AlmaLinux VPS, a CentOS alternative, is now available.

We are pleased to announce that VPSBG now officially supports AlmaLinux. If you wish to use AlmaLinux as a replacement for CentOs, you can now easily install it from our own template, rather than having to do so manually using an ISO.

What is AlmaLinux?

In one of our previous blog posts, we focused on RHEL’s CentOS Stream announcement and the repercussions and changes to the operating system.

To summarize, CentOS 8 was discontinued and the OS was renamed to CentOS Stream with the new version of the operating system having a similar look to Fedora. The updates would first be published on to the CentOS Stream, following which they would be pushed to the Enterprise products that are provided by RHEL.

Of course, the general community did not agree with these changes, which consequently led to the creation of AlmaLinux. The OS in itself is an open-source CentOS alternative, which is also a free Linux distribution. AlmaLinux is similar in compatibility to CentOS prior to the Stream changes, making it a replica of CentOS, rebranded as AlmaLinux and maintained by the CloudLinux team.

This project was officially released on March 30, 2021 and is now in production, meaning that you can immediately start using it for your projects.

The AlmaLinux project is supported by companies like cPanel, Amazon, CloudLinux and Chef among others, which gives the OS not only stability, but also a promising future.

AlmaLinux or CentOS 7?

If you don’t want to make the switch to AlmaLinux, you can always continue the older CentOS version - 7. The 7th version will continue to be supported until the summer of 2024.

However, if you are just about to create your infrastructure or start a new project, we would recommend going for AlmaLinux instead, as support for CentOS 7 ultimately has an end date upon the arrival of which you will need to make the switch regardless.

If you already have a CentOS server and you are unsure what to make of the changes, you don’t have to worry. We have made it really easy to migrate your servers from CentOS to AlmaLinux with just a few commands!

How can I install AlmaLinux on my VPS?

Installing AlmaLinux on your VPS server is quite easy, but you do need a fresh system. When you are configuring your VPS server, simply click on the AlmaLinux OS button and continue with your purchase. The template will be automatically installed and you will be able to begin work on your project.

However, if you already have a server running on CentOS and you would like to switch to AlmaLinux, then you will have to migrate from the old OS to the new one.

How can I migrate from CentOS to AlmaLinux?

If you already have purchased a VPS or a Dedicated Server from us at VPSBG and reinstalling is not an option for you, we have made it really simple to migrate your CentOS to AlmaLinux in a matter of just a few clicks. The migration itself is performed in 3 simple steps with the help of the official almalinux-deploy script.

IMPORTANT: It is absolutely recommended for you to make a full backup of all of the data currently on the server. Migrating from CentOS to AlmaLinux, or from any OS to another in general, can be quite risky and you need to have everything backed up in case of any failures or system malfunctions. Additionally, it is also considered good practice and you can also restore everything, should the process not work as intended.

STEP 1 - Download the script from the AlmaLinux repository

After downloading the script from the repository, you need to set the correct permissions by running the following commands:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy/master/almalinux-deploy.sh 

chmod +x almalinux-deploy.sh

STEP 2 - Run the deployment script

In order to execute the script, enter the following:

bash almalinux-deploy.sh

STEP 3 - Reboot your system

The final required step is for you to reboot your system so that the changes can be applied. Simply type the reboot command:

reboot

If you experience any difficulties or have any questions regarding installing or migrating to AlmaLinux, you can always feel free to contact our support team!