Hosting a high‑performance web app on low resources has improved daily reliability and security
What is our primary use case?
I am using AlmaLinux as a hosting platform for my application. I have taken VMs and deployed a React and Node-based application on AlmaLinux.
I am using AlmaLinux only for hosting my application server. My application is used daily, but I do not use AlmaLinux login every day. When I need to update anything in the application, then I use it.
AlmaLinux is deployed in my organization on the public cloud through AWS. I purchased AlmaLinux through the AWS Marketplace.
As an application server, it will not save any employee costs or anything.
What is most valuable?
AlmaLinux is lightweight, so my hardware resource usage is very low, and I am able to use it effectively.
AlmaLinux provides regular updates, and the security is very good because it is a flavor of Linux. I know that Linux security is excellent.
AlmaLinux's performance is very good, and I am getting high performance in my application, which is a very positive thing. It is very reliable with excellent performance.
I notice faster load times and reduced resource usage with AlmaLinux. That is the main benefit I have experienced.
AlmaLinux is stable and scalable with good scalability features.
What needs improvement?
AlmaLinux can be improved in terms of hardware support. On some latest PCs, it is not supported. I recently tried to install it on a PC with the latest Windows, but I encountered some hardware compatibility issues.
Better hardware implementation for AlmaLinux would be very beneficial. If they would implement support for high-end gaming laptops, then it would be very good for us.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using AlmaLinux for the last one year.
How are customer service and support?
I did not attend any customer support calls for AlmaLinux because my team handles it. I am only handling the deployment, and the deployment is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was using Ubuntu before, but I found that Ubuntu was taking too many hardware resources. I started exploring and then found AlmaLinux, which uses low resource usage.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Ubuntu before choosing AlmaLinux.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate AlmaLinux an eight as an application server or if you use it as a server. If you use it as an operating system, then it will not be good. It is not user-friendly like Windows.
I chose eight because I think there are some hardware usage issues with AlmaLinux. It is not supporting the latest hardware, so that is not good. If it did, I would suggest it for laptops also.
There are no other improvements needed for AlmaLinux that I have not mentioned yet.
I did not see the pricing for AlmaLinux because that is handled by another team. A different purchasing team in my organization handles the pricing.
If you want to host an application in a VM, then you should go for AlmaLinux. It will take low hardware resources, and you can get high scalability.
There are no other additional thoughts about AlmaLinux.
My overall rating for AlmaLinux is eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Using a free, reliable platform has supported container performance and reduced client costs
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for AlmaLinux is using it as a container base image. As a product-based company, we use AlmaLinux as the base image in our performance testing tool. According to client requirements, if they require a Debian base container, we provide Ubuntu. If they require an RHEL base container, we provide AlmaLinux. On top of that, we provide our product.
What is most valuable?
AlmaLinux offers the best features in that it is freeware for RHEL, and it is really reliable. AlmaLinux is reliable because it is stable, and it is easy to maintain since our environment is secure on layer one and AlmaLinux works on layer four. Security is not a concern for us in this context.
AlmaLinux has positively impacted my organization in terms of performance and cost savings. In terms of cost saving, using an RHEL-based container image requires a subscription for RHEL, and for AlmaLinux, we do not require any subscription. We can easily use it and save considerable money. We have a number of clients, and if we provide a container image to each client, using RHEL requires a subscription, but for AlmaLinux, we can provide it as freeware which saves substantial money. I cannot calculate the exact amount because it is not a fixed number for clients; it applies to more than fifty clients.
What needs improvement?
AlmaLinux could be improved by having some basic components, such as ifconfig and netstat, pre-installed on the container image, as that would be really helpful for us. I chose nine out of ten because for some use cases, any client may require something specific that necessitates a subscription for RHEL. Since it is not possible to add a subscription on AlmaLinux, we use the RHEL official container image with the subscription in those cases. If something is added to AlmaLinux that allows for some subscription or makes it exactly equal to RHEL, it would be perfect.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using AlmaLinux for four to five years.
What other advice do I have?
If you require an RHEL based container image or operating system, you must try AlmaLinux as it is freeware. I give this product a rating of nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Private cloud practice has become seamless and deployments run smoothly for my projects
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for AlmaLinux is based on my recent hands-on experience with AlmaLinux 9 for OpenStack deployment, and I am happy to share my feedback on PeerSpot.
To give a quick example of how I am using AlmaLinux for my OpenStack deployment, here is a brief review based on my recent production deployment experience. It involves deploying a full OpenStack Yoga environment for a private cloud setup, which is my personal project for practicing. The initial attempts on Red Hat distribution faced compatibility and subscription repository configuration hurdles, but I found solutions to switch to AlmaLinux 9.6, which offered perfect compatibility with Packstack without the licensing overhead.
There are key wins from my side: AlmaLinux 9 has zero subscription friction, direct access to the latest patches, and smooth installation of OpenStack Keystone, Nova, Neutron, and Horizon via Packstack. Moreover, stable OVS networking and floating IP configuration is very easy for me when using AlmaLinux, making it a reliable and highly recommended option for teams needing an enterprise-grade Red Hat compatible workflow without the subscription cost.
After struggling with various Linux distributions for almost seven days, mainly dealing with missing tools while installing network components like Neutron in OpenStack, I turned to AlmaLinux. It was then that I discovered that full OpenStack installation with AlmaLinux is highly compatible. Eventually, I successfully configured the full OpenStack platform, which is something my interviewer board also accepted.
My deployment of AlmaLinux starts locally to connect servers, requiring multiple nodes. Initially, I test in a local environment before transitioning toward a public cloud setup, which is a practice session for me. I also suggest to our public cloud team that they utilize AlmaLinux, as I find it quite comfortable.
Regarding AlmaLinux's scalability, I find that it scales well in both vertical and horizontal dimensions due to its one-to-one compatibility with Red Hat and an enterprise-grade kernel. For vertical scaling, adding more CPU, RAM, or storage is seamless, and tools like tune allow for quick performance profiling. Horizontally, while using AWS, I successfully scaled applications significantly during traffic spikes without OS-related issues, and I managed to add new compute nodes effortlessly within the OpenStack cluster.
What is most valuable?
The best features AlmaLinux offers include zero-subscription friction and direct access to the latest patches, which I think are essential. Additionally, it also provides up-to-date packages and stable versions that are very useful for me.
When I say direct access to the latest patches, it has greatly benefited my projects by being absolutely hassle-free. In contrast to Red Hat, where I had to configure the Yum server for updates or deal with subscriptions, AlmaLinux allows a far simpler process without the complexities involved.
At this moment, AlmaLinux is a very open platform. It not only includes the latest security patches but also integrates very recent AI technologies alongside the direct patches that help harden the server.
I have noticed several positive impacts of using AlmaLinux on my organization and personal projects. Trying multiple distributions like CentOS, Red Hat, and Ubuntu for my personal OpenStack installation revealed how complex it can be to set up. I find AlmaLinux to be reliable, providing the latest patches on a secure platform. Many people suggest AlmaLinux 9 on public platforms for its excellent features, and I benefited from the step-by-step configuration provided, leading to the acceptance of my project.
What needs improvement?
I follow the documentation for AlmaLinux, which I believe could be more extensive for enterprise setups. My primary use case remains deploying private cloud infrastructure using OpenStack Yoga, thus suggesting improvements to cater to specific cloud instances like AWS Graviton or Azure NVMe.
Driver or kernel updates for new hardware or cloud instances like AWS Graviton or Azure NVMe tend to arrive a little later in AlmaLinux than they do in the Red Hat distribution. Therefore, I suggest that faster releases of cloud-optimized images and updated hardware drivers could enhance AlmaLinux's competitiveness. Additionally, I find it sometimes difficult to find answers on forums due to the community not being as large as that of Red Hat or CentOS. My suggestion is to create an active forum or Q&A session where developers can directly address user problems, growing the community and providing optional enterprise support tiers for large organizations.
Additionally, I have continued to consider improvements. For server administration and language runtime management, I encountered conflicts on production servers with older and newer versions of tools such as Python and Node.js. Simplifying the application space management would reduce the friction in multi-language development environments. Moreover, including more pre-configured or auto-remediation scripts like CIS Benchmark or STIG compliance would be immensely helpful for enterprise security hardening.
For how long have I used the solution?
My experience with AlmaLinux spans almost two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
While I do not yet use AlmaLinux in a production capacity, my use case for my blogging activity has demonstrated its stability. Official blogs also verify that the stable version of AlmaLinux is acceptable for production purposes.
How are customer service and support?
I have not utilized customer support for AlmaLinux as of yet, mainly relying on public resources and the official documentation.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to using AlmaLinux, we utilized Red Hat, which posed significant financial challenges due to its subscription model and complexity. Comparatively, AlmaLinux serves as a very suitable alternative, matching the Red Hat environment with lower costs.
How was the initial setup?
I follow the documentation for AlmaLinux, which I believe could be more extensive for enterprise setups. My primary use case remains deploying private cloud infrastructure using OpenStack Yoga, thus suggesting improvements to cater to specific cloud instances like AWS Graviton or Azure NVMe.
What was our ROI?
In terms of return on investment from using AlmaLinux, I maintain that since we use the free version, we have saved significantly and have encountered fewer security risks. If the AlmaLinux team announces that the latest version complies with CIS benchmarks and security protocols, I will continue to endorse AlmaLinux.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Currently, we have not experienced pricing with AlmaLinux, as I have used the free version so far. However, when we move to the production environment, I am suggesting that we implement AlmaLinux to improve our performance metrics.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before settling on AlmaLinux, I evaluated other options while testing in a local environment, especially for students encountering financial constraints. Given its resemblance to Red Hat and CentOS, I recommended AlmaLinux as the best solution due to its free nature.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate AlmaLinux at 8.5 overall.
The reason I chose 8.5 out of 10 stems from my perspective as a user focused on OpenStack deployments. Despite being subscription-free and reliable, I find some complexities in the documentation and troubleshooting guides which are not as comprehensive as Red Hat's. There is also a lack of 24x7 support, leading to a reliance on community assistance, and while the migration tools are useful, they do raise warnings with legacy systems. Additionally, hardware support is occasionally slow for newer driver versions, which is why I score it as I do.
My advice for others considering AlmaLinux is that it is a fantastic product and a reliable alternative to Red Hat, matching its kernel. I recommend that students use AlmaLinux for local deployments and testing packages, as it is secure and dependable. I gave AlmaLinux an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Hosting critical sites has become efficient and secure while daily administration remains simple
What is our primary use case?
I have been using AlmaLinux for the last 2.5 years. In my organization, we use a Red Hat Enterprise version, but I required Red Hat alternatives to work in my home setup, which is why I chose AlmaLinux. I have hosted one site locally as well as in AWS, and during that time I have hosted that site on AlmaLinux. I deployed one EC2 instance using AlmaLinux OS, and on that OS, I set up that website.
What is most valuable?
AlmaLinux provides the DNF command to install packages, making it very easy to install any package. The patching and security patches are very reliable in my environment.
Before AlmaLinux, I used a CentOS system. In CentOS, if you want to install any packages, you have to install that package using the RPM command, which only installs a specific package. With AlmaLinux using DNF, it installs the whole packages with their dependencies, which is a bit easier.
Stability is good in AWS as well as when I installed it on VirtualBox, so stability and performance are very good. It uses minimum resources while providing high performance.
AlmaLinux does not require any specific additions from my side; it only requires strong support as Red Hat provides. This means the organization can make and afford to use it.
What needs improvement?
To improve AlmaLinux, some commands could be automated, such as expanding the repository of AlmaLinux or improving the shell experience.
There is not vast information about AlmaLinux on Google or the internet, so more information is required about how it works, how it can be used for hosting sites, and how to optimize performance. This documentation is needed on the internet.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working for the last 2.5 years as a system engineer.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of AlmaLinux is good.
How are customer service and support?
I had a good experience with the customer support team of AlmaLinux.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was using CentOS, but after CentOS support was lost, I switched to AlmaLinux.
What was our ROI?
I do not have specific metrics to share regarding return on investment, but it is a cost-effective OS.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is good.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did not evaluate other options before choosing AlmaLinux.
What other advice do I have?
Computing power could be added while executing the commands to illustrate positive outcomes, but there are no specific metrics available at this time. Two points were deducted only for the support aspect. Any Linux distribution can be shifted to AlmaLinux, as it is very good to use and easy to manage. I would rate this product an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Dual environments have strengthened my security testing and scripting for cloud projects
What is our primary use case?
My usual use cases for AlmaLinux include when I need to spin up a server. For example, when I am working on an AWS project, a cloud project, and I need to connect my EC2 instance, a virtual machine, on my cloud in real time to a Linux environment. I quickly go to AlmaLinux to spin up that server and then I begin to carry out my task on the environment.
What I found about AlmaLinux to be very useful in my day-to-day activities is the control and isolation that it provides for applications. When you're working on AlmaLinux, it gives you isolated security that does not affect my host computer. The security that I enjoy in AlmaLinux allows me to perform any security tasks that I need. For example, if I need to access vulnerable websites or applications, it gives me this controlled environment, similar to a sandbox, providing me with a controlled room to do what I need to do without affecting my host operating system.
AlmaLinux helps me enforce security policies in my organization. When we need to partition our networking segment security on different layers, AlmaLinux comes to the rescue. When I have Linux tasks to perform, I go to AlmaLinux, which provides that standalone Linux operating system for me. This does not affect my Windows operating system in any way. It enables me to carry out all tasks that I need to do, all shell tasks, conduct my Bash scripting, my Python scripting, and helps me carry out those automation and scripting languages that I need.
AlmaLinux helps me to have dual operating systems on my host computer. I am able to run my Windows operating system seamlessly and at the same time run my Linux environment seamlessly.
Everything boils down to the isolation, networking, and segmentation that AlmaLinux provides. In terms of security, configuration, and Linux tasks that you need to run, as a system administrator, you would most likely work with Linux more than half of the time. Running on AlmaLinux infrastructure helps you own your Linux skills, and that is how I would describe it. It gives you ownership.
Using AlmaLinux was a condition to do my job, and right afterwards, I have been enjoying it. I have stuck with it and never had a reason to go back. I enjoyed working with it, and even this morning, I had some tasks that I had to spin up on AlmaLinux.
What is most valuable?
What I found about AlmaLinux to be very useful in my day-to-day activities is the control and isolation that it provides for applications. When you're working on AlmaLinux, it gives you isolated security that does not affect my host computer. The security that I enjoy in AlmaLinux allows me to perform any security tasks that I need. For example, if I need to access vulnerable websites or applications, it gives me this controlled environment, similar to a sandbox, providing me with a controlled room to do what I need to do without affecting my host operating system.
What needs improvement?
For governance, AlmaLinux by default enables one to comply. If you're building an application and AlmaLinux is your host operating system, it helps you comply with industry standards because it will force you to set up your firewall, create your routing rules, and all of that. These are what ensure governance.
In terms of resource allocation, AlmaLinux requires you to have at least ten gigabytes of RAM storage and four gigabytes of CPU allocation. For my system, I consider it a mid-level system and not a very high-performing laptop. I would say it can impact IT professionals like myself who have low or medium-scale laptops, suggesting a reduction in resource allocation for CPU and RAM.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with AlmaLinux since last year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
AlmaLinux is 100% stable and reliable for every task that I have had to carry out on it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Regarding how scalable AlmaLinux is, I would rate it over 80%.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had a reason to communicate with the technical support of AlmaLinux because everything has been smooth for me.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I initially started with Ubuntu and then migrated to Kali Linux. From Kali Linux, I went into AlmaLinux because of a project I was currently working on for a client who specifically indicated that I use AlmaLinux for that project. That was how I transitioned from Kali Linux to AlmaLinux.
How was the initial setup?
I set up AlmaLinux on my machine myself. I went to the official AlmaLinux website, found the ISO image file that I needed, and verified the checksum file on my PowerShell before I installed it to ensure that I installed the verified and authenticated ISO image type.
I found the initial setup process to be straightforward. I documented the entire setup on LinkedIn and could share the link if needed.
What about the implementation team?
I utilized the whitepaper on AlmaLinux from their official website to set up and configure AlmaLinux last year.
What was our ROI?
AlmaLinux impacts an organization by helping you understand when there are errors or flaws that you need to mitigate by providing you the logs. The errors and logs are found when you initiate it, helping in communication because you are able to read your log files and communicate with your colleagues about what I have seen on the logs, stating we have to fix specific issues.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not aware of the pricing and licensing of AlmaLinux because I installed it on my hypervisor for free.
What other advice do I have?
AlmaLinux's compatibility with RHEL packages does enhance my mitigation needs. I run AlmaLinux on a VMware Workstation Pro, which provides a fast experience for me. There are no roadblocks because I have already versioned my firewalls and created a configured firewall that helps me patch security.
Significantly, AlmaLinux has a huge impact on my package management strategy with DNF because of the isolation that it provides for me.
For enhancing the documentation, I do not see any reason to do so because every bit of information that I needed was contained in it. I followed it, and the entire process for the setup was not difficult at all for me, personally. I would rate this product an 8 overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?