How to migrate from CentOS 8 to AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux?
Jul 06, 2025 am 01:12 AMTo migrate from CentOS 8 to AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux, follow the clear steps. First, choose AlmaLinux (suitable for long-term enterprise support) or Rocky Linux (emphasizing exactly the same as RHEL) according to your needs. Secondly, prepare the system environment: update the software package, back up key data, check third-party repositories and disk space. Then, the conversion is automatically completed using the official migration script. Rocky Linux needs to clone the repository and run the switch-to-rocky.sh script. AlmaLinux replaces the repository and upgrades with one click through the remote deployment script. Finally, verify the system information, clean up residual packets, and update GRUB and initramfs if necessary to ensure the system is running stably after migration.
Migrating from CentOS 8 to AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux is actually not as complicated as you think. After CentOS 8 was stopped, many users began to look for alternatives, and AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux were the two most mainstream choices. They are all built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) source code, with high compatibility, and are ideal goals for CentOS user migration.
Here are some key steps and suggestions to help you complete the migration smoothly.
1. Determine whether to choose AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux
Both distributions are very close to RHEL, but are slightly different in terms of community support, update pace and corporate endorsement:
- AlmaLinux : Powered by CloudLinux, the community is active, and provides a free LTS version, suitable for enterprises that require long-term and stable support.
- Rocky Linux : Leaded by the community, one of the founders is Gregory Kurtzer, the original author of CentOS, emphasizing that "is exactly the same as RHEL".
You can decide based on project needs, team familiarity, and preferences for community or business support. If you are not sure, you can first deploy one in the test environment to see which one is easier.
2. Prepare the system environment
Before formal operation, make sure your system meets the following conditions:
-
All packages have been updated to the latest version:
sudo dnf update -y
Back up important data and configuration files, especially key directories such as
/etc
,/var/log
and website root.Check for third-party repositories or proprietary drivers (such as NVIDIA drivers), some may require reinstallation or adjustment.
Make sure there is enough disk space, especially in
/tmp
and/var/tmp
, as some temporary files are downloaded during the migration.
3. Automatic conversion using migration scripts
Whether it is AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux, the official provides migration scripts to simplify the entire process.
Migrate to Rocky Linux:
Run the following command to migrate in one click:
dnf install -y git git clone https://github.com/rocky-linux/rocky-tools.git cd rocky-tools git submodule init && git submodule update cd switch-to-rocky sudo ./switch-to-rocky.sh
After restarting the system, it is finished.
Migrate to AlmaLinux:
Use the scripts provided by AlmaLinux:
sudo bash -c "$(curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy/master/almalinux-deploy.sh)"
This script will automatically replace all CentOS repositories to AlmaLinux and upgrade related software packages.
4. Verify and clean
After the migration is completed, execute the following command to confirm the system status:
View current operating system information:
cat /etc/os-release
You should see the name and version number of AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux.
Check whether CentOS packages are still left:
rpm -qa | grep centos
If so, you can use
yum remove
to delete these packages.Update GRUB and initramfs (required in some cases):
sudo dracut --force sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
Basically that's it. The entire migration process does not require reinstallation of the system, and in most cases the service will not be interrupted. However, it is still recommended to try the process in a non-production environment first to ensure there are no compatibility issues. Migration itself is not complicated, but what is easy to ignore is the adaptation of custom configurations and third-party components. It will save a lot of trouble when checking in advance.
The above is the detailed content of How to migrate from CentOS 8 to AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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