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it_user541425 - PeerSpot reviewer
SCM administrator at a tech company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Jul 24, 2017
Pretty much any code targeted at Linux builds and runs without any tweaking.

What is most valuable?

The solution provides stability and standardization. CentOS is fairly faithful to the Linux Standards Base, Freedesktop.org, and POSIX. Pretty much any code targeted at Linux builds and runs without any tweaking. Hardware support is extensive and diverse.

How has it helped my organization?

It's good to have a stable server OS that many people understand in depth. It has easier to find CentOS internal experts than Microsoft Windows internal experts, for example.

What needs improvement?

Out of the box, the NFS client is weak. It needs considerable kernel tuning before it runs NFS-bound applications efficiently. Perf "goes off a cliff" long before it should with the default settings.

The auto-mounter has been unstable, although it has been getting better recently.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using CentOS 5 and 6 for seven years.

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CentOS
January 2026
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What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

It needs a kernel tuning tool. Many settings are mysterious and require considerable forum searching.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

When the NFS client becomes overloaded, due to its default queue sizes that are way too small, combined with poor scheduling algorithms, it makes the host unstable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were no scalability issues yet.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

Red Hat service is excellent. It is definitely worth the nominal license fee for access to their knowledge base.

Technical Support:

Red Hat service is excellent. It is definitely worth the nominal license fee for access to their knowledge base.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were using Suse Enterprise. It was too non-standard. We often ended up fighting its mysterious "Yet Another Setup Tool" to get things installed.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward, until the need for kernel tuning arose. Then we were kind of on our own.

What about the implementation team?

We developed an installation image in-house and we distribute it to new hosts through a combination of PXE and Perforce sync.

What was our ROI?

The ROI is incalculable. We could not do our business without CentOS/Red Hat. It's the standard platform for most of our engineering tools.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Buy a Red Hat license. It's worth it.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We used SLES for a few years on some hosts. We considered Ubuntu LTS, Debian Stable, and FreeBSD.

What other advice do I have?

FreeBSD may be a better choice for network intensive applications, if your apps will run on it.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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PeerSpot user
Cloud & Monitoring System Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jul 23, 2017
Some of the valuable features are RHEL package support and ease of use

What is most valuable?

Some of the valuable features are RHEL package support and ease of use.

How has it helped my organization?

Free OS for multiple application support, databases, and other tools. These included Drupal, Apache, and Zabbix.

What needs improvement?

Reverse compatibility with old commands

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for three years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

I did not encounter any issues with deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I did not encounter any issues with stability.


What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I did not encounter any issues with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

I never called customer service.

Technical Support:

I never called technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use a solution before this one.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward with easy step-by-step installation for basic use.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation was done in-house, coached by a highly skilled engineer.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is free.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other solutions.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
CentOS
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
879,853 professionals have used our research since 2012.
COO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 10
Nov 1, 2024
Stable and versatile platform with strong community support
Pros and Cons
  • "CentOS adapts well to many software and applications, providing good compatibility."
  • "CentOS can be somewhat difficult for beginners, as it has a complex UI, especially for those not in the IT field."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for testing software and applications in the IT industry. I also study the storage system of AI on CentOS.

What is most valuable?

CentOS adapts well to many software and applications, providing good compatibility. Additionally, there are many online communities to learn from, which is beneficial.

What needs improvement?

CentOS can be somewhat difficult for beginners, as it has a complex UI, especially for those not in the IT field. Adding more support could be beneficial, though Red Hat with IBM support is an alternative that may be costly. Also, modernizing CentOS could be a suggestion.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

CentOS is a stable operating system, and I would rate its stability as nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

I do not have personal experience with customer service for CentOS.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very easy. I would rate the ease of setup at 8.5 out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I am not responsible for the setup cost in my company, so I am unsure about the cost of the license.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend CentOS for its stability and its ability to adapt to many software and applications. It is also very accessible.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2121429 - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Mar 29, 2023
It is a stable solution, but the hardware performance needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable soultion."
  • "It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution as a SIEM tool for system locking purposes.

What needs improvement?

They should improve the solution's hardware performance.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have five to ten users of the solution at our organization. We may plan to increase the number of users. It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Kali Linux before. I switched to CentOS as it is free of cost and has a good infrastructure.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is easy. There are installation options provided. We can either do a full or a minimum installation. It is easy to install tools in it. The process takes 30 minutes to complete.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented the solution myself.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the solution to others and rate it as a seven. I advise others to know about the solution's commands before purchasing it.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
it_user1392807 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Jul 13, 2021
A stable system with good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a good and stable system. It provides everything you need for web servers and database servers."
  • "The server system is a little bit tough to manage."

What is most valuable?

CentOS is a good and stable system. It provides everything you need for web servers and database servers.

One server can hold a few thousand users.

Installation can be done through an automated process.

What needs improvement?

The server system is a little bit tough to manage. It is not as easy as I would like it to be.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using it for more than ten years.

We use dedicated servers for this solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability and performance are good.

How was the initial setup?

We used a fully automated process for installation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are no licensing fees. CentOS is a free solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Fedora.

What other advice do I have?

CentOS is more simple than Windows, and I would rate it at ten on a scale from one to ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free CentOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free CentOS Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.