We have a team of ten who use the solution for Linux-based SIEM and network monitoring.
Managing Director at Equilogic Technologies
A very stable solution that can be mastered without much difficulty
Pros and Cons
- "We particularly like that we can remove the graphic user interface to minimize attack settings for the operating system."
- "Our team loves working with the solution because it is very stable."
- "We would like Red Hat to keep supporting the solution but they have decided to get rid of it and there isn't much we can do about it."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
We particularly like that we can remove the graphic user interface to minimize attack settings for the operating system. We access applications on the operating system from our web interface and other machines.
What needs improvement?
We would like Red Hat to keep supporting the solution but they have decided to get rid of it and there isn't much we can do about it.
For how long have I used the solution?
Our company has been using the solution for three years.
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CentOS
August 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Our team loves working with the solution because it is very stable.
We experienced a few crashes that were due to human error, not issues with the operating system. We experienced a crash when upgrading from version six to seven but managed to rectify it with assistance from the knowledge base.
The bugs that we encountered were fixed with constant live updates that were quite straightforward and useful.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is very scalable. We started using one machine with two nodes but scaled it up to four nodes.
How are customer service and support?
I utilized support when upgrading from version six to seven and experiencing kernel issues. The technical team was able to give us excellent service and assistance.
I rate support a six out of ten because there is always room for improvement in response time. If you make a request for immediate assistance, you might not get help until a day later but when the support comes it is quite good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a bit complex but workable after training, reading through distribution papers, and increasing knowledge base. The solution can be learned and mastered after some time without too much difficulty.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed the solution in-house and sometimes got stuck but figured it out after a couple of weeks.
The longest deployment took a month because we made a few errors. CentOS support helped us through the configuration of some applications so we managed to get it up and running.
Setup of the solution is rated an eight out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the free, open-source solution because we cannot afford the price for Linux.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Because the solution is being depreciated, we are considering moving to Ubuntu but haven't made that decision yet.
What other advice do I have?
The operating system is very good and stable. We hope to continue to work with it, but are not sure if that is possible because Red Hat has decided to depreciate it and not develop it further.
Considering that there will not be further development, I recommend considering alternate solutions.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Department of operational and compliance at ACE GABON
Provides efficient virtualization and good security
Pros and Cons
- "The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization and good from a security perspective."
- "Integration with Open Stack could be improved."
- "I'd like to see better integration with Open Stack, because it can be a bit of a struggle."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for web applications. We are customers of CentOS and I'm head of the operations and compliance department.
What is most valuable?
The product is very efficient when it comes to virtualization and good from a security perspective.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see better integration with Open Stack, because it can be a bit of a struggle. The solution requires a lot of experience on Linux. I'd like to see the GUI become more user-friendly so that someone who doesn't have much experience can use it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy given my level of experience with Linux. Installation takes about 20 minutes, and then extra time for deploying some tools. I generally carry out the maintenance for our company.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We're using the open-source version of CentOS.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I sometimes use Ubuntu for network service. The main difference is that if you don't upgrade with Ubuntu, you have to change the source and that can create problems that we don't experience with CentOS.
What other advice do I have?
If you have experience with this solution, it's a good product. Without sufficient knowledge of Linux it's important to purchase support with the product.
I rate this product 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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CentOS
August 2026
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2026.
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Senior manager at SBI Cap security
Simple to set up and widely supported
Pros and Cons
- "CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported."
- "It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license."
What is our primary use case?
I mainly use CentOS to host training-related applications.
What is most valuable?
CentOS' best feature is that it's the standard product for Linux, so it's well-supported.
What needs improvement?
It would be useful if reporting were included as part of the basic license.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using CentOS for fifteen to sixteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CentOS is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and took between fifteen and thirty minutes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CentOS is cheaper compared to Windows.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend CentOS to other users and rate it eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
3D Artist at Daromex
Reliable and secure with a low learning curve
Pros and Cons
- "It’s a simple, straightforward implementation."
- "The solution is very stable and secure."
- "CentOS is very close to the end of life."
What is our primary use case?
I'm using the solution for storage. It’s a specialized storage service.
What is most valuable?
The solution is very stable and secure.
It’s a simple, straightforward implementation.
For how I use it, it is a scalable product.
I taught myself how to use the solution. You don't need to worry about having to go through a very deep learning curve for CentOS. It's very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
CentOS is very close to the end of life.
I’d like them to improve the licensing options in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I’ve been using the solution for a while. We’ve used it since version five and are now on version eight.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. There are no bugs or glitches. It’s reliable. It doesn’t crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I usually work with smaller companies. Therefore, I don’t have issues with scaling. For me, it scales. I’m using one or two-tera hard drives, and it works well with no issues.
I have one client with ten users and other clients who have a bit less than that in terms of users.
We do not have plans to increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
I’ve never directly dealt with technical support. I cannot speak to how helpful they would be or how responsive.
How was the initial setup?
I installed CentOS from the command line and administer it from the command line or web media.
The initial setup is simple and straightforward.
I'm using it for different clients, one or two servers for each client, so I don't use it. I don't deploy it, I just do an individual installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The central source is under an open-source license. I use it this way due to the fact that I don't need any license for using it.
What other advice do I have?
Even though it is near the end of life, I would recommend the solution to others.
I’d rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group Manager at HCLSoftware
Easy to set up, great for access controls and captures inappropriate usage
Pros and Cons
- "It’s scalable."
- "The solution is very stable, there are no bugs or glitches, it doesn’t crash or freeze, and it’s reliable."
- "The solution could be a bit more user-friendly. In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people."
What is most valuable?
It is good for ensuring that only approved applications are allowed to run. Other applications, which have not been approved by IT, are picked up as violations. You really can define at the start of it, what is approved, what is not approved, and you can clearly identify if there's an exhibition of unapproved applications and that get filtered or blocked by the tool.
The security and IT team can go back and question the user to see why that particular application was run or maybe do further investigation in terms of seeing if that machine has attracted any malware.
The solution is stable.
It’s scalable.
The initial setup is pretty simple.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be a bit more user-friendly. In terms of commands, it's all CLI and there isn't any GUI which can make it challenging to use for some people.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using it for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have found that the solution can scale.
Our company has 15 to 20 users leveraging it right now.
How are customer service and support?
I’ve never directly dealt with technical support. I can’t speak to how helpful they are.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using Redhat Linux. We just had the application need, which is why we adopted this product.
How was the initial setup?
It was just an application requirement. The application we are managing requires CentOS, which we had to install. There wasn't any choice.
For CentOS, the setup itself is straightforward. It didn't take much time. We installed it in one day. It was just the image that was installed. It also doesn’t take much staff to deploy or maintain the product.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is per device.
What other advice do I have?
I’m not sure which version of the solution we’re using. It might be version 8.
I’d recommend the solution to others. However, it all depends upon if the application needs it. If there is an application dependency, yes, you will need that. However, it'll come from a specific need.
We have not been using the OS as such. We have been just managing the application on the OS. We have been only supporting the application. We don't do anything, particularly on CentOS. We are doing all the settings on the application that's running on top of it.
That said, the product is okay. It's good, stable. It hasn't given us any issues, and we have no performance problems. I’d rate it overall an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Teaching and research assistant at a university with 201-500 employees
Simple to install, quick to deploy, and adaptable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free."
- "It's one of two platforms that can work with the tools we use; without it, we couldn't do anything."
- "Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
CentOS is a platform that is specifically used for tools that are required in our organization.
We found a way to adapt it to our own needs.
How has it helped my organization?
It's one of two platforms that can work with the tools we use; without it, we couldn't do anything.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is free.
What needs improvement?
Continuous deployment is the only thing that can be improved.
I would like to see support in the next 10 years. They will discontinue support for some CentOS versions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with CentOS for four years.
We're not working with the most recent version, but rather the one before it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Only the most recent version is unstable. The versions previous and the most recent are usually stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a PC-only solution with CentOS installed on each PC, making it scalable.
We have 10 users in our organization.
We have no plans to increase our usage.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted technical support. We haven't needed to.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I am also familiar with Xilin.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. I would rate the initial setup a two out of five.
It took approximately an hour to install CentOS on a PC.
What about the implementation team?
We did not use a third party such as an integrator, reseller, or consultant. We completed the deployment ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CentOS is free.
There are no additional costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Red Hat Fuse, which is a CentOS variant. We used CentOS as it's free.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend that you determine which CentOS version was used because some versions will no longer be supported in the coming years.
I would rate CentOS an eight out of ten. If they would continue to support the previous version, I would rate this solution a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Data Solution Architect at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
Useful for service applications that are Linux compatible but there could be more frequent updates
Pros and Cons
- "Setup is straightforward. You can complete it in about 30 minutes."
- "I would like to see more frequent updates."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for any server that needs the database, for any service applications that are Linux compatible.
We use a specific version for each user, but when we do a system, we use the latest. We deploy the latest version except when a vendor specifies a different version.
Usually, the developers request service for themselves and then the people using those servers will be varied. There are so many people using this solution that we cannot determine the exact number. There are some internal systems like finance or HR, for example. So, the numbers are not consistent.
As more products and requests come out, I think we are increasing the number of users.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
What is most valuable?
The good thing about it is that it's free.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more frequent updates.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's scalable.
How are customer service and support?
For support, we just use internal skills.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were also using SUSE Linux in Windows.
How was the initial setup?
Setup is straightforward. You can complete it in about 30 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's freeware, so we can use it without worrying about licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Group CEO at Mmusi Group
An upstream open source development platform that allows you to alternate certain things and minimize admin features
Pros and Cons
- "I like how you can alternate certain things and minimize admin features on there and just let it run on specific scripts. It's nice. Even if I had to put it in a container, I'd still do it. I prefer Linux over Windows any day."
- "The price could be better. They could add more drivers in terms of peripherals and other things. Add more drivers for the Linux specifications in the next release. Right now, they are just pushing to have more drivers for Windows instead of Linux."
- "The price could be better."
What is our primary use case?
I use CentOS for business applications and personal applications. Because Linux is an operating system, the use case will differ from person to person. We used it to host our scripting servers and infrastructure layout.
What is most valuable?
I like how you can alternate certain things and minimize admin features on there and just let it run on specific scripts. It's nice. Even if I had to put it in a container, I'd still do it. I prefer Linux over Windows any day.
What needs improvement?
The price could be better. They could add more drivers in terms of peripherals and other things. Add more drivers for the Linux specifications in the next release. Right now, they are just pushing to have more drivers for Windows instead of Linux.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS since 2010.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CentOS is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
CentOS tech support is fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
At the time, there were quite a lot of options like Linux, Red Hat, and Ubuntu. But if you're already using these commands that work here, they will be the ones that work there. So, we chose CentOS.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost depends on how the organization or a specific person licenses it. If you want the free version, there's Ubuntu which is supported by forums. You can pay for the license yearly or pay for a specific version.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to potential users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give CentOS a nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior data engineer at Tiger Analytics
High performance, good interface, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
- "The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt."
- "We successfully installed MicroStrategy 10, Composer for PSP, Laravel, and many PSP libraries on CentOS."
- "When comparing the GUI of CentOS to Microsoft Windows or Mac, it could improve."
What is our primary use case?
We use CentOS for our transactions and our data warehouse server. We established a replication between those servers.
What is most valuable?
The user interface of CentOS is intuitive, we can also use the command prompt.
What needs improvement?
When comparing the GUI of CentOS to Microsoft Windows or Mac, it could improve.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for approximately eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is open-source has good performance and is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
CentOS is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of CentOS is simple, The solution can be used on servers and on personal computers. You are always able to pick what packages you would like to use with the installation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no costs for CentOS, it is open-source.
What other advice do I have?
We successfully installed MicroStrategy 10, Composer for PSP, Laravel, and many PSP libraries on CentOS.
I would recommend CentOS to others if the users want to have an open-source solution.
I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Unix System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to install and manage
Pros and Cons
- "It's easy to install, it's easy to manage, it's free."
- "Updates are going to a streaming version."
- "They're changing how they're working, and I really enjoy the easy updates. Now they're going to a streaming version, which I don't like."
What is our primary use case?
We have very varied, different uses. Mostly it's an appliance for applications.
How has it helped my organization?
It's required for some of the applications we have. In order to run those applications, we have to have CentOS.
What is most valuable?
It's easy to install.
What needs improvement?
They're changing how they're working, and I really enjoy the easy updates. Now they're going to a streaming version, which I don't like. We want to control the updates manually. We have an application that we don't want to be updated without our knowledge.
If you want to do something special on install, you can. But when they have 68 questions about how you want to install, you answer each one of them. A very simple, default install would be nice.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using CentOS for more than 12 months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is extremely scalable. We have about 200 people using it at this point, mostly engineers or database guys.
We'll probably have a minor increase in usage, but not a huge increase in how many nodes we'll have.
How are customer service and support?
CentOS has no technical support. You just look it up if you have a problem.
Red Hat is the paid version of Linux. They take out all the Red Hat stuff and make CentOS Linux with no support. But a lot of people use it, and a lot of people post. So if you have a problem, you just look online and it's fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did use Red Hat a long time ago, and I switched because they couldn't seem to decide how they wanted to charge for their service. I was perfectly happy to just pay them, but it would range by huge amounts. I couldn't maintain that.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is in between straightforward and complex. It could be easier. There are too many options, and I'd like a lot less.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment takes a half-hour, and we did it in-house. One person, myself, takes care of deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are zero licensing costs for the solution.
There are admin costs. We run it on VMware, so there has to be VMware cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There were a few other options, but CentOS is heavily used and that helps.
What other advice do I have?
Just be aware of the changes they're about to make, which is from the regular updates to streaming. That's major.
I would rate the solution nine out of ten. It's easy to install, it's easy to manage, it's free.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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