Download CentOS Linux ISO images

1. Base Distribution

sha256sum information via an https source is provided in the Release Email or Release Notes link above. You can also use the sha256sum.txt.asc file located in any CentOS directory with ISO or Cloud images. You should always verify your downloads before using.

Bittorrent links are also available from the above links.

Rolling builds are updated monthly.

** https://blog.centos.org/2020/12/future-is-centos-stream/

2. AltArch Releases

The releases listed here are part of the Alternative Architecture Special Interest Group (AltArch SIG). More information is available HERE. You can also download the files from a nearby mirror.

3. Cloud / Containers

4. CentOS Atomic Host

CentOS Atomic Host is a lean operating system designed to run Docker containers, built from standard CentOS 7 RPMs, and tracking the component versions included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux Atomic Host.

Download

Please see this for more info concerning Atomic on CentOS.

Documentation

1. Release Notes

All CentOS Linux release notes can be found here on the wiki.

You can get all the original Red Hat release notes for all versions at Red Hat's Documentation page.

2. Version Comparison

A comparison of the abilities and limitations of CentOS Linux can be found here on the wiki.

3. End-Of-Life

In general every release receives bugfixes, feature enhancements and new hardware support until 4 years after general availability, and security fixes until 7 years after general availability (beginning with CentOS Linux 5, this period has been extended from 4 to approx. 7 and from 7 to 10 years {assuming the upstream sources remain available for ten years})

For more information about the support life cycle of CentOS Linux, take a look at Red Hat's Errata Support Policy page.

Basically, if source is released publicly upstream, the CentOS Project will build and release updates for as long as possible. We have done this for all previous versions and will for all future versions.

Please note Red Hat's policy on Production Phase 3, which normally starts at the 7 year point. In that phase, only those security updates deemed crucial are released in this phase. It is recommended that you plan to upgrade before this point whenever possible.

4. New releases

New major and minor releases are available about 2 to 6 weeks after upstream (Red Hat) publishes the SRPMs (source packages) of their product. This time is needed to rebuild, validate, test (QA), translate and integrate new artwork. Please see The CentOS Rebuild and Release Process for further details. Although we understand that some of our users are excited about a new upcoming release, we ask you to be patient or help out in the release process.

The CentOS project does not offer any of the various approaches to extended life for an earlier point release which its upstream occasionally does for its subscribing clientèle. Once a new point release is issued (say: 6.3, following 6.2), no further source packages (from which updates can be built) are released for the earlier version and therefore CentOS is no longer able to produce security or other updates. After a transition interval of a few weeks, the old point version binaries are moved to the vault. There is a longer discussion at item 15 in the FAQ for more details.

5. Variety of ISO images

Aside from the normal DVD and CD ISO images, the CentOS project occasionally releases special ISO images. Not all point releases get fresh spins of what is substantially unchanging content; if the latest and greatest refresh point spin does not have what you seek, you may wish to use the last version seen for a LiveCD or ServerCD, and as appropriate run updates in a post-install process:

• LiveCD - Bootable CD image with a working environment directly from CD
• ServerCD - Installable CD image with a limited package-set for server installations

• netinstall - Minimal CD image to start network installations (<10M)

The netinstall iso will only work with the corresponding point release, eg one cannot use the netinstall from CentOS Linux 6.2 to install CentOS Linux 6.3.

Archived Versions

1. Base Distribution