Rocky Linux 10.1, a distribution kit that serves as a free alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, has been released. This version of Rocky Linux is designed to replace the now-discontinued CentOS and is binary compatible with RHEL. It can be utilized as a substitute for RHEL 10.1 and CentOS 10 Stream. The Rocky Linux 10 branch is set to receive support until 2035. Installation iso images for Rocky Linux are available for various architectures including x86-64-v3, aarch64, ppc64le (IBM POWER), s390x (IBM Z), and riscv64. Additionally, live builds with GNOME and KDE desktops are offered for the x86_64 architecture. Those interested can access the release and installation files here.
Similar to the classic CentOS, Rocky Linux removes Red Hat branding and RHEL-specific packages such as redhat-*, insights-client, and subscription-manager-migration* from its packages. The distribution offers only 64-bit builds of packages. More details on specific changes can be found in the release notes for Rocky Linux 10.1.
Noteworthy changes in Rocky Linux include official support for the RISC-V architecture, compatibility with StarFive VisionFive 2 (VF2) and SiFive HiFive Premier P550 boards, and compatibility with the QEMU emulator. The project is also developing its own repositories with additional packages:
- plus – currently offering the Valkey DBMS 8.0.3 package (Redis fork).
- NFV – packages for virtualizing network components developed by the SIG group NFV (Network Functions Virtualization).
- CRB (Code Ready Builder) – additional packages for developers.
- RT –