Recently, Red Hat made changes to the accessibility of the source code for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). This event has significant implications for the Linux server ecosystem.
In summary, the changes are as follows:
- For the general public, the only source code that can be accessed openly is for CentOS Stream.
- The source code for RHEL can still be obtained but is restricted to the Red Hat Customer Portal.
- RHEL-based replicas like Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux will no longer have access to RHEL source code for replication; they can only be based on the source code of CentOS Stream.
For programmers or companies using the RHEL/CentOS series, the main impact is the inability to freely use a Linux distribution that closely resembles RHEL but lacks service support.
What You Need to Know
What changes did Red Hat make?
Red Hat released a statement, and the key sentence in this statement is as follows:
"CentOS Stream will now be the sole repository for public RHEL-related source code releases. For Red Hat customers and partners, source code will remain available via the Red Hat Customer Portal."
This means that RHEL-based replica Linux distributions like Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux will no longer have access to RHEL's source code.
Therefore, there will be no freely available Linux distributions with nearly identical stability to RHEL but without the service support.
What is the relationship between CentOS Stream and RHEL?
CentOS used to be the most famous replica of RHEL, built on the source code of RHEL. It was very popular and widely used. However, Red Hat acquired CentOS and made changes to it.
Red Hat transformed CentOS into CentOS Stream, changing it from a replica of Red Hat's Linux version to a pre-release and testing version.
Clearly, CentOS Stream cannot match the stability of CentOS. Using CentOS Stream in a production environment may not be a good choice.
Who will be affected?
The Linux distributions most affected are those like Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux. After CentOS changed to CentOS Stream, distributions like Rocky Linux emerged as replacements for the previous CentOS.
The primary advantage of these distributions remains their complete replication of RHEL, providing the same level of stability. However, without access to RHEL's source code, this significant advantage is lost.
Another affected group includes companies or individuals who favor the RHEL series. Previously, they had free options like Rocky Linux to enjoy the stability of RHEL without paying any fees.
In the future, they will have to make a choice between stability and cost.
Can RHEL be accessed and replicated based on the Red Hat Customer Portal?
Unfortunately, it cannot.
While RHEL's source code can be accessed through the Red Hat Customer Portal, it cannot be modified and redistributed based on it. Red Hat's user agreements prohibit republishing sources acquired through the customer portal.
Can replication be based on the CentOS Stream source code?
No, it cannot.
Although Red Hat has previously issued a statement claiming that CentOS Stream is still a reliable version, in reality, CentOS Stream serves as an upstream testing version for enterprises.
The stability of CentOS Stream is not sufficient to guarantee the release of new Linux distributions based on it.
Are there any other options for users?
Certainly, the open-source world always provides more and better choices.
- Choose the Debian/Ubuntu series.
For me personally, after CentOS changed to CentOS Stream, I promptly switched to the Debian/Ubuntu series.
Debian is a fully open-source and free Linux distribution unaffected by commercial influences, and it is highly stable. Its stability is comparable to RHEL. Ubuntu, based on Debian, is also a popular Linux distribution.
- No-cost RHEL
After the change from CentOS to CentOS Stream, Red Hat also offers the option of No-cost RHEL. Subject to certain conditions, individuals, teams, and nonprofit organizations can apply for limited free usage of RHEL. This service caters to developers, teams, and nonprofit organizations.
Linux Remains a Trustworthy Choice
Despite the changes to CentOS, both open source and Linux remain reliable choices. Regarding RHEL, although this action may upset developers, I believe it is reasonable and deserves respect.
After all, there are still many excellent open-source alternatives worthy of our attention and selection.
Top comments (2)
In my opinion this is a good summary of where RHEL are: sfconservancy.org/blog/2023/jun/23...
It's an excellent article to explain what're the problems.
And I thought it was a common problem for FOSS. But it's too complicated for me like these things.
The only thing I can do is use Debian instead.
Thank you very much for sharing the article.