{"id":173909,"date":"2025-06-21T19:28:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-21T19:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/?p=173909"},"modified":"2025-06-21T23:49:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T23:49:59","slug":"rocky-linux-still-lacks-major-version-upgrade-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/rocky-linux-still-lacks-major-version-upgrade-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Rocky Linux Still Lacks Major Version Upgrade Support\u2014And That’s a Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rocky Linux<\/a>, an RHEL-based fork created by Gregory Kurtzer\u2014the same guy who birthed CentOS\u2014has built a strong reputation over the past few years as one of the top and most trusted alternatives to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Just a few days ago, the distro rolled out its brand-new major release\u2014Rocky Linux 10<\/a>\u2014based on RHEL 10<\/a>, and it got me thinking about a few things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you know, three names primarily come up regarding free RHEL replacements: AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Oracle Linux. While Oracle tends to be less popular among Linux enthusiasts\u2014mostly for historical reasons that I think aren\u2019t entirely fair<\/a>\u2014both Rocky and Alma have been warmly embraced by everyday Linux users and the business segment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m bringing all this up because the choice often boils down to just two options\u2014Rocky or Alma. You\u2019ll find tons of questions about this on the internet and social media. And whichever way you slice it, both essentially offer the same thing: a free alternative to RHEL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, there are some (small) technical and (big) ideological differences, but they\u2019re pretty much interchangeable in day-to-day use, except for one huge difference. And that’s why I’m writing this: the ability to upgrade between major versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nope, this isn\u2019t another Rocky vs. Alma piece. Instead, this article is about why\u2014after three major releases (8, 9, and now 10)\u2014Rocky\u2019s official documentation<\/a> has stuck to the same clear message from day one, written in bold letters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The answer is always the same:<\/em> The project does not support in-place upgrades of one major version to another major version. You need to reinstall to move to the next major version.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As you probably know, CIQ<\/a> (short for Ctrl IQ), a company founded also by Gregory Kurtzer, is the founding sponsor and primary commercial backer of Rocky Linux. While Rocky is governed by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF<\/a>), CIQ provides significant resources\u2014including infrastructure, engineering, and financial support\u2014to help the project grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, they offer paid support<\/a> for business customers using Rocky. So it\u2019s hard for me to imagine a situation where a company calls up and says, \u201cHi, we need help upgrading our eighty-six<\/em> Rocky 9 servers to the latest version, Rocky 10<\/em>,\u201d and the support team replies, \u201cNo problem, folks \u2014 we\u2019ll just reinstall them all.<\/em>\u201d Honestly, that\u2019s beyond anything I can picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocky is an enterprise Linux distribution<\/a>\u2014we’re not talking about a small side project built by a few enthusiasts experimenting with the latest trends like immutability by spinning out yet another distro. Honestly, I wouldn\u2019t even mind if there were no upgrade path between major versions in that kind of scenario. Nobody really expects one in those cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is Rocky we\u2019re talking about\u2014a name that, despite being only about four years old, has already established itself as a dependable RHEL alternative focused on serving businesses. That\u2019s why the absence of a clear, supported path for upgrading between major versions feels unacceptable and difficult to explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be clear and avoid any confusion, here’s how things stack up when compared to the other three leading enterprise Linux distributions from the Red Hat family:<\/p>\n\n\n\n