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Amazon Linux vs Docker on CentOS comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.0
Amazon Linux enhances ROI by reducing costs, boosting efficiency, and optimizing AWS integration for improved operations across industries.
Sentiment score
4.3
CentOS with Docker enhances cost-efficiency and time savings, offering up to 50% financial returns over traditional VMs.
With Amazon Linux, selecting and launching instances on a public cloud provider means the machine spins up in fewer than ten seconds, making it efficient.
Cloud Solution Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
By switching the compute fleet from a paid distribution to Amazon Linux, we have reduced our OS-related overhead cost by 100%.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Some wins commonly seen after switching, particularly when moving from general-purpose distributions such as Ubuntu, include approximately twenty to forty percent better price-performance ratio.
configuration and management deployment at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I could say it is maybe forty percent compared to before using Docker.
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
I have not seen a return on investment because the deprecation made it so there was none, and if anything, the ROI would have been negative since money and time were spent using something that did not progress.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
After switching to Docker on CentOS from VMs, I have seen a return on investment, saving 40 to 50 percent of our money as well.
Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
Amazon Linux customer support is praised for quick responses, expert assistance, and 24/7 availability with comprehensive resources.
Sentiment score
5.8
Extensive resources and community support minimize the need for direct Docker on CentOS customer service and support.
Amazon has the best expertise and they are available 24/7.
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
Timely and helpful responses for performance, updates, or AWS integration issues.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It offers specific advantages and constraints depending on the use case.
Cloud Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
We purchase the software and product from them, so when I have an issue with Red Hat or Docker on CentOS or Kubernetes, I create a ticket with the partner who works directly with the respective teams.
Solution engineer at Vijatech
Most things can be easily found as resources online to help resolve those issues.
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
Docker has lots of documentation and community support.
Senior DeevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Amazon Linux offers seamless scalability and performance in AWS environments, excelling in quick scaling and stable performance across regions.
Sentiment score
4.3
Docker on CentOS offers good scalability with robust hardware, but deprecated status raises concerns about future support.
Since it is tightly integrated with AWS services, I can easily scale instances up or down based on demand using EC2 auto-scaling and load balancing.
Team Lead, Technical Content Security at Valuepoint Systems
The compatibility of container scalability with Amazon ECS and Amazon EKS, along with performance optimizations and low latency for workloads.
Assistant Professor, Technical Trainer at DIEMS Chh.Sambhajinagar
The beauty here is that we can scale it immediately, which also saves cost.
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
if we need more resources, we can just spin up a new Docker image, so scalability is good.
Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
If you have good hardware, you can scale Docker on CentOS as required.
Devops Engineer at a engineering company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Docker on CentOS is scalable; I can build virtual machines, EC2 instances, and scale from zero to however many I want.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Amazon Linux excels in stability and reliability with predictable updates, seamless scalability, and effortless AWS integration for production environments.
Sentiment score
7.2
Docker on CentOS is stable but faces strategic challenges due to CentOS lifecycle changes and competition from Kubernetes.
Combined with AWS managed infrastructure, it provides enterprise-grade reliability suitable for production workloads.
Software Engineer at INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
Since it is purpose-built for the cloud, it lacks the bloat of traditional desktop-focused distributions, which leads to fewer crashes and higher uptime.
System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Compared to other Linux distributions, Amazon Linux is significantly more stable for AWS workloads because it is pre-optimized for EC2 hypervisor and includes integrated AWS tools out of the box.
FullStack Developer at EnactOn Technologies
Docker on CentOS is not stable anymore because it is not actively being maintained.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Docker on CentOS is quite stable.
Solution engineer at Vijatech
Docker on CentOS is stable, but as I mentioned, there are some improvements needed.
Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Amazon Linux needs better third-party support, enhanced documentation, improved integration, and expanded features to boost flexibility and usability.
Users want better documentation, security, and OS integration for Docker on CentOS, addressing compatibility and stability issues.
Documentation explaining the differences between Ubuntu and Amazon Linux would be valuable.
full stack developer at 71Lbs
Since we are working in a real-time manner and need to scale things immediately, the time it takes to boot an instance and then deploy things is preventing me from giving it a perfect rating.
Senior Data Engineer at a transportation company with 501-1,000 employees
My advice for others looking into using Amazon Linux is to make sure the command line is easy and that Amazon Linux has more performance than other Linux environments and is more secure than other Linux environments as well.
DevOps Engineer at Wissen infotech
To achieve a higher rating of 9 or 10, they might need more automation features.
Solution engineer at Vijatech
The metrics of the containers in Docker on CentOS can also be improved, along with the monitoring part which needs enhancement.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
The main issue comes from running out of space; that is when crashes happen.
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
 

Setup Cost

Amazon Linux provides a cost-effective, flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model with no licensing fees, ideal for enterprises.
Docker on CentOS is cost-effective, requiring simple setup but needing skilled manpower, with concerns about support and security.
With Amazon Linux itself, there is no cost associated with using it, so I would say it is very good from a pricing perspective.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
If I am a new AWS customer, the AWS Free Tier typically includes, for the first six months, micro instances such as t2.micro or t3.micro for free.
Software Engineer at INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
I am paying around $300 to $400 per month because I use many services.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
there is no licensing cost required.
Senior DeevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
There is no licensing in Docker on CentOS.
Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was all good; cost was never an issue.
Cloud Ops Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

Amazon Linux enhances deployment with security, AWS optimizations, and tools, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and reliability for cloud-native environments.
Docker on CentOS offers volume mount, portability, and fast deployment, enhancing productivity and efficient resource utilization for scalable applications.
Amazon Linux handles this automatically. It is optimized for EC2, AWS hardware and software, mostly secure and stable, and there is no additional cost.
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
In terms of service security, there are many constraint security protocols and policies that help me create our own networks, security groups, and inline policies.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Amazon Linux's security updates have been helpful in general because I have had to be more specific in using the Identity Access Management (IAM) service so that we can have role-based permissions in preference to just keeping it open.
Fullstack Developer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It also ensures a consistent environment where applications will work on every machine, not just the developer's machine, and offers resource efficiency, such as no full OS per application, allowing me to share my infrastructure with multiple containers and applications.
Cloud Operations Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Docker on CentOS has positively impacted my organization by making testing easier. I do not have to install older versions of applications and then make my system or service study.
Senior DeevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The benefits are significant as it is easy to operate and maintain, making it more flexible.
Solution engineer at Vijatech
 

Categories and Ranking

Amazon Linux
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
13th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Docker on CentOS
Ranking in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
25th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Operating Systems (OS) for Business category, the mindshare of Amazon Linux is 1.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker on CentOS is 0.3%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Operating Systems (OS) for Business Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Amazon Linux1.2%
Docker on CentOS0.3%
Other98.5%
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
 

Featured Reviews

SAURAB K GANGURDE - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
“Amazon Linux delivers automated security updates— including live kernel patching in AL2023—ensuring protected workloads with minimal manual effort and zero-downtime patching.”
One improvement for Amazon Linux would be stronger support for running it outside AWS. Although Amazon provides local VM images for VirtualBox and VMware, they are intended mainly for development and testing. Unlike Ubuntu, Debian, or Red Hat, Amazon Linux is not designed or fully supported as a production OS in on-prem or hybrid environments. Expanding official support outside AWS would offer more flexibility for teams that maintain mixed infrastructure. Another area for improvement is the community ecosystem. Compared to Ubuntu or Red Hat, Amazon Linux has a smaller community and fewer third-party resources or tutorials. A larger ecosystem would make troubleshooting and adoption easier. Finally, improving backward compatibility between Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023—especially around package management (DNF vs yum) and updated toolchains—would simplify upgrades for teams managing large fleets.
Boaz Katabazi - PeerSpot reviewer
Network &Security Engineer at Natioanal Drug Authority Uganda
Container orchestration has improved performance and resource use but exposes disk space issues
How fast the application runs is one of the biggest advantages for me in Docker, but on the downside, issues to do with space utilization arise sometimes. Since we implemented it, the system really improved and became responsive very fast. When you have limited space, the system tends to crash from time to time, so you have to ensure that you have enough space at any one point. We are using the orchestration feature in Docker. That was the main motive for having orchestration; it helps better manage the containers. I am comparing Docker on CentOS with the one that is running on Ubuntu, and in terms of scaling up, it is easy to work with when it comes to that. That is the main feature I have been benefiting from. Because it was first, we recently did it on Ubuntu, but initially, it was running on CentOS. We were comparing and seeing which one runs better, but I realized on Ubuntu it is much easier to work with. The lightweight architecture on CentOS affects my resource utilization significantly.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
12%
Educational Organization
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Construction Company
40%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise19
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Amazon Linux?
I believe there is no need to improve Amazon Linux. It is definitely working in a very progressive and highly scalable way.
What is your primary use case for Amazon Linux?
My use case for Amazon Linux includes web and application hosting, microservices, container, database management, and virtual desktop services. I use Amazon Linux as a lightweight base image for Do...
What advice do you have for others considering Amazon Linux?
I will provide a rating of eight for Amazon Linux. I am using a long-term support version of Amazon Linux, so there is no need for any other features. Amazon Linux provides different types of servi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker on CentOS?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that there is no licensing in Docker on CentOS, and the setup is easy; we just need to create the images for our application, so it is easy.
What needs improvement with Docker on CentOS?
Crashes are the main issue I see. I have not really noted down specific metrics, but I realize that when it comes to disk space utilization, it really goes up so fast. We are not using a CI/CD pipe...
What is your primary use case for Docker on CentOS?
We have servers running operating systems like Ubuntu and CentOS. Regarding Ubuntu, we are interested in LAMP stack, Ubuntu, or Jenkins on hardened Ubuntu, but we are not using LAMP stack. We are u...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Linux vs. Docker on CentOS and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
894,738 professionals have used our research since 2012.