The need for a new free Linux distribution based on RHEL arose when Red Hat announced the end of support for CentOS. CentOS Stream is its replacement, however, it does not continue being open source and a binary-compatible fork of RHEL. CentOS Stream has been a rolling release since 2021 and receives numerous updates, which means it lacks the necessary security in some cases. CentOS Stream functions primarily as a test environment for innovations, which may become part of the commercial distribution in the future. This has created a gap for CentOS users which is being filled by two new operating systems.
Rocky Linux was released in 2021, a few months after AlmaLinux. The CentOS co-founder Gregory Kurtzer is responsible for the new Linux version, which is named after his late colleague Rocky McGaugh. The first stable version of Rocky Linux was released on June 21, 2021, as version 8.4. The high version number is based on the designation of RHEL. Rocky Linux is a clone of RHEL, which is also binary-compatible and is already supported by numerous large, financially strong sponsors. Rocky Linux’s success depends on whether the existing CentOS users choose to embrace the new system. However, the beginning has been promising.