AlmaLinux 8 as a Reliable CentOS Replacement for Modern Workloads

Technical Articles
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AlmaLinux 8 is a community-driven, enterprise-grade Linux distribution built to provide full binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8. After CentOS 8 transitioned to CentOS Stream, many organizations needed a stable, predictable operating system with long-term support. AlmaLinux 8 fills this gap by offering a drop-in replacement that mirrors the behavior, package versions, and lifecycle of traditional CentOS, making migrations smooth and low-risk.

Designed for production environments, AlmaLinux 8 supports a wide range of workloads, including web servers, databases, virtualization hosts, CI/CD systems, and container platforms. Its compatibility with RHEL ensures access to the same ecosystem of RPM packages, security updates, and compliance standards. Existing CentOS 8 servers can be converted to AlmaLinux 8 easily using the official migration script, without requiring reinstallation or major configuration changes. System administrators benefit from familiar tools like dnf, SELinux, systemd, firewalld, and Cockpit, ensuring operational continuity.

For cloud deployments, AlmaLinux 8 is widely adopted as a reliable base OS across major providers. ProComputers offers optimized, production-ready AlmaLinux 8 cloud images tailored for AWS and Microsoft Azure. These images integrate cloud-init, enhanced security configurations, fast boot times, and continuous maintenance—allowing teams to launch stable AlmaLinux-based instances instantly and at scale.

ProComputers AlmaLinux 8 images in AWS Marketplace:

ProComputers AlmaLinux 8 images in Microsoft Azure:

ProComputers is a proud sponsor of the AlmaLinux OS Foundation and the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation.

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