Posted on February 3, 2014 at 3:41 PM

Which Linux OS to use for your server – CentOS

A Linux distribution is more than just the look and feel of the desktop. A lot of different things go into making a distro what it is, and you should try to take them all into account as you search for the right one. There are nearly six hundred different versions of Linux out there—an incredibly overwhelming number to even the most experienced of Linux users.

CentOS
CentOS uses RPM packages and is a repackaging of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This means you will have a pretty smooth migration path if you wish to move to Red Hat at some stage in the future (or if your management require a “supported” Linux for some of their mission critical services). Most commercial software tends to be supplied as RPMs and to be “supported” on one of Red Hat or SuSE. CentOS, being a repackaged Red Hat should largely work ok with these commercial apps (unless they explicitly check the version and release of the OS which some do). CentOS is well maintained and, since it tracks RHEL, should quickly include patches and security fixes (particularly important for an internet-facing server).