Rocky Linux
ZCP offers a maintained Rocky Linux image in every region. Rocky Linux is a community, enterprise-grade Linux that is binary-compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It is a drop-in choice for RHEL-targeted workloads. 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”Rocky Linux follows the RHEL release cadence and lifecycle. Each major release gets roughly 10 years of support.
| Version | Status | End of life |
|---|---|---|
| Rocky Linux 9 | ✅ Available | 2032-05-31 |
End-of-life dates are set by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. Confirm on the Rocky Linux version guide.
Use cases
Section titled “Use cases”Rocky Linux is the community successor to CentOS and a free, bug-for-bug RHEL-compatible base, ideal when you want enterprise Linux without subscription costs:
- RHEL-compatible production servers: run RHEL-targeted software unchanged, with the same
packages, SELinux policies, and
dnf/yumtooling. - CentOS migration target: a drop-in replacement for end-of-life CentOS 7/8 deployments.
- Enterprise application hosting: SAP, Oracle Database, JBoss/WildFly, and other certified enterprise workloads that expect a RHEL-family OS.
- Web and database servers: Nginx, Apache, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and MySQL on a long-lived, stable base.
- Containers and virtualization: Podman, Docker, and Kubernetes nodes. KVM hosts use the RHEL-family virtualization stack.
- HPC and scientific computing: a common, reproducible base for compute clusters and research pipelines.
- Compliance-sensitive workloads: predictable 10-year lifecycle and CIS/STIG hardening guidance for regulated environments.
Default login
Section titled “Default login”The default user is rocky, with sudo for administration. Sign in over
SSH with the key you attached at create time, or with the
portal-generated password.
ssh rocky@<your-instance-ip>Deploy a Rocky Linux instance
Section titled “Deploy a Rocky Linux instance”- Go to Compute → Create Instance (see Create Instance).
- Choose the Rocky Linux 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.
Rocky Linux documentation
Section titled “Rocky Linux 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: AlmaLinux and Oracle Linux.