What's installed on your CentOS Stream server?
- The release you pick: CentOS Stream 10 or 9, from the CentOS Project's official GenericCloud image
- dnf, with updates arriving as they're ready rather than in batches
- OpenSSH running, and you log in as root with the password
- cloud-init, which sets the IP and password at first boot and grows the disk
- QEMU guest agent, which the panel uses to write extra IPs and the keyboard layout
- The install adds no firewall rules: use your panel or firewalld
- No web server, database or panel: add what you need from the CentOS Stream repositories with dnf
What size do you need for CentOS Stream?
The CentOS Project's download page gives no RAM figure, so what follows is a rule of thumb. Start with 1 GB for a small service or a test server, 4 GB for a website with a database, and 8 GB if you'll build and test on the same machine. The image itself is 10 GB. In our tests a clean system took about 2.1 to 2.3 GB of disk, which leaves plenty on the 25 GB disk of the smallest size. If it isn't enough, scale up from the Size tab and the server restarts once.
| Use | Size | Price | Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 GB RAM · 1 vCore · 25 GB NVMe | $2.58/mo | |
| Medium | 4 GB RAM · 2 vCore · 60 GB NVMe | $6.89/mo | |
| Powerful | 8 GB RAM · 4 vCore · 120 GB NVMe | $13.62/mo |
Who is it for?
- Developers testing their software against the next RHEL minor release
- Teams that contribute to RHEL or want to see changes early
- Anyone learning the RHEL family on a continuously updated system instead of fixed minor releases
What happens after you order?
- Pick CentOS Stream 10 or 9, set the size and complete your payment.
- Your server starts. Open it from My servers in your panel, and the Overview tab shows the IP Address, Username and Password rows.
- Connect with ssh root@your-ip in a terminal. If dnf looks busy, run cloud-init status --wait until first-boot work finishes.
- Update the system with dnf upgrade --refresh, then install your software.
With every server
- Daily backups included in the price
- Unlimited traffic
- Full root access
- Scale RAM and CPU up or down later, and grow the disk
- Location: Istanbul · IST-1.
Good to know
- CentOS Stream 9 ends in May 2027 and CentOS Stream 10 in May 2030. Those dates mark the end of RHEL's full support phase, so don't expect a ten-year life.
- Stream isn't a rebuild of RHEL, it runs ahead of it. If you need behaviour matching RHEL in production, look at AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux.
- Updates don't come in fixed minor releases. On an important server, try them on another copy first.
- Most older CentOS guides still help, but package names and repositories from the CentOS 7 days may no longer apply.
- Switching releases from the panel is a reinstall and deletes all your data, while the IP address stays. Copy your files off first and put them back after the install.
CentOS Stream questions and answers
Can I get a CentOS 7 VPS?
No. Support for CentOS Linux 7 ended on 30 June 2024 and for CentOS Linux 8 on 31 December 2021, so neither is on our list. For older software, the closest supported options are AlmaLinux 8 and Rocky Linux 8.
What's the difference between CentOS Stream and CentOS Linux?
CentOS Linux was a rebuild of RHEL and came after it. CentOS Stream is the public development branch of RHEL: it holds what's planned for the next minor release, and updates ship as they're ready.
Can I use CentOS Stream in production?
You can, since changes reach Stream only after the same testing as RHEL. But it updates continuously without minor releases, and its life is shorter. For a server that should stay put for years, AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux is a better fit.
Should I choose CentOS Stream 9 or 10?
Choose 10 for new work, as it runs until May 2030. Version 9 ends in May 2027, so pick it only if you're testing against the RHEL 9 family.
How much RAM does CentOS Stream need?
The CentOS Project doesn't give a fixed figure. As a rule of thumb, start with 1 GB for a small service, 4 GB for a website with a database and 8 GB for building and testing. If it isn't enough, scale up from your panel and your data and IP stay the same.
How do I move an old CentOS server?
Open a new server, install your software and copy your data over SSH. For an old server, AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux is often the better destination than CentOS Stream, because they follow RHEL rather than run ahead of it.