How to install AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux

Quick answer: Select AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux as the operating system when ordering your Cloud2Y VPS/VDS, or reinstall from your service page. Both are free, production-grade successors to CentOS, binary-compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

Overview

When CentOS Linux reached end-of-life, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux took its place: 1:1 RHEL-compatible rebuilds with roughly 10 years of support per major release. Pick either if your software targets RHEL, you use dnf/rpm tooling, or you migrate from CentOS 7/8. Functionally they are near-identical — choose the community you prefer.

Before you start

• A Cloud2Y server or an order in progress.
• An SSH client (how to connect).
• Reinstalling erases all data — back up first.

Step-by-step guide

1. New server: choose AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux (version 9 recommended) in the OS option at order time. Existing VPS/VDS: reinstall from the service page or via ticket.
2. Log in via SSH after deployment and verify the release:

   cat /etc/os-release

3. Update the system:

   sudo dnf -y upgrade

4. Note the RHEL-family defaults: firewalld instead of UFW, SELinux enabled:

   sudo firewall-cmd --list-all
   getenforce

5. Install common tools and harden access (SSH keys, security checklist):

   sudo dnf -y install epel-release
   sudo dnf -y install htop vim

Common issues

• Package missing? Enable EPEL (dnf install epel-release) — many popular tools live there.
• Service unreachable after install: open the port in firewalld: sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http && sudo firewall-cmd --reload.
• SELinux denials: don't disable SELinux blindly — check sudo ausearch -m avc -ts recent and fix the context instead.

When to contact support

If the version you need is not in the order form, or a reinstall leaves the server unreachable, open a support ticket with your service ID.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux?

Functionally they are near-identical: both are free, community-run rebuilds of Red Hat Enterprise Linux created after CentOS ended, so choose whichever ecosystem you prefer.

Are AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux compatible with CentOS software?

Yes. Both are binary-compatible successors to CentOS and RHEL, so software built for CentOS 8 or RHEL runs on them without modification in almost every case.

Do these distributions use UFW like Ubuntu?

No, the RHEL family ships firewalld by default. Manage ports with firewall-cmd, for example "firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http" followed by a reload.

Related articles

• Supported operating systems
• How to update Linux packages
• How to install Ubuntu Server
• How to harden a Linux server

Ready to get started? Order a VPS at Cloud2Y →