Rocky Linux
Rocky Linux is a free, open-source enterprise operating system designed for bug-for-bug compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
What Rocky Linux is
Rocky Linux is a free, open-source enterprise operating system designed for bug-for-bug compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It rebuilds sources directly from Red Hat Enterprise Linux and supports migration from other Enterprise Linux distributions. The project describes it as production ready, with a 10-year support lifecycle for major releases: five years of active support followed by five years of security support. Only the latest minor release is supported. Rocky offers boot, minimal, DVD, live desktop, cloud, container and Windows Subsystem for Linux images, with AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure offerings listed. Rocky Linux 10 supports x86-64-v3, riscv64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x, though architecture support varies by release. It uses DNF for package management and upgrade commands and supports RPM packages in a RHEL-compatible environment. Rocky Linux 10 requires x86-64-v3 on x86_64 and does not include 32-bit compatibility packages. Major-version upgrades are not supported, so moving to Rocky Linux 10 requires a fresh installation. Community and commercial support options are listed.
Good
- Free, open-source enterprise operating system.
- Designed for RHEL compatibility.
- Major releases have a 10-year support lifecycle.
- Images cover cloud, containers and WSL.
- Uses DNF and supports RPM packages.
Watch out
- Only the latest minor release is supported.
- Major-version upgrades are not supported.
- Rocky Linux 10 requires x86-64-v3 on x86_64.
- Rocky Linux 10 excludes 32-bit compatibility packages.
Who it suits
It suits users who want a free enterprise Linux system compatible with RHEL software and packages. Check architecture and release requirements before installing, especially when moving to Rocky Linux 10.
Verdict
Rocky Linux offers a no-cost RHEL-compatible environment across several deployment formats. Its release support rules and Rocky Linux 10 hardware requirements are important installation considerations.
Plans and prices
From Rocky Linux's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux | Free | at no cost · 10-year support lifecycle · community supported |
The facts
Each one read from Rocky Linux's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Cloud availability
- Official cloud images include Generic Cloud and EC2 images, and the download page lists AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure offerings.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Commercial support
- Commercial support providers listed by Rocky Linux include CIQ, MontaVista, and OpenLogic by Perforce.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Community support
- Community support is available through Mattermost, IRC, forums, Reddit, and mailing lists.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Distribution formats
- Rocky releases provide boot, minimal, DVD, live desktop, cloud, container, and Windows Subsystem for Linux images.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Governance
- The Rocky Linux project is hosted by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Hardware limitation
- Rocky Linux 10 requires x86-64-v3 on x86_64 and no longer includes 32-bit compatibility packages.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Migration
- Rocky Linux supports migration from other Enterprise Linux distributions.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Origin
- Gregory Kurtzer announced Rocky Linux in December 2020 after Red Hat announced the end of CentOS development.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Production readiness
- The project describes Rocky Linux as production ready with regular updates and a 10-year support lifecycle.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Rocky Linux is an open-source enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Release lifecycle
- Rocky Linux 10 has general support through May 31, 2030 and security support through May 31, 2035.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security features
- Rocky Linux 10.1 enables post-quantum cryptography algorithms by default in system-wide cryptographic policies and supports ML-KEM hybrid key exchange in FIPS mode.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security repository
- Rocky Linux provides an optional opt-in security repository for urgent fixes ahead of upstream, without support guarantees for that development repository.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Source base
- Rocky Linux rebuilds sources directly from Red Hat Enterprise Linux.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported architectures
- Rocky Linux 10 supports x86-64-v3, riscv64, aarch64, ppc64le, and s390x.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Upgrade limitation
- Rocky Linux does not support upgrades between major releases; moving to Rocky Linux 10 requires a fresh installation.checked 1 Oct 2026
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