Operating systems
Servers.com allows you to select an operating system that will be automatically installed and configured on your server. You can get the most up-to-date list of available operating systems when ordering a cloud or dedicated server in the Customer Portal.
Concepts
An operating system (OS) is basic software installed on a server during provisioning to manage hardware resources and allow other programs to run. When working with cloud servers, the operating system is referred to as an image.
An OS family is a group of operating systems sharing common principles and core components. There are two main OS families: Linux and Windows.
An OS distribution (distro) is a particular operating system within an OS family.
Operating systems can also be classified by how updates are delivered:
- Rolling release — updates are delivered continuously as soon as they are ready. The OS always has the latest software but may be less stable.
- Standard release — changes are collected into a single major update released on a schedule. This provides more stability but may delay access to the latest software.
Use cases
AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux is a free, community-driven operating system designed as a CentOS replacement. It provides enterprise stability and binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and offers 10 years of security support per major version.
Use cases: web servers, enterprise applications, hosting control panels, database servers.
CentOS Stream
CentOS Stream is a rolling-release distribution positioned between Fedora and RHEL. Updates flow from Fedora to CentOS Stream and then land in RHEL, making CentOS Stream a preview of future RHEL versions.
Use cases: pre-production testing, development targeting RHEL ecosystems, continuous integration setups.
Debian
Debian is a community-driven Linux distribution and the foundation of Ubuntu. It is known for a conservative approach to updates and is preferred in environments where stability, predictability, and uptime matter more than having the latest software versions.
Use cases: production servers, long-lived systems, research clusters, critical infrastructure.
Rocky Linux
Rocky Linux was founded by the original creator of CentOS and shares a similar philosophy with AlmaLinux — stable, production-ready, and with long-term support. Some users prefer Rocky Linux for its CentOS heritage and community-first focus.
Use cases: enterprise servers, hosting, RHEL-compatible applications.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a Debian-based operating system by Canonical that offers a more user-friendly experience and newer packages. Its large ecosystem and broad community support make it popular for cloud deployments and development environments.
Use cases: cloud servers, container hosts (Docker/Kubernetes), general-purpose Linux systems.
Windows Server
Windows Server is Microsoft's server operating system designed to run enterprise applications, directory services, file services, and workloads built on the Microsoft ecosystem. Servers.com offers the Standard and Datacenter editions.
Use cases:
- Microsoft stack integration — ideal for extending infrastructure into the cloud with tight integration with Active Directory, Group Policies, Exchange Server, and .NET applications.
- Remote desktop infrastructure — Windows Server's graphical environment makes it straightforward to provide remote app access or full desktop sessions to employees.
- SQL Server — while SQL Server has supported Linux since 2017, some advanced features are only available or better supported on Windows. Many third-party management, monitoring, and compliance tools also assume a Windows Server platform.
No operating system
Servers.com allows you to order a server without any operating system. In this case, you can reach the server via an out-of-band (OOB) connection and set it up according to your needs.
Use cases: custom projects.