Migrating to Ubuntu LTS: six facts for CentOS users

Considering migrating to Ubuntu from other Linux platforms, such as CentOS?

Think Ubuntu- the most popular Linux distribution on public clouds, data centre and the edge. Since its inception, Ubuntu consistently gains market share, as of today reaching almost 50%.

Wondering why Ubuntu is so popular?

Here is our take:

Fact 1. Developers prefer Ubuntu

According to the 2020 HackerEarth Developer Survey, 66% of experienced developers and 69% of students prefer Ubuntu over other Linux distributions. This is because Ubuntu provides them with the greatest amount of latest open source software to work with. 

For example, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS comes with over 30,000 open source packages such as Python, Ruby, Go, Java, Apache, Nginx, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Node.js, PHP and more. This is why Ubuntu is by far the most popular Linux distribution, followed by a distant no.2 –  CentOS chosen by 11% of working professionals.

Fact 2. Ubuntu LTS is predictable, stable and secure

A long term support (LTS) version of Ubuntu is released every two years, and all LTS releases benefit from five years of free security maintenance (which can be extended to ten years). To keep Ubuntu users secure, the Ubuntu Security Team applies thousands of security patches. For instance, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS benefited from over 5,000 common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) that have been patched since April 2016 absolutely free of charge!

Moreover, the team acts really fast to leave no time for bad actors to exploit vulnerabilities: critical CVEs are patched in less than 24 hours on average. With the latest release – Ubuntu 20.04 LTS – all users get security updates and straightforward access to thousands of curated open source applications freely available until 2025.

Fact 3. Ubuntu has no mandatory subscriptions

Ubuntu is freely available to download and use. Each Ubuntu instance comes with the same bits, whether an Ubuntu Advantage (UA) subscription is attached or not. UA is an optional, per-machine subscription for enhanced compliance, extended security and 24/7 enterprise-grade support.

As a result, users benefit from the consistent experience regardless of whether their Ubuntu machine is used for development purposes or is running workloads in production.

Fact 4. Ubuntu LTS offers enterprise-grade support with transparent, per-machine pricing

Ubuntu is the most cost-effective open source platform with millions of users worldwide. It is also backed by an enterprise support team of experts offering assistance with a migration to Ubuntu. It provides access to compliance-specific modules, including FIPS 140-2 certified cryptography, DISA/STIG and CIS hardening, Kernel Livepatch for improved uptime and security.

Fact 5. Ubuntu delivers a multi-cloud experience 

You will find that Ubuntu works exactly the same wherever you need it. On workstations, in the data centre, on the edge, and in clouds. On public clouds specifically, it delivers the same great Ubuntu experience with a layer of seamless integration and many kernel-level, cloud-specific optimisations.

Moreover, with Ubuntu Pro, users can benefit from ten years of security maintenance, built-in hardening, FIPS crypto modules and cloud-native pay-as-you-go model on Azure and AWS.

Fact 6. Ubuntu powers big infrastructure

Ubuntu is in the heart of the infrastructure stack. It is a platform of choice when building large-scale infrastructure, such as OpenStack private cloud, Kubernetes, High Performance Computing (HPC) and Big Data. The widespread adoption of Ubuntu in this kind of projects comes from its stability, interoperability, security and straightforward user experience.

Ubuntu is also used by scientists all over the world, powering various platforms for data analytics. Remember the first picture of the black hole? Guess, what was it created on?

Conclusion

Join thousands of developers and enterprises that chose Ubuntu as their platform for development, innovation and production workloads.

Let’s take off together!

Get in touch with the Ubuntu team >

If you are a finserv organisation evaluating the move from CentOS to an open source enterprise grade Linux platform, you can join your peers that are actively considering a move to Ubuntu and have the assurance of a reliable, secure and supported Linux platform with long term support from Canonical.