Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903 centos？

2025-09-27 04:56:00 分类：云知识

Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903 is not CentOS, although it may appear similar at first glance.

Here’s a clear breakdown:

🔹 What is Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903?

  • Alibaba Cloud Linux 2 (based on kernel version 4.19.0, release 2.1903) is a customized Linux distribution developed and maintained by Alibaba Cloud.
  • It is optimized for performance, security, and stability on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure (like ECS instances).
  • It is binary-compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and CentOS, meaning most software that runs on RHEL/CentOS can run on Alibaba Cloud Linux without modification.

🔹 Is it based on CentOS?

  • No, Alibaba Cloud Linux is not a fork of CentOS.
  • However, like CentOS, it is derived from the same upstream source as RHEL (source code released under GPL).
  • Alibaba uses the open-source components of RHEL (similar to how CentOS, Rocky Linux, or AlmaLinux do), but adds its own optimizations, patches, and tools tailored for cloud environments.

🔹 Key Differences from CentOS:

Feature Alibaba Cloud Linux 2 CentOS
Maintainer Alibaba Cloud Community (formerly Red Hat)
Target Use Case Optimized for Alibaba Cloud General-purpose server OS
Kernel Custom-tuned 4.19+ kernel Standard RHEL-derived kernel
Support Direct support from Alibaba Cloud Community-driven
Updates & Patches Faster CVE patching, cloud-focused Follows RHEL release cycle
Cost Free to use on Alibaba Cloud ECS Free
Tools Includes cloud monitoring, performance tools Standard system tools

🔹 How to Check Your OS?

Run:

cat /etc/os-release

On Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903, you’ll see something like:

NAME="Alibaba Cloud Linux"
VERSION="2.1903 LTS (Suoyang)"
ID="alinux"
ID_LIKE="rhel fedora centos"

Note: ID_LIKE="centos" explains why it feels like CentOS — it’s compatible, but not the same.

✅ Summary:

Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903 is NOT CentOS, but it is RHEL/CentOS compatible and designed for better performance and integration in Alibaba Cloud environments.

If you’re running an ECS instance on Alibaba Cloud, using Alibaba Cloud Linux is often recommended for better support, security updates, and performance tuning.

Let me know if you want help migrating from CentOS to Alibaba Cloud Linux or vice versa!