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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Ubuntu server offers extensive support for container and cloud deployments, making it superior to CentOS in this area.
- 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.
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Comments
July 02 2018
I'm usually a bigger fan of Ubuntu, but it seems that CentOS is a really powerful distro too. It's so hard to decide... :( Overall, nice overview. Thank you!
July 02 2018
It awesome to hear that you found this guide useful! If you can't decide which operating system is best suited for your web server, you can give both of them a try. Here on Hostinger, you can re-install the OS of your virtual server with just a few click in the control panel ;)
July 02 2018
Will I get root privileges if I order a VPS from Hostinger?
July 02 2018
Sure! Root access is available with all VPS hosting plans :)
December 26 2018
Gediminas -- A succinctly written article for a Linux newbie like me. I use CentOS at work and wanted to try to make my own server. This article convinced me to use Ubuntu for home since I want to double the server as a media center. Since Ubuntu is more widely used, I have a wider selection of software I can use, while not necessarily requiring the advanced server features that CentOS offers. Keep up the good work!
January 03 2019
From a professional point of view, CentOS has always been the prime distro as a server. Especially for Web (Full Stack PHP/MySQL, etc) and VoIP Running Asterisk. It's more stable, more secure and specifically designed to be a server. With UBUNTU, there's just too much junk and many times unstable. I also find CentOS to run much faster as well as a server.
April 04 2019
Thank you for your comment. It helped me to choose centos as servers for my client companies.
January 30 2019
Really great comparison, THANK YOU! Been a CentOS geek for years but now curious about Ubuntu. Thanks for helping me keep an open mind!
February 06 2019
Good one mate! Thanks for all the handy info. (Y)
April 30 2019
Hey Gediminas, thanks for that short overview and your perspective. As a server admin and IT pro i'd like to add an pro for CentOS (you might want to include it as a short side-note). Because CentOS is Based on RHEL it is the cheaper go for any server hardware because it is way more likely to get specific manufacturer support. All these manufacturer develop support upon RHEL and so can be used with CentOS. All the best, Chris
September 02 2019
This article has truly epic content!!
September 09 2019
basically: ubuntu is worthless. for servers debian, for desktops mint - but never ubuntu.
August 21 2020
A case that forces me to choose Ubuntu over CentOS: the newest git on CentOS is still 1.8.3.1 despite that the epel and extras repos are both enabled, which is decade old. GitLab runner just can't use this version of git to perform CI tasks. On the other hand, the newest git on Ubuntu is 2.25.x, which works perfectly for GitLab runners.
August 21 2020
Another case against CentOS: the epel managed PostgreSQL 12 on CentOS has an unusual directory structure when installed, making installing plugins a huge pain if eventually works.
August 25 2020
We have used Centos VPS hosting for many years along with cPanel for management. Last year (2019) cPanel dramatically increased the licensing costs and as of now (Aug 2020) does not support Centos 8. Centos is still my preferred OS for hosting, but don't want to invest in Centos 7 with cPanel and a short EOL, then in a few years have to upgrade to Centos 8. cPanel will give me platform migration tools which are great and will save a ton of time, but I'm caught now as to whether to stick with Centos or look at alternatives.
August 07 2021
I used to like Ubuntu, but over time i'm getting to realise CentOS is definitely the better business solution.
October 07 2021
You are always distinguished with your topics my friend and I trust your topics