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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Infrastructure as a Service
  4. Operating Systems
  5. CentOS vs FreeNAS

CentOS vs FreeNAS

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

CentOS
CentOS
Stacks13.8K
Followers9.0K
Votes53
FreeNAS
FreeNAS
Stacks36
Followers45
Votes4

CentOS vs FreeNAS: What are the differences?

Introduction

When deciding between CentOS and FreeNAS as operating systems for your server or storage needs, understanding the key differences between the two can help in making an informed decision.

1. Purpose:

CentOS is a Linux distribution primarily used for general-purpose server applications, while FreeNAS is a specialized operating system designed specifically for Network-Attached Storage (NAS) purposes. CentOS offers a wider range of applications and functionalities beyond just storage solutions, whereas FreeNAS focuses solely on providing optimized storage features.

2. File System Support:

CentOS supports a variety of file systems such as ext4, XFS, and Btrfs, offering flexibility in choosing the appropriate file system for different use cases. On the other hand, FreeNAS utilizes the ZFS file system, which is known for its advanced features like data integrity, data compression, and snapshot capabilities.

3. Ease of Use:

CentOS requires more technical expertise for setup and maintenance due to its general-purpose nature, requiring users to have a good knowledge of Linux administration. In contrast, FreeNAS is designed with a user-friendly interface, making it easier for individuals with less experience in server management to set up and manage their storage systems.

4. Community Support:

CentOS benefits from a large community of users and developers, providing extensive documentation, forums, and resources for troubleshooting and support. FreeNAS also has a dedicated community, but due to its specialized nature, the level of support may be more focused on storage-related issues.

5. Security:

Both CentOS and FreeNAS prioritize security, but FreeNAS, being a storage-oriented system, has specific features and configurations geared towards enhancing data security and privacy, such as encryption and permission management for storage volumes. CentOS, although secure, may require additional configurations for optimal security in a server environment.

6. Scalability:

CentOS is highly scalable and can be used in various server environments, ranging from small businesses to large enterprises, thanks to its wide range of compatible applications and services. In comparison, FreeNAS is more limited in terms of scalability, being tailored specifically for NAS environments and may not offer the same level of flexibility when expanding to different server use cases.

In Summary, understanding the key differences such as purpose, file system support, ease of use, community support, security, and scalability between CentOS and FreeNAS can help in making an informed decision when choosing an operating system for specific server or storage needs.

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Advice on CentOS, FreeNAS

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
FreeNAS
FreeNAS

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.

It is the simplest way to create a centralized and easily accessible place for your data. Use it with ZFS to protect, store, backup, all of your data. It is used everywhere, for the home, small business, and the enterprise.

-
File Sharing; Web Interface; Data Protection; Snapshots; Replication; Encryption
Statistics
Stacks
13.8K
Stacks
36
Followers
9.0K
Followers
45
Votes
53
Votes
4
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 16
    Stable
  • 9
    Reliable
  • 9
    Free to use
  • 6
    Has epel packages
  • 6
    Good support
Cons
  • 1
    Yum is a horrible package manager
Pros
  • 2
    Easy to install
  • 2
    Very Stable
Integrations
No integrations available
Zapier
Zapier
Supergiant
Supergiant
Ambari
Ambari
SlickStack
SlickStack
strongDM
strongDM
Foxpass
Foxpass

What are some alternatives to CentOS, FreeNAS?

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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