Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Pros & Cons summary

Buyer's Guide

Get pricing advice, tips, use cases and valuable features from real users of this product.
Get the report

Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Amazon Linux enhances uptime by enabling critical security patches without server reboots, reducing downtime.
It increases security and reduces breach risks by quickly closing known vulnerabilities, resulting in fewer security incidents.
The operating system supports scalability, security, and reliability, which are critical for smooth operations and service delivery.
AWS-native features and predictable updates simplify server setup, increasing efficiency and cutting operational workload by up to 30%.
Eliminating OS licensing costs, it delivers substantial ROI by saving thousands annually compared to licensed enterprise Linux options.

CONS

Amazon Linux is not supported outside of EC2, limiting installation options compared to other distributions.
There is a need for more comprehensive documentation with additional use case examples.
Users sometimes have to compile their own software due to missing dependencies and unavailable modern application packages in the registry.
Concerns exist regarding the repository containing potentially vulnerable packages.
The support system is perceived as weaker compared to other distributions like Red Hat.
 

Amazon Linux Pros review quotes

MM
Linux Support at HOSSTED
Jun 5, 2025
Whenever I deploy solutions on Amazon Linux, I almost never have to worry about the operating system.
reviewer2738745 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Nov 5, 2025
I find Amazon Linux valuable for its direct functionality; the best features include the core capabilities that make it suitable for our operations.
SAURAB K GANGURDE - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
Nov 26, 2025
One great feature is the ability to apply critical security patches without rebooting the server, which avoids downtime and is why we prefer to use Amazon Linux for production servers and low-latency applications.
Learn what your peers think about Amazon Linux. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Steven Alila - PeerSpot reviewer
Independent Contractor at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Dec 8, 2025
The ecosystem of software packages in Amazon Linux has helped us keep up to date with the artificial intelligence trend, where people are using ChatGPT to code, and they are also using Amazon Developer Q to program applications much faster, and then also to meet requirements with the Google Play Store and Apple Store.
KJ
Senior Software Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Jan 13, 2026
The product itself is very good; even if I switch organizations and they are not using Amazon Linux, I will share my experience that Amazon Linux has worked great for us in these use cases.
reviewer2795433 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Cloud Operations Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Jan 15, 2026
It has been positive because Amazon Linux increases the speed of delivery due to the fast boot up times and the integrated tooling.
TR
full stack developer at 71Lbs
Jan 15, 2026
It is working very well and operates very fast with queries and everything on that server, so there are no current problems.
reviewer2797587 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Solution Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Jan 16, 2026
Amazon Linux offers many excellent features, is quicker and faster than CentOS, Ubuntu, or similar alternatives, natively supports many AWS features with long-term support and regular security updates, and its clear, superior documentation along with broad support for dependency and open-source software makes it an excellent operating system for efficiently setting up and upgrading complex, self-hosted environments.
Sayed Basha - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at Infosys
Jan 16, 2026
From my personal and system perspective, I have experienced over the last one year that any packages run easily in Amazon Linux, which I would recommend because I am a cloud engineer for AWS cloud for the last six plus years and I am aware of how these things are involved.
reviewer2797701 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal DevOps Engineer at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Jan 17, 2026
Amazon Linux has impacted my organization positively by simplifying the workflow where we manage our EKS nodes.
 

Amazon Linux Cons review quotes

MM
Linux Support at HOSSTED
Jun 5, 2025
I have honestly never had any problems with Amazon Linux, aside from disk space issues.
reviewer2738745 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Nov 5, 2025
Amazon Linux could be improved by including additional features and continuous improvements in various areas.
SAURAB K GANGURDE - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior AWS Consultant at Quantum Integrators
Nov 26, 2025
Amazon Linux is not supported outside of EC2. You cannot install it on a local system, whereas you can install Ubuntu and Red Hat on your local system.
Learn what your peers think about Amazon Linux. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Steven Alila - PeerSpot reviewer
Independent Contractor at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Dec 8, 2025
Amazon Linux can be improved by having the documentation contain more examples of use cases.
KJ
Senior Software Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Jan 13, 2026
I choose nine out of ten because it could use a bit more options.
reviewer2795433 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Cloud Operations Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Jan 15, 2026
In terms of improvements, the one thing I would say which I wish Amazon Linux was better at is that sometimes I find that I need to compile my own software because some dependencies are not within Amazon Linux.
TR
full stack developer at 71Lbs
Jan 15, 2026
Amazon Linux could be improved by including libraries for supervisor.
reviewer2797587 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Solution Engineer at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees
Jan 16, 2026
I rate Amazon Linux a nine out of ten. I choose this rating because I am concerned about the repository possibly containing vulnerability packages, though this could happen with any system.
Sayed Basha - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at Infosys
Jan 16, 2026
With the support system for Amazon Linux, I feel there is a lack compared to Red Hat, which provides a stronger support system.
reviewer2797701 - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal DevOps Engineer at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Jan 17, 2026
Sometimes we cannot find some modern application packages; I tried to install a PostgreSQL server and I was unable to find the latest version available from the package registry, so I had to compile it myself.