We use it for the DNS server, and we have some in-house apps that we are running on it for internal processes.
We get good support, and our apps run much faster on this
Pros and Cons
- "Its performance is most valuable. There is a performance boost as compared to when the applications are run on Windows OS."
- "It could be more secure."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
Its performance is most valuable. There is a performance boost as compared to when the applications are run on Windows OS.
What needs improvement?
It could be more secure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for a few months.
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CentOS
June 2025

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. In the previous upgrade, there were a lot of bug fixes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have cluster nodes, so we can extend and have more servers in the cluster. When we have more incoming requests and more processes for extending functions of the software, we need to scale the server. We work with the vendor for maintaining the software and the server.
We have more than 300 users, and half of them are using the software.
How are customer service and support?
Their support is good.
How was the initial setup?
It took two to three days. We did it over the weekend, and we had two technical people.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others. I would rate it an eight 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.

MIS Specialist at a agriculture with 201-500 employees
Stable and reasonably priced, and performance compares favorably to others
Pros and Cons
- "It is better than Ubuntu Linux."
- "We occasionally have issues with software installation."
What is our primary use case?
Our file management system is based on CentOS.
What is most valuable?
It's quite good.
It is better than Ubuntu Linux.
What needs improvement?
We occasionally have issues with software installation. For example, if we want to install a gen framework, we will face some challenges.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with CentOS for approximately five years.
We are using the latest version of CentOS.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In our organization, there are four or five users.
At the moment, we have no plans to increase our usage.
How are customer service and support?
We have not yet contacted technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are also using Ubuntu Linux.
How was the initial setup?
The installation can take up to a day, but it can also be completed in as little as 10 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We have a team of four or five engineers who will install and maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have no complaints about the price, which is quite reasonable.
We have a CentOS license that we pay for on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
Both CentOS and Ubuntu Linux are great choices.
I would rate CentOS a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
CentOS
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Managing Partner at Veribir Ltd
Easy on resources, free to use, and highly stable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the limited resources the solution uses in operation."
- "The solution could improve by making the management tools better for the DevOps teams. For example, WebEX and Webstacks."
What is our primary use case?
We have been using CentOS for web-based applications, containers, and OpenStack.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the limited resources the solution uses in operation.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by making the management tools better for the DevOps teams. For example, WebEX and Webstacks.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable but not at the operating system level.
Web-based applications are using this solution in my organization which many users could be using them.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CentOS is a free solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution for the server-side.
I rate CentOS a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager Tech. & Support (Information Technology) at Texitech
Highly stable, easy to use, but could be more scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use but not as easy as Windows."
- "The solution could improve by being more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
We are using CentOS for some of our applications on one single server.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use but not as easy as Windows.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by being more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using CentOS for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution needs to improve on its scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not needed to contact technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is a little difficult.
What about the implementation team?
We have one engineer that does the implementation of this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are using a subscription-based license option for CentOS.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution for applications that you want to have high stability.
I rate CentOS a seven 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.
Technical Support Specialist at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Very robust with good monitoring; GUI could be merged and expansion simplified
Pros and Cons
- "Very robust and easy to work with."
- "GUI could be merged and expansion simplified."
What is most valuable?
This solution is a very robust operating system, particularly when compared to Windows. It's informative and easy to work with and there's no extra cost involved in installation which reduces our overheads. The monitoring is good.
What needs improvement?
I think the GUI could be merged and expansion simplified; both those things would be an improvement. Upgrading servers could be simplified because increasing the hard disk is quite complex.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for close to 12 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a solid solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable and flexible. Even after installing CentOS, it can be expanded.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend CentOS 8 if you're okay with the command line then there's no better option and it's open source.
I rate this product a seven out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
High performance, stable, and easy installation
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is performance."
- "The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features."
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution as an operating system for scientific computing.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is performance.
What needs improvement?
The solution might be discontinued but I hope that IBM will continue to develop it and improve on the functionally and features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately 10 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?
We have more than 20 customers that use this solution scientific computing.
How was the initial setup?
The installation easy and takes approximately 20 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation ourselves and we have a team of seven engineers that do the implementation and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is no license required for this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate CentOS a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
IT Specialist at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Provides extremely useful information and has good compatibility
Pros and Cons
- "Offers useful information and has good compatibility."
- "Lacks sufficient security and some coding tools."
What is most valuable?
The solution provides useful information and has good compatibility.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see additional security and more coding tools.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable, we have around 30 users.
How was the initial setup?
I wasn't involved in the initial setup but I believe it was straightforward. We have infrastructure related employees who dealt with the deployment.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend this solution and rate it nine 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.
Senior System Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Cost-effective and easy to install, but it will no longer be compatible with Red Hat Linux
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is that it is compatible with RedHat."
- "In the future, CentOS will no longer be compatible with Red Hat."
What is our primary use case?
Most of the time, I use CentOS for deploying Tomcat to run web applications. I use it to run Docker, as well.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it is compatible with RedHat.
What needs improvement?
In the future, CentOS will no longer be compatible with Red Hat. I would prefer that it remains compatible because when it changes, we will no longer be using it.
What is missing from this product is a real file system like CFS. Having a modern file system is important and in CentOS 7, btrfs was supported. However, in version 8 it has been removed. I don't understand why and I think that it was a very bad move and a very customer-unfriendly thing to do.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with CentOS for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In the company, we have approximately 800 people who are using it. Beyond that, a lot of our customers are using it, as well.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never been in contact with technical support. We manage it ourselves.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
For as long as I have been with the company, they have been using CentOS.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is mostly straightforward. We have automated it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no licensing costs for CentOS.
What other advice do I have?
At this point, because of the announcement that it will no longer be compatible with Red Hat in the future, I do not recommend this product.
I would rate this solution a seven 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.

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