=> About CentOS
CentOS Linux is a Linux distribution derived from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Because it is free, CentOS Linux is widely popular with Linux users, web hosts and small businesses. However, as with most free things, you do give up something. In this case, there is no direct CentOS support services offered by the CentOS team. So before you select CentOS for your next project, there are a few things you should know about using CentOS Linux.
Personally, I used CentOS for some of my projects, but there are some growing concerns about using it for commercial purposes. At many hosting providers, the cost difference between CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux is minimal. In these cases, I recommend you select RHEL.
=> CentOS is not Red Hat Enterprise Linux
CentOS is a repackaged version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The CentOS team is a volunteer group that repackages publicly available RHEL source packages into binaries. The software is then distributed through various public mirrors. To my knowledge, there is no direct relationship or partnership between CentOS and Red Hat. The lack of this formal relationships has created problems in the past, such as a when Red Hat demanded all Red Hat branding be removed from CentOS.
h3. No Official CentOS Support
While there are a number of companies that support CentOS Linux, there is no official, commercial support service. With RHEL, you get support directly from Red Hat. With CentOS, you rely on the community or IT consultants for commercial CentOS support.
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