{"id":22331,"date":"2025-09-22T14:20:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T14:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/?p=22331"},"modified":"2025-09-22T14:20:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T14:20:56","slug":"how-to-migrate-from-centos-to-almalinux-step-by-step-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/learn\/how-to-migrate-from-centos-to-almalinux-step-by-step-guide.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Migrate from CentOS to AlmaLinux: Step-by-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Migrate from CentOS to AlmaLinux?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When Red Hat shifted focus from <strong>CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream<\/strong>, many businesses and sysadmins needed a <strong>stable, long-term supported operating system<\/strong>. AlmaLinux quickly became the <strong>best CentOS alternative<\/strong>, offering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1:1 binary compatibility with <strong>RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Long-term community support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enterprise-grade stability &amp; security<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free and open-source<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you\u2019re asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>\u201cIs AlmaLinux a stable CentOS replacement?\u201d<\/em> \u2192 Yes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>\u201cCan I migrate CentOS servers to AlmaLinux easily?\u201d<\/em> \u2192 Yes, with official migration tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Do I Need Before Migration?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before switching from CentOS to AlmaLinux, ensure you have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A server running <strong>CentOS 8<\/strong> (migration supports CentOS 8.x \u2192 AlmaLinux 8.x).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Root or sudo access<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Backup of your system and data<\/strong> (always recommended).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Internet access<\/strong> for downloading migration scripts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <em>Tip:<\/em> Migration from CentOS 7 requires upgrading to CentOS 8 first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Migrate from CentOS to AlmaLinux?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the step-by-step migration process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 1 \u2013 Update Your CentOS System<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure your CentOS is fully updated before migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo dnf update -y\nsudo reboot\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 2 \u2013 Download the AlmaLinux Migration Script<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>AlmaLinux provides an official tool called <strong>ELevate \/ almalinux-deploy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo dnf install -y curl\ncurl -O https:\/\/raw.githubusercontent.com\/AlmaLinux\/almalinux-deploy\/master\/almalinux-deploy.sh\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 3 \u2013 Run the Migration Script<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Execute the script to start the migration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo bash almalinux-deploy.sh\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>The script will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remove CentOS packages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Replace them with AlmaLinux packages<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preserve your data and applications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 4 \u2013 Reboot Into AlmaLinux<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once migration is complete, reboot the server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>sudo reboot\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 5 \u2013 Verify Migration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Check if your server is now running AlmaLinux:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>cat \/etc\/os-release\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>You should see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>NAME=\"AlmaLinux\"\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does Migration Affect Applications or Data?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No. The migration process <strong>does not remove user data or applications<\/strong>. It simply replaces the CentOS repositories and packages with AlmaLinux equivalents. However, always keep a <strong>backup<\/strong> before performing system-level changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Long Does the Migration Take?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Small systems: <strong>10\u201315 minutes<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Larger production servers: <strong>30\u201360 minutes<\/strong>, depending on installed packages and hardware.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What If I\u2019m Running CentOS 7?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re still on CentOS 7:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Upgrade to <strong>CentOS 8<\/strong> first.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then follow the migration steps above.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Choose AlmaLinux Over Other CentOS Alternatives?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many admins search for <em>\u201cRocky Linux vs AlmaLinux\u201d<\/em>. Both are stable, but:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AlmaLinux<\/strong> is backed by CloudLinux and has <strong>long-term financial support<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rocky Linux<\/strong> is fully community-driven.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want <strong>enterprise backing + community trust<\/strong>, AlmaLinux is the safe choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Migrate from CentOS to AlmaLinux? When Red Hat shifted focus from CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream, many businesses and sysadmins needed a stable, long-term supported operating system. AlmaLinux quickly became the best CentOS alternative, offering: So if you\u2019re asking: What Do I Need Before Migration? Before switching from CentOS to AlmaLinux, ensure you have: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","hentry","category-learn","category-linux","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22332,"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22331\/revisions\/22332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itrcp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}