EuroLinux

EuroLinux was an RHEL-compatible enterprise Linux distribution developed and maintained by EuroLinux Sp. z o.o., a company based in Poland, built from a European perspective with unique positioning around data sovereignty, European timezone support, and localized compliance.

Overview

EuroLinux has been providing an RHEL-compatible distribution since 2013, making it a relatively low-profile but long-standing EL project. Headquartered in Krakow, Poland, it primarily targets the European enterprise market.

Core Positioning

European-native RHEL 1:1 compatible distribution
European data sovereignty and compliance
Commercial technical support in European timezones
Both server and desktop editions available

History

Year	Event
2013	EuroLinux project started
2014	EuroLinux 6 released (based on RHEL 6)
2017	EuroLinux 7 released
2021	EuroLinux 8 released
2021	Free downloads opened after CentOS EOL
2022	EuroLinux 9 released
2022	EuroLinux Desktop released
2024-07	EuroLinux 7 reaches end of life
2024-10	EuroLinux 8/9 ship final packages; distribution discontinued

Before the CentOS EOL, EuroLinux was primarily a paid subscription model; after CentOS’s discontinuation it shifted to free download with optional paid support. By October 2024, however, the company decided to stop maintaining the distribution itself, pivoting to open-source support and consulting services across multiple Linux distributions and recommending that users migrate to Rocky Linux.

RHEL Compatibility

EuroLinux aims for 1:1 binary compatibility with RHEL:

All packages rebuilt from RHEL SRPMs
Red Hat branding replaced with EuroLinux branding
Same package versions and features as RHEL
Applications running on RHEL work directly on EuroLinux

Compatibility After Source Code Restrictions

EuroLinux’s compatibility approach mirrors that of traditional CentOS — striving for per-package parity. Following Red Hat’s 2023 restrictions on source code access, EuroLinux adjusted its source acquisition strategy, similar to other EL distributions.

European Data Sovereignty

One of EuroLinux’s most important differentiators is its European identity.

Why This Matters

With the implementation of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and other European regulations, an increasing number of European enterprises are concerned about:

Data storage location: Data and infrastructure within the EU
Vendor jurisdiction: Avoiding extraterritorial reach of US laws (such as the CLOUD Act)
Supply chain security: Using European-native vendors to reduce geopolitical risk

EuroLinux Compliance Advantages

Company registered and operating in the EU (Poland)
Infrastructure and mirror sources in Europe
Technical support team in Europe
GDPR compliant
Suitable for procurement tenders requiring EU-based vendors

This is particularly important in government, financial services, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Commercial Support

EuroLinux’s commercial support services are centered on European customers.

Support Tiers

Tier	Response Time	Service Hours	Description
Basic	Next business day	Business hours (CET/CEST)	Basic support
Standard	4 hours	Business hours	Standard support
Premium	1 hour	24/7	Full-time support

European Timezone Advantage

Compared to support teams from Red Hat (US) or CIQ (US), EuroLinux’s support team operates in the CET/CEST timezone, which means for European customers:

Immediate response during business hours
No cross-timezone communication needed
Support available in English and Polish
Familiarity with European regulations and compliance requirements

Additional Services

Migration consulting and implementation
Security hardening and compliance auditing
Training services
Custom solutions

EuroLinux Desktop

One of EuroLinux’s distinctive products is EuroLinux Desktop — a desktop distribution based on RHEL.

Features

Pre-configured GNOME desktop environment
Multimedia codecs pre-installed (via Flatpak)
Office and everyday applications ready out of the box
Enterprise-grade stability for desktop use

Use Cases

Enterprise desktop standardization
Developer workstations (consistent with server environment)
Government and educational institution desktop deployment
Scenarios requiring an RHEL-compatible desktop

# EuroLinux Desktop includes:
# GNOME Desktop
# LibreOffice
# Firefox
# Thunderbird email client
# Common utilities

Installation and Configuration

Getting EuroLinux

Download: euro-linux.com/eurolinux/download

Available images:

Server DVD: Full server installation
Server Minimal: Minimal installation
Desktop: Desktop edition
Cloud Images: Cloud images

Repository Structure

# View enabled repositories
dnf repolist

# EuroLinux 9 main repositories:
# eurolinux-baseos       BaseOS
# eurolinux-appstream    AppStream
# eurolinux-crb          CodeReady Builder

Repository	Description
baseos	Core system packages
appstream	Applications and runtimes
crb	Developer tools and libraries
extras	Additional tools

Post-Installation Setup

# Check system version
cat /etc/eurolinux-release

# Update the system
sudo dnf update -y

# Enable CRB repository
sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

# Install EPEL
sudo dnf install -y epel-release

# Install common tools
sudo dnf install -y vim wget curl bash-completion

Migrating from Other Distributions

EuroLinux used to provide migration scripts from other EL distributions:

# Migrate to EuroLinux (from CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, etc.)
# Download migration script
curl -O https://github.com/EuroLinux/eurolinux-migration-scripts/raw/main/migrate2eurolinux.sh

# Run migration
sudo bash migrate2eurolinux.sh

# Reboot after migration
sudo reboot

Supported migration sources:

CentOS Linux 7/8
AlmaLinux 8/9
Rocky Linux 8/9
Oracle Linux 7/8/9
RHEL 7/8/9 (requires unregistering)

Architecture Support

x86_64 (primary platform)
aarch64 (ARM64)

Ideal Use Cases

EuroLinux is well-suited for:

European enterprises: Need a European-native EL distribution and support
Compliance requirements: GDPR and data sovereignty compliance
Government projects: Procurement standards requiring EU-based vendors
Desktop deployment: Enterprise-grade RHEL-compatible desktop needed
Small and medium businesses: Need EL-compatible systems with localized support

Less Ideal For

Users outside Europe (mirror sources and support timezone inconvenience)
Need for large-scale community support (smaller community)
Need for multi-architecture support (only x86_64 and ARM64)

Comparison with Other EL Distributions

Feature	EuroLinux	AlmaLinux	Rocky Linux
Headquarters	Poland	USA	USA
Positioning	European market	Global community	Global community
Desktop edition	Yes	Live only	Live only
Commercial support	European TZ	TuxCare	CIQ
Community size	Smaller	Large	Large
Unique selling point	EU data sovereignty	ELevate	Peridot

Summary

EuroLinux once occupied a unique niche in the EL ecosystem — European-native enterprise Linux — with distinct value for European enterprises concerned about data sovereignty, GDPR compliance, and European timezone support. However, the distribution was discontinued in October 2024; the company pivoted to open-source support services and now recommends migrating to Rocky Linux. This page now serves mainly as historical reference for how the EL ecosystem evolved; for new deployments choose an actively maintained distribution such as AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux.