I use the solution as a SIEM tool for system locking purposes.
Security Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
It is a stable solution, but the hardware performance needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable soultion."
- "It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end."
What is our primary use case?
What needs improvement?
They should improve the solution's hardware performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
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CentOS
October 2026
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have five to ten users of the solution at our organization. We may plan to increase the number of users. It is challenging to scale the solution when we have to increase the storage capacity from one end.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Kali Linux before. I switched to CentOS as it is free of cost and has a good infrastructure.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup is easy. There are installation options provided. We can either do a full or a minimum installation. It is easy to install tools in it. The process takes 30 minutes to complete.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented the solution myself.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution to others and rate it as a seven. I advise others to know about the solution's commands before purchasing it.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Security Presales Engineer at GMS Seguridad de la Información
The open-source community includes valuable collections and collaborations
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is open source."
- "The interface could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Our company has fourteen administrators and developers who use the solution to develop code.
What is most valuable?
The solution is open source.
The community collections and collaborations are valuable.
What needs improvement?
The interface could be improved.
I would like more features for the system manager.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for seven 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 are customer service and support?
The solution is open source so there is no formal technical support. The community is a great resource and the solution's developers post content or answer questions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Oracle Linux.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is easy.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution in-house.
Four administrators handle ongoing maintenance and management.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is open source so it is free.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We switched from Oracle Linux because the solution is free and now private.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is a good product and I recommend using it.
I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
CentOS
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about CentOS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
916,956 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Solution Architect, DevOps Engineer at sonne technology
Provides open architecture but support has ended
Pros and Cons
- "The open architecture is useful for us. That's why we're using CentOS."
- "The main issue is the End of Support. For that reason, we will switch to another operating system."
What is our primary use case?
CentOS is an operating system, and our applications are running on EC2 instances.
I am using the latest version, which is version 6.9.
It's a Linux operating system, but it's compatible with cloud solutions.
This solution is used by over 1,000 clients. We don't plan on increasing usage because Red Hat announced that support has ended for CentOS.
What is most valuable?
The open architecture is useful for us. That's why we're using CentOS.
What needs improvement?
The main issue is the End of Support. For that reason, we will switch to another operating system.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used CentOS for over eight 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?
It's scalable.
How was the initial setup?
Installation is straightforward. Deployment takes 10 minutes with EC2. In AWS, there is nothing to install because it's ready.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution as five out of ten.
Because there's an EOS, no one is willing to use CentOS anymore.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Director of Electronic procurement department at a government with 51-200 employees
Easy to use, simple implementation, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use."
- "The price of CentOS could improve."
- "CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat or Oracle Linux."
What is our primary use case?
Support of public systems
How has it helped my organization?
We are going with CentOS due to minimalistic and stable approach during OS build preparation.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of CentOS is that it is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The price of CentOS could improve.
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?
CentOS is stable.
How are customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The setup of CentOS is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
CentOS is an expensive solution. There are other solutions that are rated at the top that are not expensive, such as Red Hat or Oracle Linux.
What other advice do I have?
I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Team Leader Operations at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Deployment management software used to support a telecommunications platform that offers consistent stability
Pros and Cons
- "The stability of this solution is its most useful feature, as it is a high quality product and you know what you're getting while also receiving wide support from the community."
- "This solution is no longer suited to our business following the change they have made to the release process. It is no longer an enterprise solution."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for our telecommunications platform and call center application for video, text and audio calls.
What is most valuable?
The stability of this solution is its most useful feature. It is a high quality product and you know what you're getting. You also receive wide support from the community.
What needs improvement?
This solution is no longer suited to our business following the change they have made to the release process. It is no longer an enterprise solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not needed to scale this solution because we work with several small servers or containers.
How are customer service and support?
We have not needed to make use of the support team.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. You do need a team for maintenance and we would recommend using maintenance tools like Ansible or Chef.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an open source solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend this solution for enterprises. If you are looking for an enterprise solution, I would recommend Rocky, Linux, Oracle or Red Hat from our point of view.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Systems and Virtualization Engineer at Altelios Technology Group
reliable, scales well, and beneficial community support available
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability of CentOS is good, and we can deploy the operating system on many types of hardware, laptops, and servers."
- "CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023."
What is our primary use case?
I use CentOS as an operating system for many of the services we are using.
What needs improvement?
CentOS should extend the support of the solution. The solution is set to have no update support in 2023.
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 stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of CentOS is good. We can deploy the operating system in many hardware, laptops, and servers.
This solution is not used by end-users, it is used by IT staff.
How are customer service and support?
There is not any technical support available from CentOS since it is open-source. However, there is a large community where information can be found for any problem that might arise.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of CentOS was simple. There was some configuration to be completed but then it is up and running.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is a free solution.
What other advice do I have?
The number of maintenance people needed depends on the company and its strategy.
I recommend this solution to others but the support of the solution is ending next year.
I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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.
Delivery head at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech
high performance, simple to use, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use."
- "CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs."
What is our primary use case?
We use CentOS an operating system if we want to install or do some processing.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of CentOS is the speed and it is very easy to use.
What needs improvement?
CentOS could improve by having troubleshooting logs.
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 stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of CentOS is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of CentOS is easy. You can do it with basic knowledge. The full deployment took approximately three hours.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of CentOS in-house. We have approximately two people for the implementation and maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
I rate CentOS an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Technical Architect at HCL Technologies
Cost-saving solution that helps to scale down usage
Pros and Cons
- "CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage."
- "CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring."
What is our primary use case?
CentOS is mainly used for server installations and VMs.
What is most valuable?
CentOS's most valuable features are that it's cost-saving and helps to scale down your usage.
What needs improvement?
CentOS could be improved with more user-friendly monitoring.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
CentOS is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We use CentOS on a VM, so it's fixed usage.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've also used Debian and Ubuntu.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward as it's a managed service, so we just needed to spin up the VM. Deployment took around four to five months.
What about the implementation team?
We used an in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
I would give CentOS a rating of eight 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.
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