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CentOS

13.7K
9K
+ 1
53
openSUSE

111
160
+ 1
13
Ubuntu

78.6K
57.9K
+ 1
468

Centos vs Ubuntu vs openSUSE: What are the differences?

Key Differences between CentOS, Ubuntu, and openSUSE

  1. Package Management: One key difference between CentOS, Ubuntu, and openSUSE is their package management systems. CentOS uses the YUM/DNF package manager, which is based on Red Hat's package manager. Ubuntu uses APT (Advanced Package Tool) package manager, while openSUSE uses the Zypper package manager. The package managers have different commands and package formats, which can affect software installation and management.

  2. Release Cycle: Another difference is the release cycle of these operating systems. CentOS is known for its long-term support (LTS) releases, with each version being supported for up to 10 years. Ubuntu follows a similar LTS release strategy, with LTS versions being supported for up to 5 years. On the other hand, openSUSE follows a rolling release model where there are no distinct versions, and the operating system is continuously updated with the latest packages and features.

  3. Community and Support: CentOS and Ubuntu have larger and more active communities compared to openSUSE. This means that there are more online resources, forums, and documentation available for CentOS and Ubuntu, making it easier to find solutions to issues and get community support. While openSUSE also has a dedicated community, it may not have the same level of resources and support as CentOS and Ubuntu.

  4. Default Desktop Environments: CentOS and Ubuntu offer different default desktop environments. CentOS primarily focuses on the GNOME desktop environment, which provides a modern and user-friendly interface. Ubuntu, on the other hand, offers various official flavors, including GNOME, KDE, Xfce, and more, allowing users to choose their preferred desktop environment. openSUSE typically uses the KDE Plasma desktop environment as the default for its main edition.

  5. Enterprise Focus: CentOS and openSUSE have a strong focus on enterprise use. CentOS is built using the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and aims to provide a free and community-supported version of RHEL. It is often used in server environments and by businesses that require long-term stability. openSUSE offers openSUSE Leap, which is specifically designed for enterprise use and provides a solid, stable platform for server deployments.

  6. Package Repository: The default package repositories differ between CentOS, Ubuntu, and openSUSE. CentOS relies on its own repositories called CentOS Base and CentOS Extras. Ubuntu uses the official Ubuntu repositories, which are known for their extensive collection of software packages. openSUSE utilizes the openSUSE Build Service, which offers a wide range of packages and allows users to easily contribute and build their own packages.

In summary, key differences between CentOS, Ubuntu, and openSUSE include their package management systems, release cycles, community support, default desktop environments, enterprise focus, and package repositories. These differences can influence the user experience, software availability, and suitability for different use cases.

Decisions about CentOS, openSUSE, and Ubuntu
Michaël SCHERER
Fullstack Dev at Synovo Group · | 10 upvotes · 43.7K views
Chose
UbuntuUbuntu
over
WindowsWindows

Ubuntu always let people do what they want to do, it pushes its users to know what they are doing, what they want and helps them learn what they ignore.

Ubuntu is simple, works out-of-the-box after installation and has a incredibly huge community behind.

Ubuntu is lightweight and open, in the way, that the user has access to free AND efficient applications (most of the time, without ads) and, even if learning its folder structure is challenging, once done, you are really able to call yourself "someone who knows what is in your computer".

Windows, in comparison, is heavy, tends to make decision for you and always enable tracking application by default. grr

It has a simple user interface, of course, but on the stability point of view, it is hard to compete with something simpler (even with less features).

Personal preference : I prefer something simple that works 99% of the time, than a full-featured auto-magical system that works 50% of the time (and ask if the good version of the driver is really installed...)

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Dimelo Waterson

Coming from a Debian-based Linux background, using the Ubuntu base image for my Docker containers was a natural choice. However, the overhead, even on the impressively-slimmed Hub images, was hard to justify. Seeking to create images that were "just right" in size, without unused packages or dependencies, I made the switch to Alpine.

Alpine's modified BusyBox has a surprising amount of functionality, and the package repository contains plenty of muslc-safe versions of commonly-used packages. It's been a valuable exercise in doing more with less, and, as Alpine is keen to point out, an image with fewer packages makes for a more sustainable environment with a smaller attack surface.

My only regret is that Alpine's documentation leaves a lot to be desired.

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Michael Fogassy

I have used libvirt in every Linux hypervisor deployment I do. I frequently deploy RHEL or CentOS hypervisor servers with libvirt as the VMM of choice. It's installable via the guided setup for EL-based Linux distros, it uses minimal resources and overhead, integrates seamlessly with KVM and Qemu, and provides powerful CLI for advanced users and experts looking for automated deployments, or via VirtManager in your favorite Linux desktop environment. Best used with Linux VMs, it allows KVM and QEMU direct hardware virtualization access.

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Jaron Viëtor

Using Arch Linux for our systems and servers means getting the latest technology and fixes early, as well as early warnings for potential future breakage in other (slower) distributions. It's been easy to maintain, easy to automate, and most importantly: easy to debug.

While our software target is every recent Linux distribution, using Arch internally ensured that everyone understands the full system without any knowledge gaps.

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Ubuntu is much more faster over Windows and helps to get software and other utilities easier and within a short span of time compared to Windows.

Ubuntu helps to get robustness and resiliency over Windows. Ubuntu runs faster than Windows on every computer that I have ever tested. LibreOffice (Ubuntu's default office suite) runs much faster than Microsoft Office on every computer that I have ever tested.

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Jerome/Zen Quah
Chose
UbuntuUbuntu
over
CentOSCentOS

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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Simon Aronsson
Developer Advocate at k6 / Load Impact · | 7 upvotes · 283.1K views

At the moment of the decision, my desktop was the primary place I did work. Due to this, I can't have it blow up on me while I work. While Arch is interesting and powerful, Ubuntu offers (at least for me) a lot more stability and lets me focus on other things than maintaining my own OS installation.

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Pros of CentOS
Pros of openSUSE
Pros of Ubuntu
  • 16
    Stable
  • 9
    Free to use
  • 9
    Reliable
  • 6
    Has epel packages
  • 6
    Good support
  • 5
    Great Community
  • 2
    I've moved from gentoo to centos
  • 4
    Stable
  • 3
    Lightweight for server
  • 2
    Snapshot
  • 2
    Rolling release
  • 2
    Reliable
  • 230
    Free to use
  • 96
    Easy setup for testing discord bot
  • 57
    Gateway Linux Distro
  • 54
    Simple interface
  • 9
    Don't need driver installation in most cases
  • 6
    Open Source
  • 6
    Many active communities
  • 3
    Software Availability
  • 3
    Easy to custom
  • 2
    Many flavors/distros based on ubuntu
  • 1
    Lightweight container base OS
  • 1
    Great OotB Linux Shell Experience

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Cons of CentOS
Cons of openSUSE
Cons of Ubuntu
  • 1
    Yum is a horrible package manager
    Be the first to leave a con
    • 5
      Demanding system requirements
    • 4
      Adds overhead and unnecessary complexity over Debian
    • 2
      Snapd installed by default
    • 1
      Systemd

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    What is 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.

    What is openSUSE?

    The openSUSE project is a worldwide effort that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. openSUSE creates one of the world's best Linux distributions, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community.

    What is 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.

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