Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons)
Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons). When you talk about the most popular Linux distributions, Ubuntu and Redhat will feature very prominently. They are one of the most popular open source Linux distros available today. While you can use both operating systems (OS) for the same purposes, they have a log of differences in functionality.
If you’re trying to pick your first open source distribution to run a web server or start your ethical hacking career, this article will give you a complete overview of both distros and help you decide which is best for you.
Let’s start with article Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons).
What is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is a free and open source Linux based operating system developed by Canonical. It is also one of the most popular distributions belonging to the Debian family of Linux. Canonical released it for Desktop, Server, and Core for IoT devices. Each of these releases can run as a standalone operating system, or you can run it as a virtual machine on a host computer.
Features of Ubuntu
No Antivirus
Unlike Windows OS, which has companies developing antivirus software, Canonical developed Ubuntu with security in focus, eliminating the need for expensive antivirus subscriptions. As a result, Ubuntu is secure enough for most users even without antivirus scanners.
Hardware Configuration
Moreover Ubuntu has built in drivers, which are available right from the initial setup. With this feature, you don’t have to look for drivers after installing the operating system. You also don’t need to spend extra hours configuring your machine’s hardware.
Editing Software
Office Suites
In addition Ubuntu has features available for you to create any document of your choice. Creating spreadsheets, word documents, and presentations are all possible on Ubuntu. Google documents are also pretty easy to use here.
SSH Client
There are various SSH clients for Windows, like Putty, but none of them are preinstalled in the operating system. However, Ubuntu has an SSH tunnel built into the Operating System, allowing you to access your SSH client without using third party software.
Software Center and Repositories
Although Ubuntu comes with pre installed software like web browser, PDF Reader, and Thunderbird, you can install more software on your PC from the Ubuntu software center. Also Ubuntu also has several repositories allowing you to install thousands of free and secure applications.
Pros of Ubuntu
User Friendliness
Privacy and Security
Variety of Flavors to Choose From
If you’re new to Linux and open source software, you might use the default Ubuntu flavors for a long time. However, this shouldn’t be the case because Ubuntu has many flavours available for download, which you can install and start using immediately.
Cons of Ubuntu
Limited Game Support
If you’re into hard core gaming or enjoy playing games in your spare time, you’ll find the Ubuntu OS troublesome as the OS doesn’t support a wide range of gaming titles. In fact, most graphics intensive and advanced games can’t run on the Ubuntu operating system.
Compatibility Issues
Over the years, Ubuntu has developed and improved its OS, but users have occasionally reported several compatibility issues with their graphics or wireless cards. Sometimes, users complain that they cannot connect to their printers because of unknown hardware problems. However, most of these compatibility issues stem from the inability of Ubuntu to blend in with the hardware components of the host machine.
Imminent Commercialization
Canonical has consistently come under fire due to fears and suspicions that they are slowly moving to commercialize the software. With each release from the developers, there seem to be less inputs from the open source community; rather, the company works on the updates on its own.
Next with Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ? is time to learn about Red Hat.
What is Red Hat?
Red Hat is an open source Linux based operating system developed specifically for businesses and enterprises. Red Hat is often called RHEL, meaning Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It operates like most Linux based OS but is more stable and offers more cutting edge features than other Linux distributions. Furthermore, Red Hat is the successor of the popular Fedora CoreOS.
Features of Red Hat
Easy Installation and Migration
Undeniably Red Hat simplifies the installation process if you migrate from a different Linux distribution. It has several tools that automate the migration process. These tools are helpful utilities that help you get started when you migrate from CentOS Linux or any other distro.
Security
RHEL includes built in security features such as live kernel patching, security standards certification, security profiles, and a trusted software supply chain that meet the current high security and compliance standards. These features simplify how organizations mitigate risk, maintain compliance, and automate security.
Container Development Tools
Secondly Red Hat contains container tools like Skopeo and Podman that facilitate the development of applications by isolating the applications in separate containers.
File System
For each Red Hat version release, they utilize a different file system. For Red Hat Linux 9, the default file system for the local disk is XFS and ext4. The XFS file system supports shared copy on write (COW) functionality that allows two or more files to share a common set of data blocks.
Pros of Red Hat
Certified in the Cloud
Due to the flexibility and dynamic nature of the Cloud, you need to run a stable yet flexible operating system that can adapt to the unique nature of each cloud environment. So Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers businesses the flexibility of open source code and certifications from many certified cloud providers. In addition, with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can build and deploy cloud native applications in public clouds.
Enterprise Security
If you’re running a large data center, the OS powering the data center needs to be secure to protect your data. RHEL has thousands of developers constantly monitoring each line of code to help find flaws and fix vulnerabilities.
Compatibility with Newer Technologies
One of the major drawbacks of Linux distributions like Ubuntu is their incompatibility with emerging technologies. However, Red Hat Enterprise Linux is designed for any enterprise, allowing you to lay down the foundation while also preparing for future possibilities. This OS also has built in artificial intelligence and containers, allowing it to adapt to the ever changing IT industry.
Simplified Migration Process
If you’re working with large data centers, you’ll need to deploy and integrate several services across multiple clouds continuously. Red Hat Enterprise Linux simplifies the migration process allowing you to easily port over to the service irrespective of your previous Linux distribution. RHEL provides several utilities which will help you with the installation, migration, upgrading, and eventually deployment.
Extended Support
When you subscribe to Red Hat’s premium packages, you can enjoy the support of up to 10 years on all your critical applications. With this extended life cycle support, you can easily maintain all your priority applications over ten years without worrying about app stability in updates.
Cons of Red Hat
Cost
For most Red Hat is all well and good for people who see the need for a premium subscription, but most individual developers will rarely purchase a Red Hat subscription. Most enterprises will see no harm in paying for a subscription, but most individual users prefer going the free route when looking for an open source Linux distribution.
Steep Learning Curve
If you have experience with Linux distributions, it shouldn’t take much time for you to get the workaround with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. However, if you’re new to Linux and command line interactions, you’ll find it hard to understand the operating system’s inner workings for a long time.
Security Patches
When you’re running Red Hat Enterprise Linux on your server, you’ll have to implement a lot of security updates and patches to the software and to top it off, you’ll still need money to patch vulnerabilities when they turn up.
Differences Between Ubuntu and Red Hat
Let’s talk about Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ?
Purpose
Ubuntu
First of all Ubuntu was developed to serve Desktop users majorly. Well that’s why the interface is so user friendly. It targets individual home users. However, Canonical also offers support contracts even though Ubuntu is usually run on PCs. In fact, some enterprises prefer Ubuntu to Red Hat.
Red Hat
Second of all Red Hat was developed for server side platforms, thus leading to its complex graphical interface. Like its name suggests RHEL is strictly an enterprise Linux distribution that targets large enterprises. It focuses on managing and licensing open source software products to large corporations and not individual home users.
Cost
Ubuntu
Third of all Ubuntu was released as a free and open source operating system, and it remains free for now. The Canonical team charges zero fees to its users – you don’t even need an account to download or use Ubuntu. However, if you need commercial support, you’ll need to subscribe to Ubuntu Advantage.
Red Hat
But with Red Hat it also offers a free, no cost version accessible to all its users. However, this free version is more of a ‘try out’ version and is limited to 16 servers at a given time. This might be a problem if you have more servers in your company or business. Additionally, Red Hat offers a premium license to enterprises, which can be purchased as an annual or monthly subscription, depending on your preference.
Operating System and Software Manager
Ubuntu
With Ubuntu it was developed as a Debian based operating system. All features and functionalities are derived from Debian’s existing OS. In addition, Ubuntu uses the Advanced Package management Tool (APT) package manager of Debian, which is a powerful tool for software management.
Red Hat
Overall Red Hat is an independent OS; it is not modelled after any base operating system. Rather, it is developed as an independent system and uses its RHEL architecture. Redhat also uses its own software manager known as Red Hat Linux Package Management (RPM).
Learning Curve
Ubuntu
Learning with Ubuntu vs Redhat, well Ubuntu has a very intuitive interface with which beginners can get up to speed within a short while. And if you’ve had prior exposure to Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu server will be a lot easier to operate. Furthermore, Ubuntu has a big helpful community that readily assists its users.
Red Hat
Here with Red Hat it was designed with enterprise services in mind. Most of its operations are from the command line. This makes it a bit difficult to utilize the OS. In addition, Redhat is difficult for beginners to learn, since it is more of a Command Line Interface (CLI) based system.
Installation and System Requirements
Ubuntu
You can easily install Ubuntu by booting your PC using either a DVD or USB flash drive containing the required version of Ubuntu. Furthermore, the desktop edition of Ubuntu requires a 2GHz dual core processor, 25GB of hard disk space, and 2GB of RAM.
Red Hat
Interestingly with Red Hat it has different methods for its installation process. You can install it with a bootable RHEL DVD or a USB flash drive. You can also install with a CD ROM using a drive or via an NFS server. The system requirements for Red Hat vary. For instance, you’ll need a minimum of 6GB hard disk space and 2GB RAM for the version 6. Meanwhile, the version 7 requires at least 10GB hard disk space and 2GB RAM.
Support
Ubuntu
Support of Ubuntu provides an extensive level of help with its operating system. It gives more priority to focus on the latest versions and features for the particular usage. In addition, you can use Ubuntu on different devices and servers such as PCs, tablets, and even on smartphones.
Red Hat
On the other hand, Red Hat favours stability and performance over support. So, while it doesn’t come with several features and frequent updates, it’s highly reliable, stable, and lightweight. Moreover, Red Hat offers support for its services for up to 10 years.
Thank you for reading Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons) until the end. Let’s conclude.
Ubuntu vs Red Hat - What's the Difference ? (Pros and Cons) Conclusion
Summarizing Ubuntu vs Redhat – What’s the Difference ? are both excellent operating systems. Ubuntu seems to favour individual users who need a free, open source distro for their daily tasks. However, Red Hat works best for enterprises and large corporations. Lastly Ubuntu is also easy to install and operate compared to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you’re a beginner, Ubuntu is a more suitable option.
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