Rocky Linux 10

Rocky Linux is an open-source, community-driven Linux distribution, built to provide a stable and secure enterprise operating system. Created as a downstream version of RHEL, Rocky Linux is the go-to solution for organizations seeking a free and reliable Linux environment for production workloads. Named after CentOS co-founder Rocky McGaugh, this distribution was developed by the Rocky Linux Foundation to ensure continuity and reliability for Linux users worldwide.

Launch Rocky Linux 10 virtual machines on Microsoft Azure for a stable, secure, RHEL-compatible enterprise Linux platform. Rocky Linux is a community-driven open-source Linux distribution that delivers long-term support, predictable lifecycle, ABI/API compatibility with RHEL, and production-grade performance. Deploy in minutes for web hosting, containers, DevOps, CI/CD, and database workloads across global Azure regions.

Rocky Linux 10 Features

Binary compatibility with Enterprise Linux (RHEL-compatible rebuild)
DNF/YUM package management with extensive repository ecosystem
systemd init, modern networking stack, and tuned performance profiles
SELinux enforcing mode available; firewalld for host-based firewalling
OpenSSL, OpenSSH, strong default crypto policies
Cockpit web console for server administration (optional)
Container-ready: Podman, Buildah, Skopeo; Kubernetes-friendly
Common stacks: Nginx/Apache, PHP, Python, Node.js, Java, Go
Server roles: DNS, DHCP, proxy, VPN, file/print, monitoring
Kernel live/rolling updates support via standard EL ecosystem tooling
Enterprise-Grade Stability Engineered to deliver a dependable experience for critical business applications, with compatibility with RHEL.
Security-Enhanced Includes frequent security updates and long-term support to keep your applications safe.
High Compatibility Offers compatibility with existing CentOS environments, making migration easy for legacy systems.
Long-Term Support Provides extended support and updates, ensuring a stable environment for years to come.
Intuitive Interface Rocky Linux offers optional GUI desktop interfaces that can be installed such as GNOME, XFCE, KDE.

Benefits of Running Rocky Linux on Azure

Global scale, high availability, and redundancy with Azure regions/Zones
Integrates with Azure Monitor, Azure Backup, Azure Security Center/Defender
Flexible VM sizes for cost optimization (burstable to compute-optimized)
Supports IaC and automation: Terraform, Bicep, Ansible, Azure CLI/PowerShell
Hardenable with CIS-benchmark baselines and policy as code
Streamlined patching and lifecycle management via EL-compatible toolchains

Rocky Linux Use cases

Web & App Hosting: Nginx/Apache, PHP-FPM, Python (uWSGI/Gunicorn), Node.js
Databases: PostgreSQL, MariaDB/MySQL, Redis, MongoDB (where supported)
Containers & Orchestration: Podman, Kubernetes, OpenShift-compatible workflows
DevOps & CI/CD: Build agents, runners, artifact/package registries
Networking & Security: VPN gateways, reverse proxies, WAF proxies, bastion hosts
Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/Opensearch, collectors on Azure
HPC/Batch & Data: Compute nodes, ETL workers, schedulers
Enterprise Services: Domain-integrated Linux servers, SMB/NFS, print services
High-Performance Computing Perfect for computationally intensive tasks, data analysis, and large-scale scientific research.
Containerized Workloads Seamlessly supports containerized applications, making it easy to deploy and scale in Docker and Kubernetes.

Rocky Linux is a robust alternative to CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL and other enterprise Linux distributions, providing the stability and performance needed for today’s demanding workloads in production environments.

Rocky Linux Documentation / Support

Getting started documentation and support from: Rocky Linux on Azure

Disclaimer: This is an official Rocky Linux release maintained by Cloud Infrastructure Services. All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Cloud Infrastructure Services does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. Rocky Linux is a registered trademark of Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. Red Hat, CentOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux are trademarks of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.