CentOS vs Ubuntu: 15 Factors that Differentiate Them

Let the battle start!

In this article, we will be checking the key differences between CentOS and Ubuntu in a web hosting environment.

Although this isn’t an exhaustive examination of every facet of the various intricate characteristics of every operating system, it will undoubtedly provide a strong overview that will help you decide which system best meets your needs. Now let’s get going!

Ubuntu

In Wikipedia, Ubuntu is defined as below:

Based on Debian, Ubuntu is a free and open-source Linux distribution. Three official versions of Ubuntu are available: Desktop, Server, and Core (for internet-connected devices and robots). Every edition is compatible with Windows and can function on a stand-alone PC. Ubuntu is a well-liked cloud computing operating system that supports OpenStack. Long-term support releases for Ubuntu are made every two years, and regular releases occur every six months (LTvarientsS). The most current long-term support release is “Bionic Beaver” 18.04 LTS, which is supported until 2028 as a premium option and until 2023 under public support. The most recent release is “Disco Dingo” version 19.04.

CentOS

In Wikipedia, CentOS is defined as below:

“CentOS (from Community Enterprise Operating System) is a Linux distribution that provides a free, community-supported, enterprise-class, computing platform compatible with its upstream source, (RHEL) or Red Hat Enterprise Linux. In January 2014, CentOS announced the official affiliation with Red Hat while staying independent fromRed Hat Enterprise Linux, under a new CentOS governing board. The first CentOS was released in May 2004, (and numbered as CentOS version 2), was forked from Redhat (RHEL) version 2.1AS… (The) building of CentOS 8 commenced as of May 2019.”

Comparison

Features	Ubuntu	CentOS
System Core	Based on Debian	Based on Redhat
Update Cycle	Often	Deliberately Infrequent
Security	Good (but needs additional configuration)	Strong
Support Considerations	Excellent documentation and support community	Good documentation. Small but active user community.
Platform Focal Point	Geared more towards the desktop user	Geared towards the server market and preferred by larger corporations
Manageability	Moderate	Challenging
File Structure	Both use the same basic file/folder structure but, system services will differ in location	Both use the same basic file/folder structure but, system services will differ in location
Package Management	apt-get, aptitude	YUM
Cloud Interface	OpenStack	OpenStack, OpenNebula, CloudStack
Virtualization	KVM, Xen	Native KVM Support
Ease of Use	Moderate	Difficult
Speed Considerations	Excellent (depends on HW used)	Excellent (depends on HW used)
Hosting Market Share	37.8% (7/19)	17.3% (7/19)
Default applications	Frequently Updated	Infrequent Updates (only as required)
Stability	Good	High

Pros & Cons

Hosting

Today (as of 7/2019), Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS are the prime operating systems that are utilized in the hosting market. Many might be using the Ubuntu server OS tied to smaller private servers that are running SMB’s type sites/servers. But, the pure volume of servers that use Ubuntu indicate the growing acceptance of Ubuntu as a primary OS in the web hosting sphere.

In case you want to use a control panel to manage your web hosting services, you should closely check CentOS, as it is highly compatible with different management panels that you may require. Web hosting control panels like cPanel, Webmin and DIrectAdmin have always been focused on CentOS and other RedHat based operating systems. It’s a bad luck that Ubuntu does not support cPanel but does have quite a few alternatives, such as Webmin/Virtualmin and VestaCP.

CentOS is also developed to be very stable and secure but due to this, many of the core systems might run older, more mature software versions with security updates that are backported from Redhat as required. CentOS is also the best choice for medium-large sized businesses and, websites that need cPanel. Though the CentOS user base is smaller than Ubuntu, CentOS still comprises of an online community and also provides premium support options if you want.

The Cloud

Ubuntu server supports container virtualizations as well as cloud deployment in a very good manner and this shows its influence in the market as compared to CentOS. Since June 2019, “Canonical announced full enterprise support for Kubernetes 1.15 kubeadm deployments, its Charmed Kubernetes, and MicroK8s; the popular single-node deployment of Kubernetes.” CentOS offers three private cloud choices and a public cloud platform through AWS.

Additionally, a mature platform in this area and excellent documentation is also offered by CentOS. The below chart recognizes the complete usage of cloud-based preferences as of June 2019 via EC2 Statistics compiled from Amazon.

Gaming

You will get the comparisons of different OS offered by Steam on their gaming platforms that indicate that there are highest numbers of users that run Ubuntu on their systems. Currently, more than 30% percent of all Steam users run on Ubuntu, followed by 49% of other different Linux distros. Though gaming on Linux does not completely relate to the hosting industry but, it surely shows how widely Ubuntu is accepted and used across multiple sectors.

Web Hosting

If you are just beginning your hosting journey, it’s recommended to go with Ubuntu just because of its larger community supported user base, the wide collection of tutorials and documentation available and, frequently released updates help you in maintaining the latest software. Ubuntu too has some advantages in this space as well but, there are some situations where you may need to switch to an older software version as updates may cause problems with existing sites. In addition, if you have used an Ubuntu desktop in the past, you will find it easy to learn when starting with an Ubuntu based VPS server.

Since Ubuntu updates are released more often as compared CentOS, it does not significant indicate that CentOS is less stable or secure. Such ongoing modifications can be obtained at a cost even particularly if a newer software version of a core Ubuntu system is updated, it might affect the existing websites that might depend on the older software version which in turn may affect functionality and/or stability. Also when it comes to security, Ubuntu forces the use of sudo at first as the main user and, then disables the root user by default. This restricts the opportunity of running commands that might be harmful to the system.

No doubt, CentOS is a solid, viable choice but, it might provide a difficult learning curve when you are starting out newly with Linux hosting. While running a business, CentOS may be the better choice than Ubuntu because, it’s (arguably) highly secure and stable, due to the reserved nature and the lower frequency of its updates. Moreover, CentOS also offers support for cPanel which Ubuntu doesn’t offer.

Despite Centos’ stability and security, many of the server’s services probably use outdated versions with backported security updates. Furthermore, CentOS will stop making updates after a certain version number, with the exception of security patches and significant bug fixes. In terms of security and stability, this is encouraging, but it may have unfavorable effects on services like PHP or MySQL or other server-side standard software that is developing quickly and may improve in the next years. Adding more software mirrors is one easy way to address this kind of issue.issue.

When you choose these boxes, it really explains what the server is used for, how each OS will be used on it, how big your company is, and how technical you are. Ubuntu is an excellent option for those who are new to hosting and small organizations. This is because it boasts one of the largest user bases, an abundance of online resources, tutorials, online forums, and a sizable community of open source developers. This makes it feasible to find answers to the issues as soon as possible. Last but not least, every OS distribution has advantages and disadvantages. When choosing a version, make sure it satisfies all of your demands and business requirements.

Still having queries about which OS would work best for you? Don’t hesitate to call our support team and learn how you can benefit from these technologies to boost your sales and customer interactions for your business.