CentOS 8 End-of-Life Notice And Next Steps for Linode Users

This post is being updated to reflect the most accurate timeline and information for Linode users regarding the CentOS 8 EOL, currently scheduled for December 31, 2021. Updated: June 22, 2021.

The CentOS Project announced that it will be shifting focus from CentOS Linux, a rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), to CentOS Stream. RHEL will discontinue support and OS updates for CentOS 8 after December 31, 2021. Users who are currently using CentOS 8 should start to prepare for the switch to CentOS Stream 8.

We offer retired and unsupported distributions for up to six months following an end-of-life event, so CentOS 8 will remain available on Linode until a to-be-determined date in 2022 based on the official date of the CentOS 8 end-of-life.

Upgrading from CentOS 8 to CentOS Stream 8

We recommend users plan to switch distributions or upgrade from CentOS 8 to Stream. You can find instructions to upgrade on the official Stream website.

We currently list Stream 8 in our available distributions if you’d like to get started now.

Switching to Another Distribution

If you are switching to another distribution, review the documentation on how to Install a Custom Distribution on a Linode. We also recommend deploying the new operating system to a new Linode, then rebuilding your applications and copying data over from your Linodes running on CentOS 8, before deleting them. 

Users converting from CentOS 8 to RHEL may be able to use the recent expansion for no-cost RHEL licenses for small production workloads.

Users can also convert from CentOS 8 to Oracle Linux using this script. 

June 22, 2021 Update: Linode now supports AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux. Find is in our list of available distributions, and in the Choose a Distribution dropdown in Cloud Manager when you create a Linode.

If there are other alternatives to CentOS 8 you would like to see as available distributions on Linode, leave a comment in the comments below.

Note on CentOS 7

This change does not affect CentOS 7, which is projected to remain fully updated and supported by Red Hat until June 2024. You can view the full list of available distributions on Linode and projected end-of-life dates on our distributions page.

Join the Conversation

We’re here to support users when upgrading or switching from CentOS 8. Connect with the Linode team and other users in our community forum.