Short answerChoose Ubuntu LTS if you are unsure, Debian for long-term stability, Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux for RHEL software and Alpine for tiny containers.
Comparison
| System | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04 LTS | Beginners, web apps, Docker | Largest community and the most tutorials |
| Debian 12 / 13 | Stable servers that run for years | Lightweight and very conservative updates |
| Rocky Linux 8 / 9 | Enterprise software built for RHEL | Free RHEL-compatible rebuild |
| AlmaLinux 8 / 9 | cPanel, enterprise and RHEL workloads | Free RHEL-compatible, foundation-backed |
| CentOS Stream 9 / 10 | Testing the next RHEL release | Rolling preview of RHEL |
| Alpine Linux 3 | Containers and tiny services | Extremely small, uses musl and apk |
Our advice
- Not sure? Choose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: almost every guide on the internet works on it.
- Want maximum stability? Choose Debian.
- Running software that requires RHEL? Choose Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux.
- Need the smallest footprint? Choose Alpine Linux.
- Prefer LTS (long-term support) releases for production servers.
Operating systems at Hunati
When you order a Hunati KVM VPS you can pick AlmaLinux 8 or 9, Alpine Linux 3, CentOS Stream 9 or 10, Debian 11, 12 or 13, Rocky Linux 8 or 9, or Ubuntu 22.04, 23.04, 24.04 or 25.04.
Pick your OS and deploy a VPS.
Configure a VPS