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Tyler Smith
Tyler Smith

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Alma and Rocky Linux ISOs: DVD vs Boot vs Minimal

#linux #almalinux #rockylinux

NOTE: This article was written in April 2026. If you are reading this in the distant future, things have likely changed.

Both AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux come with three ISO options for download: DVD ISO, Boot ISO, and Minimal ISO. Neither the AlmaLinux docs or the Rocky Linux docs do a great job explaining the differences between these ISOs. Posts on the Rocky Linux forms and Reddit elaborate beyond the docs, but still don't do a great job explaining exactly what each ISO contains or when you'd use each.

This article will explain the similarities and differences between the three ISOs, and will provide a recommendation of which ISO you should use.

DVD ISO

The DVD ISO is an ~8gb image that contains all packages for a full offline installation.

By default, the boot ISO will install AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux with server packages and a full GUI via the Gnome desktop environment. To change this, navigate to the Software Selection screen during the installation where you can choose from the following options:

  1. Server with GUI. This installs server packages along with a Gnome desktop environment for easy point-and-click management. It installs the software included with dnf's "Server with GUI" environment group.
  2. Server. This contains all the packages you would expect a distribution to have for managing a server via the CLI. It installs the software included with dnf's "Server" environment group.
  3. Minimal Install. This gives you a bare-bones Linux experience that excludes any packages that aren't absolutely necessary. Everyday commands like nano, vim, and which are excluded, allowing the user to manually install only the software they need when they need it. It installs the software included with dnf's "Minimal Install" environment group.
  4. Custom Operating System. I believe this lets you select the exact packages you want to be installed on the OS. I'm not actually sure how this works because I haven't tried it 🤷‍♂️

To see what dnf groups are available, run the following command on a RHEL-like distribution (Alma, Rocky, CentOS Stream, RHEL).

dnf group list
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This will output a list like the following:

Available Environment Groups:
   Server with GUI
   Minimal Install
   Custom Operating System
Installed Environment Groups:
   Server
Installed Groups:
   Container Management
   Headless Management
Available Groups:
   Legacy UNIX Compatibility
   Smart Card Support
   Console Internet Tools
   Development Tools
   .NET Development
   Graphical Administration Tools
   Network Servers
   RPM Development Tools
   Scientific Support
   Security Tools
   System Tools
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To see what software is included in a group (for example, the "Minimal Install" environment group), run the command below.

dnf group info "Minimal Install"
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This will output the following:

Environment Group: Minimal Install
 Description: Basic functionality.
 Mandatory Groups:
   Core
 Optional Groups:
   Standard
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You can drill into these further to see the actual included packages using dnf group info "Core" and dnf group info "Standard".

To install software from a listed group (for example, if you did the "Minimal Install" but want software from "Server"), run the following command:

sudo dnf group install "Server"
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You can learn more about DNF groups in OneUptime's article How to Manage Package Groups and Environment Groups with DNF on RHEL.

Boot ISO

The Boot ISO is a ~1gb image that requires an Internet connection during the installation to download packages. It includes all of the same options as the DVD ISO (such as Server with GUI, Server, and Minimal Install within the "Software Selection" installation screen), but since the packages are downloaded during the installation process it allows the ISO image to be significantly smaller.

Minimal ISO

The Minimal ISO is a ~2gb image made for fully offline installation. Unlike the DVD ISO or Boot ISO, the only option on the Software Selection installation screen is Minimal Install (i.e., no Server with GUI, Server, or Custom Operating System options).

Though the Minimal ISO can be installed without a network connection, you will almost certainly need an Internet connection immediately after the installation to install packages like text editors (nano, vim) that make an operating system useful. This makes the promise of a fully offline installation fall short as a result.

Which ISO should you download?

In most cases, the Boot ISO will probably make the most sense: it has the smallest initial download size, and your packages will be up-to-date when you first boot the operating system.

If you were to install via the DVD ISO, you'd need to update almost all of the packages immediately after installation, negating the benefits of the fully offline installation. I'd personally only consider this option if I were installing an operating system on a server that cannot be connected to the Internet.

In most cases, I'd avoid the Minimal ISO unless you want to build the leanest server possible by manually installing only the software that you absolutely need.

Let me know if you found this article helpful. If I got anything wrong, let me know in the comments and I'll correct the article.

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