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AlmaLinux OS

almalinux.org

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Spec score 9.0 #1 of 42 in Operating Systems

What it is

AlmaLinux OS is a free, open-source, community-owned enterprise Linux distribution designed for binary compatibility with RHEL. The project presents it as an option for users who need enterprise Linux without a commercial license agreement, including people seeking a CentOS Linux replacement. It can run on servers, workstations, virtual machines, cloud instances, containers, Raspberry Pi devices and Windows Subsystem for Linux environments. ISO downloads cover x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x architectures. The project also provides cloud images, OCI, Docker and UBI-compatible container images, Vagrant images, and live media with several desktop choices. A WSL image provides a terminal environment on Windows. The Foundation publishes security and bug-fix errata, and packages are GPG-signed and verified by default when installed. OpenSCAP, SCAP Workbench, OVAL streams and CIS tooling are available for auditing or hardening systems. Community support is available through forums, chat and Reddit; commercial support is offered separately by listed providers. The project plans stable updates and security patches for 8.x until 2029 and 9.x until 2032.

Spec sheet

What it does
AlmaLinux OS is a community-governed enterprise Linux distribution designed for stable production workloads and binary compatibility with RHEL.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Compliance
AlmaLinux OS 9.2 is stated to have FIPS 140-3 validation and to appear on the NIST active list.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Support
Community support is available through forums, chat, and Reddit, while commercial support is offered by listed providers including Cybertrust Japan and TuxCare.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
License
The distribution compilation is licensed under GPLv2, while included packages retain their individual upstream licenses; unique non-OS software may use GPLv3 and libraries may use MIT.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Headquarters
LinkedIn lists headquarters in Fort Myers, Florida.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Founded
The Foundation says it was founded in March 2021 to own and manage AlmaLinux OS.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Architectures
Supported primary architectures are x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Certifications
The project states that AlmaLinux OS 9.2 is FIPS 140-3 validated and Common Criteria certified.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Cloud images
Official cloud images are provided for Amazon AWS, Generic Cloud, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, OpenNebula, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Cloud integrations
Official images are provided for AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, OpenNebula and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Company size
LinkedIn lists AlmaLinux as a nonprofit software-development organization with 2–10 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Compliance tools
AlmaLinux provides OpenSCAP, SCAP Workbench, OVAL streams, and CIS tooling to audit or harden systems.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Container integrations
The project publishes OCI, Docker and UBI-compatible container images through Docker Hub, Quay.io and GitHub.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Containers and virtual machines
The project provides OCI, Docker, and UBI-compatible container images, plus Vagrant images for Libvirt, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, VMware, and Parallels.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Desktop media
Live images are offered with GNOME, GNOME Mini, KDE, XFCE and MATE.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Desktop options
Live Media images are offered with GNOME, GNOME Mini, KDE, XFCE, and MATE desktop options.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Documentation and support
Documentation covers installation, migration, security, cloud images, containers, WSL, repositories and troubleshooting, with forums, chat and mailing lists for community support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Governance
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation is a US 501(c)(6) nonprofit that owns and manages the project.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Installation formats
Boot, minimal and DVD ISO images are available for each supported architecture, with checksum and signature verification instructions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Limit: beginner usability
G2 reviewers report that installation and configuration can be CLI-focused and require prior Linux knowledge.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Limit: ecosystem size
PhoenixNAP’s comparison says AlmaLinux has slower access to new software, fewer AlmaLinux-specific packages and less cloud-tooling dominance than Ubuntu.Read 15 Oct 2026 · phoenixnap.com
Limit: software freshness
G2 reviewers say the stability-first approach can delay newer packages and require manual hardware or configuration work.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Migration
The project supplies almalinux-deploy for migrations from several Enterprise Linux distributions and ELevate for major-version upgrades.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Notable news: AlmaLinux 10.3 beta
The project announced AlmaLinux 10.3 beta on September 10, 2026, including ModSecurity and OWASP Core Rule Set return, Podman 6 changes and new toolchains.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Package policy
Packages are generally limited to what is in RHEL, while additional software is expected to come from repositories such as EPEL.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Package verification
AlmaLinux packages are GPG-signed and verified by default when installed.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Praise: RHEL compatibility
G2 reviewers repeatedly praise RHEL compatibility, regular updates, reliability and straightforward setup.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Praise: stability and cost
TrustRadius describes users valuing stability, long-term support, RHEL compatibility and availability without commercial license fees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Public API
The open-source ALBS signing service documents REST endpoints including /ping, /sign, /sign-batch and /token and supports GPG and AWS KMS backends.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Rating on G2
4.5 out of 5 from 21 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Microsoft Store
4.9 out of 5 from 10 ratingsRead 15 Oct 2026 · marketplace.microsoft.com
Rating on TrustRadius
8.9 out of 10 from 13 reviewsRead 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
RHEL compatibility
The project targets application and kernel-module compatibility with RHEL rather than an exact downstream rebuild.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Security tooling
Security resources include errata, GPG keys, public OVAL streams, OpenSCAP, SCAP Workbench, SBOMs and Secure Boot support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
Security updates
The Foundation publishes errata for security issues and bug fixes, with analysis of their significance.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Support lifecycle
The published lifecycle provides security and bug-fix updates through 2029 for AlmaLinux 8 and 2032 for AlmaLinux 9.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Support lifetime
The site says stable, tested updates and security patches are planned for AlmaLinux OS 8.x until 2029 and 9.x until 2032.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
System requirements
The installation guide specifies at least 1.5 GB RAM, 10 GB disk space minimum and 20 GB recommended, plus an 8 GB USB drive minimum.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Virtualization integrations
Official Vagrant boxes support Libvirt, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, VMware and Parallels.Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org
What it is
AlmaLinux OS is a free, open-source, community-owned enterprise Linux distribution that is binary compatible with RHEL.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Who it is for
The project describes it as an option for people who need an enterprise-grade Linux distribution without a commercial license agreement, including users seeking a CentOS Linux replacement.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org
Windows integration
AlmaLinux can run as a Windows Subsystem for Linux distribution and can be installed with the wsl command or Microsoft Store package.Read 15 Oct 2026 · wiki.almalinux.org
Windows use
AlmaLinux provides a WSL image for running its terminal environment on Windows.Read 29 Sep 2026 · almalinux.org

Plans and prices

AlmaLinux OS Free forever enterprise Linux distribution · RHEL binary compatibility · no license fees or usage charges Read 15 Oct 2026 · almalinux.org

Every AlmaLinux OS plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free distribution with no fees or charges.
  • Packages are GPG-signed and verified by default.
  • Provides cloud, container, Vagrant and WSL images.
  • Community support is available through forums, chat and Reddit.

Limits

  • Commercial support is offered separately.
  • Minor versions reach end of life when the next minor version releases.
  • Support timelines differ between 8.x and 9.x.

Who it suits

AlmaLinux OS is for users seeking a community-owned enterprise Linux distribution without a commercial license agreement, including those looking for a CentOS Linux replacement. It supports varied server, desktop, cloud and container deployments.

Verdict

AlmaLinux OS provides a free enterprise Linux option across multiple architectures and deployment types. Users can turn to community channels or separately offered commercial support, with planned update timelines varying by major version.

Where Specifiction places it

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