Why CentOS Stream 9 Is the Preview of Future RHEL Releases

CentOS Stream 9’s release work was completed before the end‑of‑life deadline for CentOS Linux 8 at the end of this year.

CentOS Stream 9 is described in the RHEL 9 announcement as a continuously delivered distribution that acts as the next release point for RHEL. Before a package is formally introduced into CentOS Stream, it must pass a series of automated and manual tests to meet RHEL’s strict standards.

Updates published to CentOS Stream are the same as updates to unreleased minor versions of RHEL, aiming to provide the same baseline stability as RHEL itself.

To achieve this stability, each major version of CentOS Stream starts from a stable Fedora release; for example, today’s CentOS Stream 9 begins with Fedora 34, which is also the code base for RHEL 9. When updated packages pass testing and meet stability criteria, they are pushed to both CentOS Stream and RHEL’s nightly builds, meaning the software you see in CentOS Stream is essentially what future RHEL will look like.

The visual diagram shows CentOS Stream 9 branching from Fedora 34 and progressing toward becoming the forefront of RHEL 9 development.

CentOS Stream 9 can be downloaded from CentOS.org .

Last December, the official CentOS website announced that it would cease maintenance of CentOS Linux and allocate more resources to CentOS Stream.

An interview with CentOS board member Brian Exelbierd for The Register revealed that Red Hat stopped investing in CentOS Linux, preferring the rolling‑update model of CentOS Stream, which they see as having better prospects.

CentOS Linux 8 will stop being maintained at the end of 2021, and CentOS Linux 7 will cease maintenance at the end of June 2024, meaning CentOS 9 will not be released.