Time to get into the weeds of Linux licensing but this is very important, so please read on.
One of the most popular Linux Distributions for dedicated and virtual web hosting was CentOS, which was the open-source derivative of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Red Hat eventually sponsored the project and continued the development and support of CentOS, keeping it compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
I’m sorry, wake up. No sleeping.
Anyway, Red Hat decided last year to end support for CentOS in 2024 in favour of their own new variant. This made a lot of people unhappy.
I said WAKE UP!
This is important.
Ending support is key there. While you’re perfectly welcome to continue running CentOS on your hardware or virtual hardware for as long as you like, and it will probably continue to work, ending support means that it will no longer be updated.
And what’s the number rule for web hosting?
That’s right, all software must stay up to date, or it becomes a security risk.
So, while you could continue using CentOS to your heart’s content, you absolutely should not.
Enter Cloud Linux, which have forked CentOS and created their own variant called AlmaLinux, and this seems to be what most people are ‘switching’ to as support for CentOS ends (in 2024). AlmaLinux is basically exactly the same as CentOS 8 – except that it will continue to be supported for the foreseeable future.
What does this mean for Blacknight customers? Eventually, your operating system will need to be switched to AlmaLinux. This is not a simple process, and we will begin to transition existing dedicated customers next year. Until then, you’re fine, and everything is safe and secure. We just need everyone to be aware that change is coming.
This also means we’ll no longer be offering CentOS as an option on new hardware – dedicated or virtual. It’s AlmaLinux or bust going forward if you’re on CentOS (we will also continue to offer Unbuntu and Cloud Linux).
You can wake up from your nap now.