How to Migrate CentOS 8 to AlmaLinux

What you will read?

1 Step 1 – Update Your CentOS 8 System
2 Step 2 – Install Migration Script
3 Step 3 – Run the Migration
4 Step 4 – Reboot into AlmaLinux
5 Step 5 – Verify the Migration

Since CentOS 8 reached its end of life, many sysadmins have migrated to AlmaLinux. It’s binary-compatible with RHEL and the migration is smooth using the official almalinux-deploy script.

Step 1 – Update Your CentOS 8 System

Before migrating, make sure your system is fully updated:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf -y update
sudo reboot

Once the system comes back up, confirm it’s CentOS 8:

cat /etc/centos-release

It should show something like:

CentOS Linux release 8.5.2111

Step 2 – Install Migration Script

Download the AlmaLinux migration tool:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy/master/almalinux-deploy.sh

Make it executable:

chmod +x almalinux-deploy.sh

Step 3 – Run the Migration

Now run the migration script:

sudo bash almalinux-deploy.sh

This process replaces CentOS packages with AlmaLinux equivalents. It may take a while depending on your server specs and network.

You’ll see package replacements, reinstallation logs, and eventually a success message.

Step 4 – Reboot into AlmaLinux

Once done, reboot your system:

sudo reboot

Step 5 – Verify the Migration

After rebooting, verify that your system is now AlmaLinux:

cat /etc/os-release

Expected output:

NAME="AlmaLinux"
ID="almalinux"
...

You can also use:

hostnamectl

It should confirm you’re running AlmaLinux 8.x.