Editing CentOS (section)

{{Short description|Linux distribution based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux}}
{{About|the discontinued operating system|the similarly-named but more upstream-focused distribution|CentOS Stream|the Polish-Jewish children's-aid society|CENTOS (charity)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = CentOS
| logo = Centos-logo-light.svg
| logo size = 300px
| screenshot = File:CentOS 8.5 screenshot.png
| caption = [[GNOME Shell]] as the default desktop environment in CentOS 8.5
| developer = The CentOS Project<br>(affiliated with [[Red Hat]])
| family = [[Linux]] ([[Unix-like]])
| working state = Discontinued
| source model = [[Open-source software|Open source]]
| released = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2004|05|14}}<ref name="CentOS2Announcement" />
| discontinued = Yes
| marketing target = [[Server (computing)|Server]]s, [[desktop computer]]s, [[workstation]]s, [[supercomputer]]s
| language = <!-- List them all -->
| update model = [[Release Candidate]]
| package manager = [[DNF (software)|dnf]] (command line); [[PackageKit]] (graphical); [[.rpm]] (binaries format)
| supported platforms = [[x86-64]], [[AArch64|ARM64]], and [[ppc64le]]{{Efn|CentOS versions older than 7.0-1406 had official support for [[i686]] with [[Physical Address Extension]] (PAE), additional architectures were supported in the versions older than 4.7, and currently are provided by [[#AltArch releases|AltArch Special Interest Group]]}}
| kernel type = [[Monolithic kernel|Monolithic]] ([[Linux kernel]])
| succeeded by = [[CentOS Stream]], [[AlmaLinux]], [[Rocky Linux]]
| ui = [[Bash (Unix shell)|Bash]], [[GNOME Shell]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://computingforgeeks.com/centos-released-centos-8-new-features/ |title=CentOS 8 rolls out - Here are CentOS 8 New features |last=Kibet |first=John |date=25 September 2019 |website=Computing for Geeks  |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref>
| license = [[GNU GPL]] and other licenses
| website = {{URL|https://centos.org/}}
}}

'''CentOS''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɛ|n|t|ɒ|s}}, from '''Community Enterprise Operating System'''; also known as '''CentOS Linux''')<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://community.redhat.com/blog/2015/09/community-profile-centos-project/ |title=Community Profile–CentOS Project {{!}} Open Source Community |website=community.redhat.com |access-date=10 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.centos.org/forums/ |title=CentOS Forums - Index page |website=centos.org |access-date=10 September 2019}}</ref> is a discontinued [[Linux distribution]] that provided a [[free and open-source]] community-supported computing platform, functionally compatible with its [[upstream (software development)|upstream]] source, [[Red Hat Enterprise Linux]] (RHEL).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-4b2dd1ea6dcc1243d6e3886dc3e5d1ebb252c194 |title=Frequently Asked Questions about CentOS in general: 1. What is CentOS Linux? |date=12 October 2014 |website=centos.org |access-date=2 November 2014 |archive-date=12 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912091748/https://wiki.centos.org/FAQ/General#head-4b2dd1ea6dcc1243d6e3886dc3e5d1ebb252c194 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://community.redhat.com/centos-faq/ |title=Red hat + CentOS |publisher=[[Red Hat]] |access-date=15 April 2014}}</ref> In January 2014, CentOS announced the official joining with [[Red Hat]] while staying independent from RHEL,<ref name="centos-joins-redhat">{{Cite web |url=http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/2014-January/020100.html |title=CentOS Project joins forces with Red Hat |last=Karanbir Singh |date=7 January 2014 |website=centos.org |access-date=8 January 2014}}</ref> under a new CentOS governing board.<ref name="centos-govboard">{{Cite web |url=http://www.centos.org/about/governance/ |title=CentOS Governance |year=2014 |website=centos.org |access-date=8 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhHtpdQQEPY | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/jhHtpdQQEPY| archive-date=2021-11-07 | url-status=live|title=Karanbir Singh: CentOS Linux: A Continuously integrating platform |last=Karanbir Singh |date=9 December 2014 |via=YouTube |access-date=4 June 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The first CentOS release in May 2004, numbered as CentOS version 2, was forked from RHEL version 2.1AS.<ref name="CentOS2Announcement" /> Since version 8, CentOS officially supports the [[x86-64]], [[AArch64|ARM64]], and [[POWER8]] architectures, and releases up to version 6 also supported the [[IA-32]] architecture. {{As of|2015|12}}, [[AltArch]] releases of CentOS 7 are available for the IA-32 architecture, [[Power ISA]], and for the ARMv7hl and [[AArch64]] variants of the [[ARM architecture]].<ref name="CentOS7.2AltArchAnnouncement">{{Cite web |url=https://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/2015-December/021556.html |title=[CentOS-announce] Release for CentOS AltArch 7 (1511) |last=Singh |first=Karanbir |date=19 December 2015 |access-date=24 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="CentOS7.1AArch64Announcement">{{Cite web |url=https://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/2015-August/021275.html |title=[CentOS-announce] Release for CentOS 7 on AArch64 |last=Perrin |first=Jim |date=4 August 2015 |access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref> CentOS 8 was released on 24 September 2019.<ref name="CentOS 8.0-1905 and Streams Release Announcement" />

In December 2020, Red Hat unilaterally terminated CentOS development<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/26/killing_centos/ |title=The killing of CentOS Linux: 'The CentOS board doesn't get to decide what Red Hat engineering teams do' | date=26 Jan 2021 |work=[[The Register]] |access-date=8 Mar 2021}}</ref><ref name="centos-dead">{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/12/centos-shifts-from-red-hat-unbranded-to-red-hat-beta/|title=CentOS Linux is dead—and Red Hat says Stream is "not a replacement"|date=10 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="centos-refugees">{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/12/centos-linux-is-gone-but-its-refugees-have-alternatives/|title=Where do I go now that CentOS Linux is gone? Check our list|date=11 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="centos-death">{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/01/on-the-death-of-centos-red-hat-liaison-brian-exelbierd-speaks/|title=Why Red Hat killed CentOS—a CentOS board member speaks|date=26 January 2021}}</ref> in favor of [[CentOS Stream]] 9, a distribution positioned [[upstream (software development)|upstream]] of RHEL.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vaughan-Nichols |first=Steven J. |title=CentOS Linux 8 is about to die. What do you do next? |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/centos-linux-8-is-about-to-die-what-do-you-do-next/ |access-date=2021-12-22 |website=ZDNet |language=en}}</ref> In March 2021, CloudLinux (makers of [[CloudLinux OS]]) released a [[Red Hat Enterprise Linux derivatives|RHEL derivative]] called [[AlmaLinux]].<ref name="cloud-linux">{{cite web |last1=Vinogradov |first1=Alexander |title=Announcing Open-sourced & Community-Driven RHEL Fork by CloudLinux |url=https://blog.cloudlinux.com/announcing-open-sourced-community-driven-rhel-fork-by-cloudlinux |website=cloudlinux.com |access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> Later in May 2021, one of the CentOS founders (Gregory Kurtzer) created the competing [[Rocky Linux]] project as a successor to the original mission of CentOS.<ref name="rocky-linux">{{cite web |author=Anderson, Tim |date=10 December 2020 |title=Rocky Linux is go: CentOS founder's new project aims to be 100% compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux |url=https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/10/rocky_linux |access-date=12 December 2020 |publisher=[[The Register]]}}</ref>