CoreOS vs Debian vs Fedora

Overview

CoreOS

Stacks216

Followers297

Votes44

Debian

Stacks16.4K

Followers11.2K

Votes164

Fedora

Stacks623

Followers515

Votes97

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Advice on CoreOS, Debian, Fedora

Dimelo

Nov 10, 2020

Decided

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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Detailed Comparison

CoreOS	Debian	Fedora
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.	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.	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.
Great to develop; Test; Operate	-	-
Statistics
Stacks 216	Stacks 16.4K	Stacks 623
Followers 297	Followers 11.2K	Followers 515
Votes 44	Votes 164	Votes 97
Pros & Cons
Pros 20 Container management 15 Lightweight 9 Systemd Cons 3 End-of-lifed	Pros 54 Massively supported 50 Stable 21 Reliable 9 Aptitude 8 Turnkey linux use it Cons 10 Old versions of software 2 Can be difficult to set up on vanilla Debian	Pros 23 Great for developers 10 Great integration with system tools 10 Represents the future of rhel/centos 10 Good release schedule 8 Reliable Cons 3 Bugs get fixed slowly from kernel side 2 Boring 2 Much less support from Wiki 2 Systemd 1 Learning curve for new users

What are some alternatives to CoreOS, Debian, Fedora?

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.

Arch Linux

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

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.

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.

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.

FreeBSD

An operating system for a variety of platforms which focuses on features, speed, and stability. It is derived from BSD, the version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It is developed and maintained by a large community.

elementary OS

It is the flagship distribution to showcase the Pantheon desktop environment. The distribution promotes itself as a “fast, open, and privacy-respecting” replacement to macOS and Windows.