AlmaLinux
ZCP offers a maintained AlmaLinux image in every region. AlmaLinux is a community-owned, enterprise-grade Linux that is 1:1 binary-compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It is free and open-source. No license or activation is required.
For how all ZCP images behave on first boot, see Operating System Images.
Available versions
Section titled “Available versions”AlmaLinux mirrors the RHEL release cadence and lifecycle, with roughly 10 years of support per major release.
| Version | Status | End of life |
|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 9 | ✅ Available | 2032-05-31 (active support to 2027-05) |
End-of-life dates are set by the AlmaLinux OS Foundation. Confirm on the AlmaLinux release notes.
Use cases
Section titled “Use cases”AlmaLinux is a free, 1:1 binary-compatible RHEL rebuild, community-owned and governed by a non-profit foundation. It gives you a stable enterprise base with no subscription:
- RHEL-compatible production servers: run RHEL-certified software unchanged, with identical
packages, SELinux policies, and
dnftooling. - CentOS replacement: a popular, well-supported migration path off end-of-life CentOS, with the ELevate tool for in-place upgrades.
- Enterprise application hosting: SAP, Oracle Database, and Java application servers that target the RHEL ecosystem.
- Web and database servers: Nginx, Apache, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and MySQL on a long-lived base.
- Containers and DevOps: Podman, Docker, and Kubernetes nodes. CI/CD build and runner hosts.
- Cloud and hosting fleets: a predictable, security-maintained base for fleets that need a 10-year lifecycle.
- Regulated workloads: CIS Benchmark and STIG hardening guidance for compliance-sensitive environments.
Default login
Section titled “Default login”The default user is almalinux, with sudo for administration. Sign in over
SSH with the key you attached at create time, or with the
portal-generated password.
ssh almalinux@<your-instance-ip>Deploy an AlmaLinux instance
Section titled “Deploy an AlmaLinux instance”- Go to Compute → Create Instance (see Create Instance).
- Choose the AlmaLinux image.
- Pick a region and a plan, and attach an SSH key.
- Attach to a network and create the instance.
Recommended first steps
Section titled “Recommended first steps”- Update packages:
sudo dnf upgrade -y. - Confirm SSH key access, then lock down access with a firewall rule.
AlmaLinux documentation
Section titled “AlmaLinux documentation”Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- Snapshots and backups work with the guest agent installed. See VM Snapshots and Backups.
- Other RHEL-compatible options: Rocky Linux and Oracle Linux.