Fedora as Server: What speaks for the Linux operating system?

With its innovative approach and strong focus on freedom and features, Fedora has gained a loyal following. With its active community, support from Red Hat, and commitment to open-source principles, Fedora offers many benefits for businesses and IT professionals looking for a powerful solution. In this article, we will take a closer look at using Fedora as a server operating system.

What sets Fedora apart?

Fedora is a popular RPM-based Linux distribution developed by the Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat. As free software under the GPL license, Fedora can be used for free. Additionally, the operating system serves as a testing ground for new technologies that can later be introduced into Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), a commercial Linux distribution specifically tailored for businesses.

Fedora is governed by the Fedora Project, which operates based on the principles of "Freedom, Friends, Features, and First", meaning it provides users with freedom (through open source), a friendly community, high-quality features, and innovations (by prioritising the latest technologies).

The Fedora distribution is known for its short release cycles, typically occurring every six months, and its focus on the latest technologies. It stands out for its timeliness and often includes the newest versions of software packages.

The distribution offers multiple variants or "spins" supporting various desktop environments such as GNOME, KDE, Xfce, LXDE, and others. Additionally, there is a special Fedora Server variant designed for use in networks and data centres.

What technical aspects make Fedora Servers stand out?

Fedora Servers excel in the latest technologies, high security, flexible and modular design, support for modern container technologies, an active community, as well as stable and reliable performance, making them a top choice for a variety of web applications.

• Leading in new technologies

As an innovative open-source project, Fedora provides access to the latest software versions and technologies. It is known for offering early access to new and advanced features, particularly appealing to businesses that strive to stay at the forefront. Due to its close ties to Red Hat and its commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Fedora is typically the first operating system to introduce new technologies and features. Fedora is also used as a testing ground for technologies that will later be introduced in RHEL.

• High security

Another aspect of Fedora is its strong focus on security. Fedora integrates Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) by default, a set of security modules that provide control over the capabilities of individual services, enhancing security against unwanted intruders or breaches. It also implements Linux kernel security features such as namespaces and seccomp-BPF to improve application isolation and confinement.

• Flexibility and Control

With its modular architecture, Fedora allows users to tailor and optimise their systems according to their specific requirements. Additionally, Fedora provides management tools like Cockpit, a modern web-based interface that enables easy and intuitive server administration, including monitoring system resources, managing network settings, and configuring services.

• Container Support

Fedora Server supports modern technologies like containerisation and offers built-in support for tools such as Podman and Kubernetes. This enables users to run applications in isolated environments, enhancing reliability and resource management.

• Active Community and Support

As an open-source project supported by Red Hat, Fedora has an active and dedicated community of developers and users. This means that updates and security patches are regularly provided, and there are a variety of resources and forums for user support and issue resolution.

• Stable Performance

Fedora Server provides a robust and stable platform for various server applications, from web and database servers to cluster computing and cloud infrastructures. Fedora is valued for its performance, scalability, and reliability.

This combination of technical aspects makes Fedora Server a strong choice for many different types of server applications.

Find suitable offers for Fedora VPS hosting or Fedora Dedicated Server, as well as Fedora Cloud Server in comparison.

Administering Fedora Servers with Cockpit

Managing a Fedora server is significantly simplified by the built-in administration tool Cockpit. Cockpit is a web-based interface that provides an intuitively understandable visual representation of various server functions, enabling easy handling even for administrators with less experience in command-line interfaces.

With Cockpit, an administrator can check the system status, view log files, monitor system resources, manage network settings, handle storage capacities, perform system updates, and configure services and applications without the need to enter command-line commands. Particularly noteworthy is that Cockpit enables multi-server management, allowing multiple Fedora servers to be managed from a single Cockpit interface. Furthermore, Cockpit is designed to complement standard system functions rather than replace them, allowing administrators to continue using command-line tools or other management interfaces alongside Cockpit. Overall, Cockpit significantly contributes to simplifying and streamlining the administration of Fedora servers.

The web-based management tool Cockpit was developed by Red Hat to reduce the complexity of server management and offers a user-friendly graphical interface that enables direct interaction with the system. Cockpit is utilised by default for Fedora Server but is also available for many other Linux distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, or CentOS.

Fedora Versions and Lifecycle

Fedora is known for its relatively short release cycles and its rapid adoption of new technologies and software versions. Traditionally, a new version of Fedora is released every six months, typically due in April/May and October/November of each year. Each new version of Fedora is referred to as a "release" and is assigned an ascending integer as its designation, for example, Fedora 32, Fedora 33, Fedora 34, and so on.

The lifecycle of each Fedora version is relatively short, usually lasting around 13 months. This means that approximately a month after the release of "Fedora N+2", support for "Fedora N" ends. For example, if Fedora 34 is released in May, support for Fedora 32 ends about a month later. The Fedora project then ceases to provide further updates, including security updates, for Fedora 32.

The Fedora project always maintains two active Fedora releases simultaneously. When a new version is released, the second-to-last version is no longer supported, and users are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version to continue receiving updates and security patches.

Overall, the short Fedora lifecycle allows users to access the latest innovations and technologies while still providing a certain level of stability and support.

What are the weaknesses of Fedora as a server operating system?

While Fedora offers many advantages as a server operating system, it also has some potential weaknesses that should be considered when choosing the right solution:

• Short support cycle: Unlike some other distributions that offer multi-year support cycles, Fedora has a relatively short lifecycle of only about 13 months. This means that administrators may need to perform upgrades more frequently to continue receiving security patches and updates.

• Focus on the latest technologies: Fedora is known for introducing the latest technologies. While this offers some benefits, it can also lead to instability or the introduction of immature or less tested technologies.

• No commercial support: Although Fedora is sponsored by Red Hat, it does not offer direct commercial support or Service Level Agreements (SLAs) like Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). For businesses requiring a high level of support or guaranteed response times, this could be a disadvantage.

• Resource consumption: Fedora tends to consume more system resources than some more minimalist Linux distributions. This could be a problem in environments with limited resources.

• Software compatibility: Since Fedora often uses the latest versions of software packages, there may sometimes be compatibility issues with older or less current software.

These potential weaknesses depend on the specific application and requirements of the server and may not be relevant in all situations. In many cases, the advantages of Fedora outweigh the drawbacks.

Fedora compared to other server operating systems

When choosing the right server operating system, it is important to consider the differences and individual characteristics of each alternative:

Fedora vs Debian

Fedora and Debian are both popular Linux distributions, but they differ in several key areas. Fedora, sponsored by Red Hat, focuses on providing the latest software and technologies with a short release cycle of about six months, whereas Debian is known for its stability and reliability, offering long support periods for each release. Additionally, Debian has broader support for various hardware architectures.

Fedora vs Ubuntu

While Ubuntu, based on Debian, is renowned for its user-friendliness, predictable release cycles, and significantly longer support periods, the closely related Fedora, associated with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, primarily stands for rapid adoption of the latest technologies and short release cycles. Ubuntu also emphasises wide software availability and convenience for end users.

Gentoo vs Fedora

While Fedora aims to provide the latest stable versions of software as a binary-based distribution, Gentoo operates as a source-based distribution, allowing users to compile software packages from source code, providing greater flexibility and adaptability to the user's specific needs and preferences. Gentoo also does not have a fixed release system; instead, users continuously update their system. Therefore, while Fedora is more focused on user-friendliness and stability, Gentoo caters to experienced users willing to invest more time and effort in customising and optimising their system.

Fedora vs Windows Server

Fedora and Windows Server are two different types of operating systems that mainly differ in terms of their architecture, licensing, and administration. Fedora is an open-source operating system based on the Linux kernel, known for its rapid adoption of the latest technologies and strong community support. In contrast, Windows Server is a proprietary operating system from Microsoft, recognised for its user-friendliness, seamless integration with other Microsoft products, and widespread commercial support.

Overall, the choice of server operating system heavily depends on specific requirements and context. However, Fedora excels in innovation and up-to-dateness, as well as broad support and community.

For more information on the differences between various Linux distributions, you can also refer to the article: Best Linux for Servers: Which Distributions Are Suitable?

When should a Fedora Server be preferred?

If having access to the latest technologies and features is important, Fedora is an excellent choice. As Fedora often serves as a testing ground for new features that will later be introduced in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), it is ideal for users who always want to stay up to date.

Due to its short release cycle and the fact that it often includes the latest versions of development tools, Fedora is an excellent choice for development and testing environments.

Fedora is known for its strong community support and extensive documentation, making it a good choice for educational or research environments where learning and experimentation are key.

However, it is important to note that Fedora has a short support cycle and requires frequent updates, making it less suitable for environments where long-term stability and low maintenance requirements are top priorities. In such cases, other operating systems like Debian or Ubuntu are often the better choice.

Our article is based on our own experiences and research as well as information from external sources.

Sources & further links on the topic:

https://fedoraproject.org/de/ (Official website of the Fedora Project)

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