AlmaLinux is now available on both our VPS hosting platform and bare metal dedicated servers. If you’ve been on CentOS and need a replacement, AlmaLinux is one of the best options out there.
What is AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux is an open-source, community-driven Linux distribution that aims for 1:1 binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It was created by CloudLinux Inc., the company behind CloudLinux OS, which has been the go-to distribution for shared hosting environments for years. When Red Hat killed CentOS as a stable release and turned it into CentOS Stream (a rolling-release upstream of RHEL), AlmaLinux stepped in to fill the gap.
Software built for RHEL works on AlmaLinux without modification. RPM packages, yum/dnf repositories, SELinux policies, and system configurations transfer directly. Security updates follow RHEL’s release schedule, so you get patches when Red Hat publishes them.
Why hosting providers like AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux has a unique advantage for anyone running cPanel on a Linux VPS or dedicated server: you can convert it to CloudLinux with a single command. CloudLinux adds per-account resource limits (LVE), CageFS for account isolation, and PHP Selector for managing multiple PHP versions. These are essential features for shared hosting.
The workflow is straightforward: deploy AlmaLinux on your VPS, install cPanel, configure your hosting accounts, and then convert to CloudLinux when you need the hosting-specific features. You don’t have to choose upfront.
What to run on AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux is a general-purpose server OS. Common use cases on our platform include:
- Web servers: Apache or Nginx with PHP, Python, Node.js, or Ruby
- Database servers: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL
- cPanel/WHM hosting: Multi-tenant web hosting with account management
- Application servers: Docker, Kubernetes, custom applications
- Mail servers: Postfix, Dovecot, or cPanel-managed email
- Development environments: Git repositories, CI/CD runners, staging servers
Where it’s available
AlmaLinux is available at all six data centers (Santa Clara, Las Vegas, Dallas, Ashburn, Amsterdam, Singapore) on both Linux VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Log into the Client Portal and select AlmaLinux as your OS template.
If you’re migrating from CentOS and need help planning the transition, contact us. We’ve helped many customers move from CentOS to AlmaLinux.