CentOS vs Ubuntu: which one to choose for your web server?

In this CentOS vs Ubuntu comparison, we will aim to overview the key features of both Linux distributions, which will help you pick the right operating system for your VPS web server.

Choosing an OS for your server can be a really confusing task due to a huge list of available options, especially if you want to go with a Linux distribution. There are many choices, but none of them are as famous as Ubuntu or CentOS.

Whether you’re a professional or a beginner, it usually comes down to choosing between the two options. In this article, we intend to compare CentOS vs Ubuntu with the aim of figuring out which one could be the best fit while setting up a server.

Before we explore the differences between the two web servers, let’s start with a quick overview.

CentOS

CentOS is an open-source Linux distribution. Many refer to it as a replica of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which is considered to be the most widely used in the corporate IT world. CentOS is an enterprise-class operating system supported by the community and was released back in 2004.

The close similarity to RHEL gives you the luxury of developing in a dominant and one of the best Linux distributions out there. One might say that this already gives CentOS a lead over Ubuntu.

It’s highly customizable, secure, and stable. The close link to RHEL allowed CentOS to have quite a few corporate-level security updates, making it a safe choice for any user.

Ubuntu

Based on the Debian architecture, Ubuntu has been a favorite for personal and professional use since its initial release in 2004. It is open-source and gets frequent updates to remove any identified bugs. It is laden with a rich set of package groups and features that can meet the requirements of any project.

Ubuntu comes with a ton of apps. In fact, the Ubuntu software center has over 40,000 applications available.

Moreover, the operating system is highly customizable and has top-notch security features.

CentOS vs Ubuntu: Main differences

Now, let’s take a look at the differences between Ubuntu and CentOS:

1. The biggest difference between the two Linux distributions is that Ubuntu is based on the Debian architecture, while CentOS is forked from Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
2. In Ubuntu, you can download DEB packages using the apt-get package manager. Meanwhile, in CentOS, you must use the yum command to download and install RPM packages from the central repository.
3. CentOS is considered to be a more stable distribution compared to Ubuntu, mainly because package updates are less frequent. However, this can also prove to be a disadvantage of CentOS. If you want the latest version of a certain application or software, you will have to install it manually.

This does not mean that Ubuntu is unstable or not secure. It’s just slightly less stable compared to CentOS.

1. Ubuntu certainly has the upper hand when it comes to tutorials, online communities, and books. Finding solutions to Ubuntu problems is a lot easier than in CentOS due to its fairly smaller community and lesser available documentation.
2. Ubuntu server offers extensive support for container and cloud deployments, making it superior to CentOS in this area.
3. If you are a beginner, running CentOS on your server may be a bit harder since RHEL-based desktop distributions aren’t widely used. On the other hand, the Ubuntu desktop is quite famous, and if you have used it in the past, then getting acquainted with an Ubuntu VPS won’t take long.

Picking the right operating system will require a close evaluation of the pros and cons of the two and an analysis of the requirements and desires of the user. With that said, here are our recommendations:

• If you are a beginner: Go with Ubuntu because it has a larger community, a larger reservoir of free tutorials, and a lot more frequent updates to help you stay up to date. Also, if you have used a Ubuntu desktop in the past, starting with an Ubuntu server is easier. CentOS is a viable choice as well, but it might require some learning curve.
• If you are a business owner: CentOS is the ideal choice between the two if you run a business because it’s (arguably) more secure and stable than Ubuntu, owing to the lesser frequency of its updates. Ubuntu has its pros as well, but there can be scenarios where you have to revert to older versions because of a new buggy update.

CentOS vs Ubuntu: Comparison table

Ubuntu	CentOS
Based on Debian	Based on RHEL
Updated frequently	Updated scarcely
Larger user and developer community	Smaller user and developer community
Less help is available due to the smaller community	Less help available due to the smaller community
More help is available in the form of tutorials and free guides	Harder for beginners to learn due to the lack of popular desktop distros from RHEL
.deb packages installed using the apt-get package manager	.rpm packages installed using the yum package manager

Conclusion

To conclude this CentOS vs Ubuntu comparison, both are famous and are two of the best Linux distributions with their own pros and cons. Choosing one won’t be difficult if you consider your requirements and are ready to make certain trade-offs.

If you use Hostinger, you can give both CentOS and Ubuntu a test drive by re-installing the operating system of your VPS with just a few clicks.