What is the Difference Between CentOS and Red Hat

The main difference between CentOS and Red Hat is that CentOS is a community-supported Linux distribution that is functionally compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux while Red Hat (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) is a Linux distribution that is mainly designed for the commercial market.

Linux is a free and open source operating system based on UNIX. Linux architecture contains a kernel, system libraries, system tools, development tool and applications required for end users. It is a stable and secure operating system. Furthermore, it is a multi-user system and also allows multitasking. CentOS and Red Hat are two major Linux distributions.

Key Areas Covered

1.  What is CentOS
     – Definition, Functionality
2. What is Red Hat
     – Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between CentOS and Red Hat
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

CentOS, Linux, RedHat, Unix

Difference Between CentOS and Red Hat - Comparison Summary

What is CentOS

CentOS is a free Linux distribution. It is an enterprise class and community computing platform that is functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux.  In the year 2004, first CentOS released CentOS version 2. After releasing the version 7.0, CentOS only supports x86-64 (amd64) architecture whereas the older versions support IA-32 with Physical Address Extension (PAE). However, in 2014 January, CentOS joined Red Hat under a new CentOS governing board.

Difference Between CentOS and Red Hat

The main objective of CentOS is to provide a rich base platform for emerging open source technologies. Moreover, it supports development frameworks for cloud providers, scientific data processing and many more. Also, it is supported by active user community including system administrators, network administrators, Linux contributors and Linux users around the globe.

What is Red Hat

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL is a Linux distribution developed by Red Hat. There are several versions for x86-64, Power ISA, ARM 64 and IBM Z and a desktop version for x86-64. Moreover, Red Hat Advanced Server was the original version of this distribution. Later, Red Hat organization rebranded it into Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS. They also addressed two variants: Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES and Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS.

Main Difference - CentOS vs Red Hat

Even though Red Hat provides the source code freely, it restricts free redistribution of their officially supported versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Overall, Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a stable Linux distribution with a large community support.

Difference Between CentOS and Red Hat

Definition

CentOS is a stable, predictable, manageable and reproducible platform derived from the sources of Red Hat Enterprise Linux while Red Hat or Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a Linux distribution that targets the commercial market. Thus, this is the main difference between CentOS and RedHat.

Initial Release

CentOS was initially released in 2004 whereas  Red Hat was initially released in 2000.

Package Manager

The package managers of CentOS are Yum, Package Kit and rpm while the package managers of Red Hat are Yum, yumex, PackageKit and RPM.

Platforms

Moreover, CentOS is designed for amd64 platform whereas Red Hat is designed for in x86-64, Power ISA, ARM 64, IBM Z, IBM Power and IBM LinuxOne. Hence, this is also a difference between CentOS and RedHat.

Applications

Desktop computers, workstations, mainframes and servers are some applications of CentOS while workstations, mainframes, servers and supercomputers are some applications of Red Hat. Application wise, this is a difference between CentOS and RedHat.

Conclusion

In brief, CentOS and Red Hat are two popular Linux distributions. The main difference between CentOS and Red Hat is that CentOS is a community-supported Linux distribution that is functionally compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux while Red Hat (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) is a Linux distribution that mainly targets the commercial market.

References:

1.“CentOS.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Apr. 2019, Available here.
2.“Red Hat.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2019, Available here.
3.“CentOS Linux.” About CentOS, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1.”CentOS 7 GNOME screenshot” By CentOS — The CentOS Project, screenshot — Well-Informed Optimist – Own work (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.”Red Hat 5.0 CDROM’s” By Marc Mongenet – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

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