AlmaLinux.
The CentOS replacement built to last.
A free, community-owned enterprise Linux distribution — binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, built for production hosting, and the go-to choice for cPanel and DirectAdmin servers.
Born from the end of CentOS.
For nearly two decades, CentOS was the default operating system for web hosting servers worldwide — a free, stable, binary-compatible rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that millions of servers ran without issue. In December 2020, Red Hat announced that CentOS Linux would be discontinued in favor of CentOS Stream, an upstream development distribution that no longer served as the stable production platform the hosting community relied on.
CloudLinux — the company behind CloudLinux OS and Imunify360 — responded within days. They committed over $1 million per year to build a true CentOS replacement, which they initially called Project Lenix. Renamed AlmaLinux in January 2021 (alma meaning "soul" in Latin languages), the project released its first stable version in March 2021. Governance was transferred to the independent AlmaLinux OS Foundation, a 501(c)(6) non-profit, ensuring no single company controls the distribution.
Today AlmaLinux is maintained by a community-elected board with backing from CERN, Fermilab, and over 25 corporate sponsors. It is the most widely adopted CentOS replacement in the web hosting industry.
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
What makes AlmaLinux the right — and wrong — choice.
An honest assessment to help you decide if AlmaLinux is the right OS for your Cloud Cube.
- Binary compatible with RHEL — software built for RHEL runs without modification
- Drop-in replacement for CentOS — migration is straightforward with existing tooling
- Required for cPanel/WHM — the only free OS that cPanel officially supports
- CloudLinux upgrade path — easy in-place upgrade from AlmaLinux to CloudLinux
- Enterprise-grade stability — conservative update cadence prioritizes reliability over freshness
- Long-term support — each major release backed for years by the Foundation
- Large ecosystem — RPM packages, broad third-party software support
- FIPS 140-3 certified — suitable for compliance-heavy environments
- Older packages — conservative release cycle means newer software versions lag behind Ubuntu
- DNF/RPM learning curve — admins familiar with apt/Debian may need adjustment
- No rolling updates — major version upgrades require a deliberate migration step
- Smaller community than Ubuntu — fewer tutorials and Stack Overflow answers
- Not ideal for cutting-edge stacks — Node.js, Python, or modern frameworks may need manual repos
AlmaLinux shines in these workloads.
If your workload involves cPanel, DirectAdmin, or a CentOS migration, AlmaLinux is almost always the right choice.
cPanel & WHM servers
The only free OS officially supported by cPanel/WHM — required for running cPanel-based hosting.
DirectAdmin servers
Fully supported by DirectAdmin with the widest compatibility for hosting control panel features.
CentOS migrations
Binary compatible with CentOS 7/8 workloads — migration tools allow in-place OS upgrades via ELevate.
Production web hosting
Stable, predictable release cycle ideal for shared hosting platforms and web agencies running client sites.
Compliance environments
FIPS 140-3 certified — suitable for environments with government or financial compliance requirements.
CloudLinux upgrade path
The easiest path to CloudLinux OS — in-place upgrade available for multi-tenant hosting environments.
AlmaLinux is the most compatible OS for hosting control panels.
More control panels support AlmaLinux than any other distribution — making it the default choice for hosting-focused servers.
| Control Panel | Compatible | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RemarkablePanel | — | Ubuntu only — see RemarkablePanel page |
| cPanel & WHM | Required OS — cPanel only supports AlmaLinux and CloudLinux | |
| DirectAdmin | Fully supported | |
| Webuzo | Fully supported | |
| Enhance | Fully supported | |
| Plesk | Fully supported |
Explore other OS options on Cloud Cubes.
Deploy AlmaLinux on a fully managed Cloud Cube.
Select AlmaLinux during checkout — free OS, no license required. Our team handles patching, security, and monitoring from day one.