What CentOS does

The CentOS Project is a community-driven open source initiative that builds and maintains CentOS Stream, a continuously delivered Linux distribution that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) development. CentOS Stream is constructed by RHEL engineers as part of public RHEL development and serves as the upstream venue where future RHEL releases are shaped, supporting x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le, and (planned) RISC-V architectures. Surrounding this core product is an extensive Special Interest Group (SIG) ecosystem that packages specialized distributions: the Cloud SIG produces OKD Kubernetes and RDO OpenStack builds plus CentOS Stream CoreOS for container workloads; the Storage SIG maintains Ceph, Gluster, NFS-Ganesha, and Samba; the Hyperscale SIG optimizes for massive-scale deployments; the Automotive SIG produces AutoSD as a public preview of Red Hat's In-Vehicle Operating System; and the Virtualization, NFV, Kmods, ISA, and Alternative Images SIGs cover additional infrastructure niches. The build and release pipeline runs on the RHEL On GitLab (ROG) pipeline using GitLab and Konflux, with the CentOS Build System (CBS/Koji) coordinating SIG package flows.

The project has no direct revenue model. CentOS Stream is distributed free of charge under an open source license, with downloads served via a global mirror network managed through MirrorManager and cloud-ready images for major providers. Go-to-market is entirely community-led, relying on mailing lists, Discourse forums, Matrix chat, IRC meetings, and community events such as CentOS Connect (annual contributor conference alongside FOSDEM) and CentOS Showcase (virtual). Sponsorship from 40+ organizations including AWS, Vultr, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, and dozens of hosting providers funds infrastructure, mirrors, and event operations. End users and contributors span hyperscale operators (notably Meta), cloud providers, telecommunications, automotive manufacturers, and enterprise IT organizations that require a stable, enterprise-grade Linux platform with predictable release cadence and long support lifecycles. Governance is provided by an elected Board of Directors and a Community Architect, with Red Hat engineers and other corporate contributors filling SIG chair and maintainer roles.

Name

CentOS

Legal name

The CentOS Project

Website

https://centos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

CentOS is a community-driven open source project that builds CentOS Stream, a continuously delivered Linux distribution tracking ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux development, serving enterprise IT, hyperscale operators (including Meta), cloud providers, and automotive developers through a free, sponsor-supported distribution model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Open Source Distribution (No Direct Revenue): CentOS is a free, community-driven open source project with no direct revenue model. The project operates through volunteer contributions, sponsor support (from companies like AWS, Red Hat, and various hosting providers), and the efforts of the CentOS community. Organizations like Red Hat indirectly benefit from the ecosystem CentOS provides.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CentOS is a community-driven open source project that builds and distributes free Linux distributions, principally CentOS Stream — a continuously delivered distribution tracking just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It also offers specialized distributions such as CentOS Hyperscale for large-scale deployments and CentOS Stream CoreOS (SCOS) for container/Kubernetes workloads, all provided free of charge without licensing fees.

Product overview

CentOS is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem around a Linux platform. The primary offering is CentOS Stream, a continuously delivered distribution that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), where RHEL development happens in public. Supporting this core product are numerous Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that create specialized distributions and packages: the Cloud SIG provides OKD Kubernetes and RDO OpenStack builds; the Storage SIG supports Ceph, Gluster, NFS-Ganesha, and Samba; the Hyperscale SIG enables large-scale deployments; the Automotive SIG develops the AutoSD image for in-vehicle systems; the Virtualization SIG focuses on KVM and related tools; and the Alternative Images SIG creates Live ISO and WSL images. CentOS Stream CoreOS provides a container-focused distribution for Kubernetes workloads. The project also organizes regular events including CentOS Connect (annual contributor conference) and CentOS Showcase (virtual events).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CentOS Stream: Continuously delivered distro that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
• CentOS Hyperscale
• CentOS Stream CoreOS (SCOS)

Products and services

• CentOS Stream Continuously delivered Linux distribution that tracks just ahead of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It is where RHEL development happens in public, used by RHEL customers for CI testing and to preview upcoming RHEL minor versions. Supports multiple architectures including x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le, and RISC-V.
• CentOS Hyperscale CentOS distribution built for massively large-scale deployments, with specialized repositories and tooling for hyperscale environments including optimized kernel packages.
• CentOS Stream CoreOS (SCOS) Linux distribution built from CentOS Stream RPM packages, focused on running container-based workloads with Kubernetes. Part of the SCOS Stream of OKD, co-maintained by the CentOS Cloud SIG and the OKD Working Group.
• CentOS Automotive Stream Distribution (AutoSD) Public in-development preview of the upcoming Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System. Includes Automotive Image Builder tool, PREEMPT_RT kernel support, and optimized images for automotive use cases.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MetacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Meta is highlighted as one of the main users and contributors to CentOS Stream. At CentOS Connect 2026 in Brussels, Meta engineer Davide Cavalca presented on hyperscale deployments of CentOS Stream, underscoring the project's relevance among large-scale deployments. Meta contributes to the Hyperscale SIG and uses CentOS Stream in production at massive scale.
• Red HatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Hat provides foundational support through the close relationship between CentOS Stream and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) development. CentOS Stream is built by RHEL engineers as part of public RHEL development, with Red Hat employees (including members of the Board of Directors) contributing significantly to the project. The project sponsors page lists Red Hat as a sponsor of CentOS Connect events.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)minorOthersAmazon Web Services is listed as a sponsor of the CentOS project, providing infrastructure support. AWS also provides resources for building and testing CentOS-based systems including documentation for running AutoSD on AWS.
• Fedora ProjectcoreTechnology or IntegrationFedora and CentOS share infrastructure and workflows. The project uses Fedora's infrastructure components (HyperKitty for mailing lists, Meetbot for meeting logs), and Fedora serves as the upstream for RHEL upon which CentOS Stream is built. CentOS Connect events are held alongside FOSDEM alongside Fedora events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ubuntu (Canonical): Ubuntu is the leading community-driven commercial Linux distribution, serving enterprise servers, cloud, and container workloads. It is a broad incumbent peer in the community/open-source enterprise Linux space.
• openSUSE / SUSE: openSUSE is the community open source Linux project feeding into SUSE Linux Enterprise. It is a comparable community-plus-commercial sibling model and a broad incumbent peer in the enterprise Linux market.
• Red Hat (Red Hat Enterprise Linux): Red Hat is the primary sponsor and corporate parent of RHEL development, employs many CentOS contributors, and effectively defines the upstream codebase CentOS Stream tracks. It is the closest institutional peer despite being a commercial vendor rather than a community project.
• Amazon Linux: Amazon Linux is AWS's RHEL-derived distribution optimized for EC2 and AWS cloud workloads. It is a broad incumbent peer that competes with CentOS Stream for cloud-native and enterprise Linux deployments on AWS infrastructure.
• Oracle Linux: Oracle Linux is a commercial RHEL-compatible distribution from Oracle targeting enterprise Linux workloads. It is a broad incumbent peer competing for the same downstream-of-RHEL production server audience.

Direct peers

• Rocky Linux: Rocky Linux is a community RHEL rebuild created specifically as a response to the CentOS Linux → CentOS Stream transition. It directly competes for the same downstream-of-RHEL enterprise server use case that historically defined CentOS.
• Debian: Debian is a community-driven Linux distribution and the upstream base for Ubuntu. It is a direct peer as a major volunteer-led open source Linux project with global contributor community and influence on the broader ecosystem.
• Fedora Project: Fedora is the upstream community distribution that feeds into RHEL and shares infrastructure (HyperKitty, Meetbot) with CentOS. It is a direct peer in the community-Linux-on-top-of-RHEL-engineering space and the closest open-source governance model to CentOS.
• AlmaLinux: AlmaLinux is a community RHEL rebuild backed by CloudLinux and presented at CentOS Connect events. It is a direct competitor targeting the same enterprise server and cloud workloads historically served by CentOS Linux.

Emerging players

• CloudLinux: CloudLinux is the commercial sponsor behind AlmaLinux and provides RHEL-compatible and hardened Linux distributions. It is an emerging player peer in the community-backed RHEL rebuild space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgitlab.com/CentOS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CentOSProject
• Xx.com/centos_announce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/963243

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CentOS