While some business decisions surrounding the RHEL ecosystem continue to generate discussion, AlmaLinux is accelerating its development with the release of version 9.7 'Moss Jungle Cat' (following the release of AlmaLinux 9.6 ). Far from being a mere clone, this edition demonstrates a maturity that now rivals any enterprise distribution in performance and reliability , while maintaining the 1:1 binary compatibility so highly valued by organizations.
This release is built on the same foundation as RHEL 9.7, yes, but what's truly interesting is the suite of improvements, tools, and processes that AlmaLinux has integrated since AlmaLinux 9.2 and makes available to everyone free of charge. From a modern toolchain to enhanced security and expanded support for containers and the cloud , the package makes it ideal for both fresh deployments and seamless migrations of existing infrastructures.
What AlmaLinux 9.7 'Moss Jungle Cat' offers
The core of the system remains on kernel 5.14, a stable and thoroughly tested version for production environments. The key promise remains: 1:1 binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.7 , with the added benefit of an active community, a robust update schedule, and no licensing fees or vendor lock-in.
The AlmaLinux Foundation has announced the general availability (GA) of this version, with ISOs ready on the official mirrors and torrents available for faster downloads. The releases cover all common enterprise architectures (x86_64, AArch64, ppc64le, and s390x) , and cloud, container, and live image builds are being rolled out as soon as the public repository is ready.
Downloads, torrents and images
You can now get the installation ISOs from the mirrors, and if you prefer P2P, torrents are also available to speed things up and distribute the load . Cloud images (for major providers), containers, and live images are released as soon as the build pipelines are complete, so if you don't see them yet, they'll be arriving soon.
For finer details and comprehensive changes, the AlmaLinux wiki hosts the release notes for version 9.7. If you need a canonical document for compliance or audits, the project's Release Notes are your reference , with updated package listings, module flows, and security policies.
Toolchain and module flows: unconstrained development
Version 9.7 stands out for its modern build chain, which allows users to compile and run current software without relying on third-party repositories. GCC 15, LLVM 20.1.8, Rust 1.88.0, and Go 1.24 form a development foundation ready for high-performance workloads and cloud-native applications.
- GNU C Library 2.34 y GNU Binutils 2.44 They fine-tune compatibility and runtime performance.
- Compilation instrumentation benefits from Annobin 12.98 for metadata and security checks.
- Among the updated module flows, the following stand out: Node.js 24 y SWIG 4.3, opening the door to web stacks and links between more current languages.
- The Microsoft ecosystem is also covered: .NET 10.0 It lands with stable support and easier deployment.
In the user and software development section, there are relevant updates: GIMP 3.0.4, Mesa 25.0.7, Samba 4.22.4 and Git-LFS 3.6.1 , with improvements in compatibility, graphics and workflows with large repositories.
Debugging, tracing, and performance: less time hunting bugs
Anyone who has had to diagnose crashes or memory leaks knows that each version of the tools makes a difference. In AlmaLinux 9.7, GDB 16.3 improves support for complex applications and multithreaded scenarios, while Valgrind 3.25.1 refines the detection of memory leaks, invalid accesses, and memory usage profiles.
- System Tap 5.3 y Dyninst 13.0.0 They expand dynamic instrumentation options for analysis without restarting services.
- elfutils 0.193 y libabigail 2.8 They help navigate symbols, ABIs, and binary changes more accurately.
- For observability, Bpftrace 0.23.5 y PCP 6.3.7 They offer real-time inspection and time series performance data.
- The registration layer is strengthened with rsyslog 8.2506.0And for dashboards we continue to rely on Graphana 10.2.6.
In real-world projects, upgrading to a newer version of this suite of utilities can save hours of diagnostics, reduce downtime, and increase confidence. If you work in SRE, performance engineering, or production support, you'll notice the benefits every day.
Networking and security in AlmaLinux 9.7: thinking about business and the post-quantum future
In networking, version 9.7 takes things to the next level with NetworkManager 1.54 , which simplifies advanced topologies, bonding, and VLANs, and with Ethtool 6.15 for profiling and fine-tuning network cards. iproute 6.14.0 completes the trio for policies, advanced routing, and queuing.
Security receives special attention. OpenSSL 3.5 introduces numerous improvements, most notably a cryptographic subpolicy 'PQ' to enable post-quantum cryptography (PQC) in a controlled, system-level manner. Additionally, there are key updates such as SSSD 2.9.7 , Keylime 7.12.1 for platform integrity with TPM, and SELinux-policy 38.1.65 , which strengthens confinement and rules.
All of this translates into a platform prepared to meet stricter compliance requirements today, and to anticipate post-quantum risk tomorrow , without having to reinvent the security stack in the medium term.
Containers, cloud and virtualization
For those working with microservices and CI/CD, the container foundation is up to date: Podman 5.6.0 and Buildah 1.41.4 simplify daemon-free building and execution, with improvements in security, compatibility, and performance. It's a platform ready for modern pipelines and deployments on Kubernetes or OpenShift without external dependencies.
AlmaLinux publishes official container and cloud images as soon as the public repository is ready, resulting in very short time-to-cloud. If you work with heterogeneous or multi-cloud architectures, having aligned artifacts between on-premises and the cloud reduces friction when moving workloads.
Binary compatibility and governance model
One-to-one compatibility with RHEL is the core of the project. This means that anything that works on RHEL 9.7 will work on AlmaLinux 9.7 without recompiling—a crucial guarantee for ISVs, hardware vendors, and operations teams with demanding SLAs.
Furthermore, the project is community-driven and open source, with a focus on stability and reproducibility. The community is active, responds quickly to issues, and collaborates on testing , which is reflected in the overall quality and the frequency of updates.
Migration and upgrades: from scare to routine
If you're coming from CentOS 8.5 , the migration to AlmaLinux is designed to be straightforward using official deployment tools. The goal is to minimize disruption and preserve configurations , repositories, and services with the least possible downtime.
For those still using CentOS 7 or needing to upgrade to a major version, the community maintains ELevate , which allows for in-place upgrades with controlled and verified paths. It's the recommended way to modernize without a clean install and maintain operational continuity.
Recent migration experiences provide interesting data for production environments. On Java/Tomcat application servers, a 15–20% performance improvement, reduced memory consumption at the same load, and more stable boot times have been observed.
On development workstations, builds are faster with GCC 15 and debugging is improved with GDB 16.3 . For teams, the change is seamless: same key tools, but more modern and refined.
Quick comparison with alternatives
Choosing an enterprise Linux distribution involves evaluating the community, support, and governance model. Compared to Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux is very similar technically , with differences in how the community is organized and makes decisions.
If you look at Oracle Linux, commercial support can be a plus , but it's worth considering potential vendor lock-in and the medium-term implications. Ubuntu Server offers a more 'modern' stack in some areas, but it's often less stable for legacy workloads that rely on ABIs, APIs, and predictable lifecycles.
Architectures supported in AlmaLinux 9.7
This version maintains the four key architectures: x86_64 for the bulk of servers and workstations; AArch64 , increasingly present in cloud and high-performance ARM; ppc64le for enterprise environments that require big endian lite; and s390x for mainframes where stability, I/O and security are non-negotiable.
Deployment recommendations
For new installations, use official ISOs , which include accumulated patches and community-tested regressions. If the target is containers or lightweight VMs, the minimal profile will give you smaller images and a smaller attack surface.
Don't forget to adjust the new tunable kernels according to your workload (I/O intensive, low latency, shared memory, etc.). In environments with compliance requirements, activate the 'PQ' cryptographic subpolicy only where applicable and validate compatibility with your clients and services.
If you're already on the 9.x branch, the upgrade process is straightforward and well-run. Configurations are preserved, and if any issues arise, reverting is simple as long as you have snapshots, backups, or package transactions ready.
Looking at the whole picture, this 9.7 release combines enterprise compatibility, a modern toolchain, powerful observability, and a clear focus on security (including post-quantum readiness). If your goal is stability without license fees and with an engaged community, this is a very solid foundation for mission-critical workloads, cloud-native environments, and demanding development teams.