This is definitely going to be a hot discussion taking into account the entry of Rocky Linux into the scene after the future CentOS 8 dreams were shattered with the introduction of the rolling release CentOS 8 Stream. Before we dip our toes into the hot pool, many will agree that a little bit of acquaintance with the surrounding will warm our bodies and ready it for the chilly hot dip. We will discover what Debian and Rocky Linux Linux distributions are then go ahead and compare them in detail we can afford in the brevity of this article.
Debian
Debian was first announced on August 16, 1993, by Ian Murdock, who initially called the system “the Debian Linux Release“. Since them, many other Operating Systems such as the popular Ubuntu and its derivatives have come to light. Debian is a distribution known for its penchant of choosing stability over anything else. Any new release will contain the latest stable versions of software regardless of what the latest release is at the moment of Debian release. To emphasize this, consider Debian 11, the latest release, that comes with GNOME 3.38, KDE Plasma 5.20 and others while the latest GNOME and Plasma are GNOME 40 and Plasma 5.22.90.
Rocky Linux
Rocky Linux is a community enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with America’s top enterprise Linux distribution now that its downstream partner has shifted direction. It is under intensive development by the community. Rocky Linux is led by Gregory Kurtzer, founder of the CentOS project after RedHat decided to switch to CentOS Stream. CentOS Stream tracks just ahead of a current RHEL release. CentOS will no longer be a stable point distribution but a rolling release Linux distribution.
Rocky Linux 8 is a downstream rebuild of RHEL 8 and, as such, aligns with the RHEL 8 lifecycle and therefore will be actively maintained until 2029. As of early August 2021, Rocky Linux has almost 100 mirrors, including a global CDN (Content Delivery Network). Over 80 mirrors provide HTTP, over 80 mirrors provide HTTPS and over 50 provide RSYNC connections.
1) Server Use Case
If you are part of the camp that is looking for a distribution that you would like to use to run your applications on as a server, then Debain and Rocky Linux options are excellent options for you. Debain is known to care about the stability of the applications it ships with and thus guarantees that your server and applications running on it are “okay” technically. Rocky Linux is drop-in replacement of CentOS 8 which changed direction to be a rolling release version for RedHat. Rocky is intended to have the stability that RedHat releases will have and thus offers the confidence that users have always enjoyed with CentOS. Even though it is fairly new, its adoption has been phenomenon and most users are giving a happy thumps up to its performance and awesome usability. It just looks and works like CentOS 8.
Moreover, Rocky Linux 8 is designed to be a server system, hence gaming, media and similar programs aren’t necessarily all there by default. However, much like with Fedora or CentOS, you can enable a set of third-party repositories to gain access to these additional applications and utilities.
2) Desktop Use Case
For the desktop user who would wish to install one of the distributions being discussed herein, there are options to consider. Debian 11 and Debian 10 ship with plenty of desktop features that are listed in the comparison table below. Rocky Linux on the other end comes with GNOME as the default desktop. It does not mean that other flavours are absent but the user will have to install them on their own. So if you are the adventurous user and would wish to make your legs muddy while installing your own desktops, Rocky is there for you.
On the other hand, if you do not have time to do the installations and fixes along the way, then Debian has a multifarious of options in their menu for your eyes to pick and enjoy. You only need to download and install the desktop that you would wish to have and off you go.
This goes hand in hand with those who like gaming. Debian 11 and Debian 10 do a better job in this arena compared to Rocky Linux 8 which is more biased towards server usage. Moreover, in case you still have a 32 bit computer lying around in a cellar somewhere, Debain 11 and Debian 10 are happy to keep it alive and kicking. Debian has consistently continued to support 32 bit architecture and this should be good news for you.
3) Theming and Applications
Debian 11 comes with a new awesome “Homeworld” theme that looks quite appealing. The theme can be seen all the way from installation to every room in the system. Debian 11 and Debian 10 come with lots of default applications that the user can get started immediately. LibreOffice for your documents, Firefox in GNOME, Inkscape and others. Rocky Linux on the other hand also comes with default applications in the default GNOME Desktop such as Rhythmbox, Firefox, LibreOffice among others.
Debian 11 vs Debian 10 vs Rocky Linux 8 – Comparison Table
Let us now look at the comparisons we managed to gather in a tabular fashion for easy readability and reference. We will compare the three distributions based on the features on the left. Other important stuff we have missed can be raised in the comments section so that we can continue updating the document. Here we go
| Feature | Debian 11 | Debian 10 | Rocky Linux 8.4 |
| Release Date | August 14th, 2021 | July 6th, 2019 | June 21st, 2021 |
| Code Name | Bullseye | Buster | Green Obsidian |
| Kernel | Features Kernel 5.10 LTS | Features Linux Kernel 4.19.0-4 | Features Kernel 4.18.0-305 |
| 32 bit support | Still supports 32 bit | Still supports 32 bit | Does not support 32 bit |
| Desktop Flavours | GNOME 3.38, KDE Plasma 5.20, LXDE 11, LXQt 0.16, MATE 1.24, Xfce 4.16 | GNOME 3.22, KDE Plasma 5.8, LXDE, LXQt 0.11, MATE 1.16, and Xfce 4.12. | Rocky Linux 8 has GNOME as the default desktop environment. Other environaments/flavors such as KDE, Xfce need to be installed by the user. |
| Based on | The mother of many descendant operating systems such as Ubuntu | The mother of many descendant operating systems such as Ubuntu | Based on RHEL |
| Packet Filtering | Uses nftables | Nftables Replaces iptables | Nftables Replaces iptables |
| AppArmor/SELinux | AppArmor enabled per default | AppArmor enabled per default | SELinux enabled per default |
| exFAT | Bullseye is the first release providing a Linux kernel which has support for the exFAT filesystem | exFAT filesystem not supported out of the box. You have to install a package | exFAT filesystem not supported out of the box. You have to install a package |
| Package Manager | apt | apt | Yum, DNF |
Closing The Curtains
As you can attest, much wind has blown across the sky in the technological world and musg progress continue to happen to the marvel and joy of all of us entusiasts. Rocky Linux is here and CentOS has changed its trajectory and we continue to appreciate the community that relentlessly ensures that global users are covered. It is an honour and always know that we celebrate you tirelessly.
Otherwise, we hope the article was clear and some of the confusing things have been addressed. Besides, you can find other interesting guides and articles allover the blog for your pleasure and quick fixes.
