K
Votes53
Oracle Linux
Oracle Linux
Stacks108
Followers106
Votes3

Centos vs Oracle Linux: What are the differences?

Key Differences Between Centos and Oracle Linux

CentOS and Oracle Linux are both popular Linux distributions that are widely used for server deployments. While they share some similarities, there are several key differences that set them apart.

  1. Vendor Support: One of the main differences between CentOS and Oracle Linux lies in the level of support provided by the vendors. CentOS is a community-driven project with no official support from a particular vendor. On the other hand, Oracle Linux is backed by Oracle Corporation, which provides technical support and additional enterprise-focused features.

  2. Package Management: CentOS uses the YUM (Yellowdog Updater Modified) package management system to install, update, and remove software packages. In contrast, Oracle Linux utilizes the Unbreakable Linux Network (ULN) for package management, which is specifically designed for Oracle Linux and provides access to additional packages and patches.

  3. Kernel Optimizations: Oracle Linux includes kernel optimizations and enhancements that are specifically tailored for running Oracle software and workloads. These optimizations can result in improved performance and stability when running Oracle applications. CentOS, being a general-purpose distribution, does not have such specific optimizations for Oracle workloads.

  4. System Certification: Oracle Linux is designed to be highly compatible and certified with Oracle software and hardware products. Oracle provides a rigorous certification program that ensures compatibility and support for Oracle applications, databases, and hardware. CentOS, being a community-supported distribution, does not have the same level of certification and compatibility with Oracle products.

  5. Availability of Additional Tools: Oracle Linux offers additional tools and technologies that are specific to Oracle products and environments. For example, Oracle Linux includes the Oracle Clusterware, an integrated cluster management solution for high availability. CentOS does not include these specialized tools and technologies by default.

  6. License Agreements: CentOS is an open-source distribution that is available under the GNU General Public License (GPL). On the other hand, Oracle Linux comes with its own proprietary license agreements that may have different terms and conditions compared to CentOS.

In summary, CentOS is a community-driven, general-purpose Linux distribution with no official vendor support, while Oracle Linux is backed by Oracle Corporation, providing vendor support, package management tailored for Oracle workloads, kernel optimizations, system certification, additional tools, and specific license agreements.

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Advice on CentOS, Oracle Linux

Jerome/Zen
Jerome/Zen

Software Engineer

Aug 2, 2020

Decided

Global familiarity, free, widely used, and as a debian distro feels more comfortable when rapidly switching between local macOS and remote command lines.

CentOS does boast quite a few security/stability improvements, however as a RHEL-based distro, differs quite significantly in the command line and suffers from slightly less frequent package updates. (Could be a good or bad thing depending on your use-case and if it is public facing)

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Comments

Detailed Comparison

CentOS
CentOS
Oracle Linux
Oracle Linux

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.

The Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more informati...

Statistics
Stacks
13.8K
Stacks
108
Followers
9.0K
Followers
106
Votes
53
Votes
3
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 16
    Stable
  • 9
    Free to use
  • 9
    Reliable
  • 6
    Good support
  • 6
    Has epel packages
Cons
  • 1
    Yum is a horrible package manager
Pros
  • 1
    Has a Enterprise variant
  • 1
    Good for server systems
  • 1
    Many installation choices
Cons
  • 1
    Not many average users use it

What are some alternatives to CentOS, Oracle Linux?

Ubuntu

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

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

Arch Linux

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

Fedora

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

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.

Linux

Linux

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.

CoreOS

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

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

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

Manjaro

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.

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