Oracle Linux

Overview

Oracle Linux is a free, open-source, enterprise-grade Linux distribution developed and maintained by Oracle Corporation. It aims to provide a fully binary-compatible alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) while optimizing for Oracle products and cloud environments. Rebuilt from the RHEL source code, it replaces the Red Hat branding and supports x86_64, ARM64 (aarch64), PowerPC (ppc64le), IBM Z (s390x), and RISC-V (riscv64) architectures, making it suitable for servers, cloud, desktops, and high-performance computing (HPC). Oracle Linux uses the DNF/YUM package manager and offers the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) (an optimized version of the mainline kernel) and the Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK), with pre-installed enterprise-grade tools such as Apache, MariaDB, and Python.

History and Development

• Origin:
  • 2006: Oracle released Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.0, based on RHEL 5. Initially for internal use, it was later open sourced.
  • Its goal was to optimize the performance of Oracle products (such as Oracle Database) on Linux.
• Development History:
  • 2007: Renamed Oracle Linux, provided free download and support.
  • 2010: Introduced the UEK (Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel), based on the mainline kernel optimizations.
  • 2016: Oracle Linux 7 released, supporting containerization and Docker.
  • July 2022: Oracle Linux 9 released, compatible with RHEL 9 until May 2032.
  • July 31, 2025: Oracle Linux 10 released, compatible with RHEL 10 until May 2035, with GPU and RISC-V optimizations.
• Community and Support:
  • Maintained by Oracle and hosted at oracle.com/linux, it supports multiple languages (Chinese is translated by the community), and the documentation covers installation and UEK configuration.
  • Commercial support includes free updates and paid enterprise services.
  • A Reddit user called Oracle Linux a "solid alternative to CentOS."
• Open Source License:
  • GPL v2 (core), MIT (some tools).

Key Features

Oracle Linux is built around RHEL compatibility, enterprise-grade stability, and the UEK kernel, making it suitable for server and cloud environments. Here are its key features:

1. RHEL Binary Compatibility
   • 100% compatible with RHEL, allowing RHEL software to run unmodified.
2. Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK)
   • The UEK is based on the mainline kernel and provides Oracle optimizations such as InfiniBand, NUMA, and Btrfs support.
3. Enterprise-Grade Stability
   • 10-year support cycle (Oracle Linux 10 until May 2035), with monthly security updates.
4. Containerization and Cloud Support
   • Pre-installed Podman and Docker, with support for Kubernetes.
5. Hardware Compatibility
   • Supports x86_64, arm64, RISC-V, and more. Minimum requirements: 1GB RAM and 10GB disk (4GB RAM and 20GB disk recommended).
6. Security and Privacy
   • Support for AppArmor, SELinux, and firewalld.
7. Development Support
   • Pre-installed Python and Git, with support for Flatpak and Snap.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• RHEL Compatibility:
  • Seamless migration of RHEL/CentOS applications, superior to the community edition of Rocky Linux.
  • Post X claims, "Oracle Linux 10 UEK makes HPC faster."
• Long-term Support:
  • 10-year support cycle, suitable for enterprises.
• Free and Open Source:
  • Binary source code is free, with optional commercial support.
• Multi-architecture:
  • Supports RISC-V and ARM64, surpassing Slackware's x86 focus.
• Community Support:
  • Extensive Oracle documentation, including a list of errata.

Limitations

• Oracle Dependency:
  • Some features are tied to Oracle Cloud, better than Rocky Linux but not as good as the pure community support of AlmaLinux.
• Update Lag:
  • Minor releases lag behind RHEL releases.
• Community Size:
  • Smaller than RHEL, with limited Chinese documentation.

Summary

Oracle Linux is a free, open-source, enterprise-grade Linux distribution. Its latest version, version 10 (July 31, 2025), is based on RHEL 10 and supports x86_64, arm64, and RISC-V. It offers 10 years of support (until May 2035). With RHEL compatibility, a UEK kernel, and containerization at its core, Oracle Linux stands out for its enterprise-grade stability and multi-architecture support. However, note that Oracle Linux may have update lags and Oracle dependencies.