Rocky Linux

The CentOS replacement. Enterprise-grade, community-owned, bug-for-bug RHEL compatible.

Server Advanced

Overview

Based on	RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux)
Package manager	DNF
Package format	.rpm
Release model	Fixed releases matching RHEL. ~10-year support lifecycle per major version.
Default DE	None (server-focused; GNOME available as optional install)
Init system	systemd
Website	rockylinux.org

Why Rocky Linux?

RHEL compatibility - Bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Software certified for RHEL runs on Rocky.
CentOS successor - Founded by Gregory Kurtzer (CentOS co-founder) after Red Hat killed CentOS as a stable release
10-year support - Each major version receives a full decade of security updates and bug fixes
Enterprise skills - Learning Rocky means learning RHEL, which dominates enterprise and data center environments
Free as in freedom - Community-owned through the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF). No single company can change its direction.
Stability above all - Packages are intentionally conservative. What you install today works the same way in 5 years.

Package Management

Rocky uses DNF (Dandified Yum), the standard package manager for RHEL-family distributions.

# Update all packages
sudo dnf update

# Install packages
sudo dnf install nginx git vim-enhanced

# Search for packages
dnf search "web server"

# Show package info
dnf info nginx

# Remove a package
sudo dnf remove nginx

# List installed packages
dnf list installed

# View update history
dnf history

# Rollback a transaction
sudo dnf history undo 15

# Clean cached data
sudo dnf clean all

EPEL & Additional Repos

# EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) - essential for most setups
sudo dnf install epel-release

# Enable CRB (CodeReady Builder) repo for development dependencies
sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

# After enabling EPEL, thousands more packages become available
sudo dnf install htop tmux neofetch

# Install packages from specific repos
sudo dnf --enablerepo=epel install package-name

# List available repos
dnf repolist all

RHEL source access changes: In 2023, Red Hat restricted public access to RHEL source code. Rocky Linux adapted by sourcing packages through CentOS Stream, UBI containers, and other means. Rocky remains fully RHEL-compatible and the project has stated it will continue regardless of Red Hat's decisions.

Module Streams

# Rocky uses modular repos to offer multiple versions of software
# List available module streams
dnf module list

# Enable a specific version of Node.js
sudo dnf module enable nodejs:20
sudo dnf install nodejs

# Switch to a different stream
sudo dnf module reset nodejs
sudo dnf module enable nodejs:18
sudo dnf install nodejs

# List available streams for a module
dnf module list nodejs

Tips

Always install EPEL first. The base repos are intentionally minimal; EPEL fills in the gaps.
Enable the CRB repo if you need development headers and libraries
Use SELinux (enabled by default). Don't disable it. Learn it. audit2why and sealert are your friends.
Use Cockpit (sudo systemctl enable --now cockpit.socket) for web-based server management at port 9090
Rocky 9 uses firewalld by default. Use firewall-cmd to manage firewall rules.
For containers, Podman is pre-installed and replaces Docker in the RHEL ecosystem
Study for the RHCSA/RHCE certifications using Rocky. The skills are identical to RHEL.
AlmaLinux is the other major CentOS replacement with the same goals. Either is a solid choice.