Whether you're running a home server or building out rack-mount data centers, Linux is the OS of choice for servers, and for good reason.But what distro should you go with? Here are the best choices for reliable server distros.Debian Debian is my go-to for Linux systems because it's reliable and runs on just about anything.
And this would include servers.The stable version is a great choice for a server because it's, well, stable.It's good enough for Wikipedia to host its servers on.
If it's good enough for a popular and widely-used site, it's probably more than enough for your needs.One thing I like about Debian is that it's strictly a community project.That means that the developers are going to do what's best for Debian's users rather than just the bottom line.
This can also be a disadvantage if you're running Debian in production.There's no direct commericial support available, but the Debian website does link to a number of self-identified consultants.Ubuntu Ubuntu is one of the best-known names in the Linux world.
It's often the first desktop Linux people try, and it's long been available as a server version.Ubuntu is also based on Debian.One advantage of Ubuntu over Debian is that you can purchase paid support contracts from Canonical, the company bankrolling the whole operation.
This can be useful if you're running it in a large data center where you need your machines to be reliable.If you need to, you can get in touch with technical experts who can get you back up and running.At the same time, unlike with other enterprise distros, if you want to just try Ubuntu's server version out on a spare machine, you don't have to apply for a "personal" license.
You can just download the ISO image as with any other Linux distro and install it.Rocky Linux Rocky Linux is one of the distros that many former CentOS users have flocked to after Red Hat changed how CentOS would be released, shifting it from being effectively being a free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux to the rolling-release CentOS Stream.This move incensed a lot of the userbase, since CentOS was pretty popular, especially in areas like scientific computing.
CERN had even used it.Original CentOS co-founder Gregory Kurtzer founded Rocky Linux.The name is a tribute to Kurtzer's late friend and fellow CentOS co-founder, Rocky McGaugh.
Like the original CentOS, Rocky Linux largely parallels RHEL releases.This means that you can try out Rocky Linux on your own without having to sign up for a Red Hat developer's license.You can also learn a RHEL-compatibile distro and transfer your skills to the actual RHEL or some of the other RHEL-derived distros.
AlmaLinux AlmaLinux, like Rocky Linux, is effectively a continuation of the classic CentOS after its discontinuation.AlmaLinux is developed by the AlmaLinux foundation.It aims for binary compatibility with the original RHEL.
It's the community counterpart to CloudLinux, a commercial RHEL derivative that's aimed toward data centers.CERN uses it for its high-energy physics research as a replacement for CentOS One key difference between AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux is that the latter aims for "bug-for-bug" compatibility with RHEL, where AlmaLinux tries to make improvements.AlmaLinux seems to be more popular than Rocky Linux, at least on DistroWatch as of February 2026.
You should take the DistroWatch rankings with a grain of salt, since it just counts hits to the home page rather than things like upgrades via the package manager.The home pages are still where people go to look up info on these distros.AlmaLinux, as with Rocky Linux, is a good choice for those who want a RHEL-compatibile distro without the expense of a RHEL contract, as well as for learning RHEL-compatible distros.
Oracle Linux Oracle Linux is yet another RHEL-compatible distro.Unlike the previous community projects, Oracle Linux is a commerical Linux distro, made by the software giant.As with the other distros, the main attraction is that you can acquire a RHEL-compatibile distro without having to sign a contract.
Even if you don't need a contract to run Oracle Linux, plenty of corporate clients do, as they boast on their homepage.The company's clients include United Airlines, Cisco, Progressive, and others.How-To Geek Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Unlock your tech-savvy potential and master the digital world with How-To Geek.
Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe anytime.One neat thing you can get if you do sign up for one of their support contracts is the ability to apply updates without having to reboot your servers.
This helps maintain uptime in industries where it's critical.openSUSE Like Debian, openSUSE is one of the oldest distros still in wide use.It's the free counterpart to the commercial version, SUSE Enterprise Linux.
SUSE was one of the first companies to see commercial potential for Linux back in the early '90s.OpenSUSE is available in two major flavors: Tumbleweed and Leap, but it's the latter that most sysadmins will want.If you're going for commercial use, you might want to consider the enterprise version, but if you're running your own home lab or on a spare machine for learning how to administer a Linux server, OpenSUSE Tumbleweed is a good choice.
openSUSE's best known feature is the YaST control center, a centralized system administration tool.It was formerly available in both a GUI and console-based version, but the former has been phased out.You can still access the console-based version.
The graphical version is being supplanted with the Cockpit web interface for installation and management.If you're just a hobbyist homelabber or you manage Linux servers for a living, these are the main distros you're likely to find holding up the internet.
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