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CentOS on a VPS after end of support: what to install and how to migrate
For many years CentOS was the standard for servers: a free rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, ten years of updates for each version, compatibility with commercial software and control panels. Thousands of guides were written for it, which is why people still search for "VPS with CentOS". But classic CentOS Linux has ended, and before picking a plan by the template name, it's worth understanding which CentOS you are being offered and whether you need it at all.
What happened to CentOS
- CentOS Linux 8 stopped receiving updates on 31 December 2021, much earlier than users expected.
- CentOS Linux 7 was supported until 30 June 2024. After that its repositories were moved to the vault.centos.org archive, and a plain
yum updateon the old system fails with a mirror error. - CentOS Stream is what remains under the name. It is not a copy of RHEL but the place where its future updates are prepared: packages land here before RHEL, and each version has a shorter support period. Stream 9 is supported until roughly 2027, and Stream 10 came out at the end of 2024.
For a production server that needs years of stability without version changes, Stream is a worse fit than distributions that are binary compatible with RHEL. Their place has been taken by AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, as well as Oracle Linux: the same packages and paths, the same dnf, SELinux and firewalld, and familiar guides work unchanged.
Who needs CentOS on a VPS today
- People testing future RHEL versions. CentOS Stream shows what will appear in the next minor release and is handy for CI and checking your software's compatibility.
- Owners of legacy software that is officially supported only on CentOS 7: it is run on an isolated server while the migration is under way. Paid extended support for this system is available from third-party companies, but it is a temporary solution.
- People moving an existing server who want to reproduce the old environment exactly first.
If you are starting a new project, install the latest version of AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux: CentOS guides apply to them, and security updates will keep coming for many years.
Host template or your own ISO
Many hosts still list CentOS 7 among their templates, and some offer only that from the RHEL family. Such a template installs in a minute, but the system is left without updates from day one. Before ordering, open the OS list in the panel or ask support whether CentOS Stream 9 or 10, AlmaLinux and Rocky are available, and how often the images are updated. If the template you need isn't there, you'll need a plan that lets you upload your own image: see the VPS with custom ISO selection. A custom ISO and full use of SELinux, firewalld and Docker require KVM virtualisation: on OpenVZ and LXC the kernel is shared and the system works with limitations.
There is also a hardware detail: RHEL 9-based systems require a CPU with the x86-64-v2 instruction set, and RHEL 10-based ones x86-64-v3. On a host's older nodes with a cut-down virtual CPU model the new version may fail to boot, so ask about the CPU model if you plan to use Stream 10 or its equivalents.
Resources and typical stacks
A minimal install without a GUI runs on 1 GB of memory, but a web server with a database is more comfortable from 2 GB, and a control panel from 2–4 GB and a 40 GB disk. Typical stacks on RHEL-family systems are LAMP or LEMP, Docker and Podman, 1C-Bitrix via BitrixVM, cPanel and Plesk. Current panel versions install on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and CloudLinux, not on CentOS 7, so when choosing an OS for a panel, go by its current list of supported systems.
How to migrate from CentOS 7 or 8
From CentOS 8 the switch is simple: the almalinux-deploy and migrate2rocky scripts swap repositories and packages in place, without reinstalling. From CentOS 7 it is harder, since it means moving to the next major version. This is done with the Leapp-based ELevate utility: it upgrades the system to AlmaLinux 8 or Rocky Linux 8, after which you can move to 9 the same way. A more reliable, though slower, route is via a new server: order a VPS with AlmaLinux or Rocky, move your data and configuration, test everything and switch DNS. Before either option, take a snapshot or a full backup: without one you can't roll back a failed in-place upgrade.