Goodbye AlmaLinux, hello Debian!
AlmaLinux 8, which we adopted after the abrupt end of CentOS 8 (see our article here), ran into a major problem with Red Hat a few months ago.
As a reminder, CentOS and AlmaLinux are projects described as “1:1 binary compatible” with RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux). However, in June 2023, Red Hat announced that it would restrict access to the RHEL source code to its paying customers only, so it would no longer be published under a licence allowing it to be freely reused. This decision directly affects CentOS forks such as Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux.
Against this backdrop, we have decided to adopt Debian for our new server installations.
Why this choice?
The AlmaLinux foundation has therefore given up on being 1:1 with RHEL and will now aim for compatibility at the ABI (Application Binary Interface) level.
For our part, we feared another U-turn in the future, and since we had already considered moving to Debian when CentOS was discontinued, choosing Debian came quite naturally.
The Debian project was founded by Ian Murdock in 1993. The aim was to create an open source distribution, carefully maintained and managed. It is still one of the only major Linux distributions not tied to a commercial entity.What is the Debian Project? https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/intro.fr.html (in French)
To achieve and maintain high quality standards, Debian has adopted an extensive set of policies and procedures for packaging and delivering software. These standards are backed by tools, automation and documentation that implement all of Debian's key elements in an open and transparent way.
Did you know? Every Debian release is named after a Toy Story character:
- Debian 1.1: Buzz
- Debian 1.2: Rex
- Debian 1.3: Bo
- Debian 2.0: Hamm
- Debian 2.1: Slink
- Debian 2.2: Potato
- Debian 3.0: Woody
- Debian 3.1: Sarge
- Debian 4.0: Etch
- Debian 5.0: Lenny
- Debian 6.0: Squeeze
- Debian 7: Wheezy
- Debian 8: Jessie
- Debian 9: Stretch
- Debian 10: Buster
- Debian 11: Bullseye
- Debian 12: Bookworm
- Debian 13: Trixie
Debian also offers several advantages:
- A 5-year lifespan for each release
- Native major version upgrades, supported by Plesk
- A well-known, respected distribution with a large community behind it
- Plesk supports new major Debian releases fairly soon after they come out
This does not change the fact that we continue to support servers running AlmaLinux 8, which will receive updates until 2029.
After that, if Plesk supports the upgrade to AlmaLinux 9, we will be able to upgrade your server.
When should you migrate to Debian?
On request, HaiSoft can migrate your server to a new one when needed.
Here are the main situations in which you may want to migrate to Debian:
- Your server runs CentOS 6, which is obsolete
- Your server runs CentOS 7, which is obsolete
- You are upgrading your server to a new plan that requires a change of machine
If you have any questions, please contact HaiSoft technical support.
