The AlmaLinux team announced the release of the first stable version that is AlmaLinux 8.3. And it is immediately available to download.
AlmaLinux is the 1:1 binary compatible with RHEL 8.0 free and open-source operating system. It is created by the community with the experience and help from the CloudLinux team.
When the whole CentOS fiasco happened, the community started several initiatives to provide a true 1:1 binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Among them, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux are the main ones which are in the spotlight since then.
AlmaLinux 8.3 Stable Release
So, after about 4 months since the decision to steer CentOS in a different path, you now have a 1:1 binary compatible drop-in replacement, with a very long support timeframe. You can use it for any general purpose computing need, in bare-metal installations, in virtual machines, in containers, on cloud providers – we got you covered with official images for all those cases.
CentOS Team
It is a great milestone for the team to release a stable Linux distribution in a record time considering ideation, planning, collaborating, and what not which goes into a project like this.
AlmaLinux 8.3 is an enterprise-grade Linux distribution for servers and complete binary compatible with RHEL 8.0. That means, if you are still running CentOS, you can now start planning for migration.
Download and Migration
To make your life easier, the AlmaLinux team also provides a CentOS migration script (download link below) which you can simply use to migrate your server. If you have a test server running with CentOS, you can try the script first, before deploying in production.
In the Reddit AlmaLinux community, several users reported that the script runs fine and migration successfully. However, there are some errors also reported which are mostly installation-specific. Hence, you can go ahead to try the new stable release.
If you are planning for new servers, you can download the .iso image from the below link. Remember the dvd file size, is ~9GB which contains the entire package base. Although a mini .iso is available for minimal installation (no GUI).
It is worth mentioning that, AlmaLinux features the default GNOME desktop environment and only available on the dvd version of the .iso file. It features GNOME 3.38.
With the stable release is out of the door, it is important to have a constant focus on the ongoing development and direction. The team announced the AlmaLinux foundation which would create a roadmap, oversee the development of AlmaLinux going forward alongside the community.
Being a first stable version of a new Linux distribution launched within 4 months after conceptualization, there may be bugs, issues. So, make sure you report the issues in Reddit or report it in the bug tracker.
