Testing for CentOS Linux and CentOS Stream is very similar, and differs mostly in the timing in which things happen.Ĭhanges hit CentOS Stream and RHEL only once they have undergone rigorous testing. This process can take years.ĬentOS Stream provides a way to contribute directly, cutting this process down to weeks or days. Change that make it into Fedora might be in the next release of RHEL, which will then be in the next CentOS rebuild. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, contributing to Fedora.

Getting changes into CentOS Linux involves contributing to the upstream projects that are included in the distribution. The updates are not batched up into minor releases, but rather are released as they are ready. Smaller batches of updates are delivered between minor versions.ĬentOS Stream contains content planned for upcoming RHEL minor releases. New minor versions consist of large batches of updates. Frequency of updatesĬentOS Linux is a rebuild of the current released RHEL content. Specifically, CentOS Stream 8 is the upstream for the next minor release of RHEL 8, CentOS Stream 9 for the next minor release of RHEL 9, and so on. For example, CentOS 8.2105 is a rebuild of RHEL 8.3, which released in May of 2021.ĬentOS Stream, on the other hand, is the upstream, public development branch for RHEL. CentOS Linux release version numbers reflect the date of the RHEL release on which they are based.

CentOS Stream 9 EOL: estimated 2027, dependent on RHEL9 end of “Full Support Phase”ĬentOS Linux is a rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).Here are the expected end of life (EOL) dates for our various releases.

Here’s what sets them apart.Īs announced in December of 2020, The CentOS Project has shifted focus from CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream. The CentOS Project produces two variants: CentOS Linux and CentOS Stream. Comparing Centos Linux and CentOS Stream.

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