Difference Between Fedora and Red Hat

January 2022 · 5 minute read

Fedora and Red hat are different types of operating systems meant for different audiences. Both Linux distributions are affiliated with the same organization, use the RPM package management, and offer desktop and server editions. Both Linux distributions have had a significant impact on the world of operating systems. 

Fedora vs Red Hat 

The main difference between Fedora and Red Hat is that Fedora is completely free of cost and is mainly meant for developers and system administers, whereas Red Hat is subscription-based and is mainly meant for businesses and corporate organizations. Fedora is also less stable when compared to Red Hat. 

Fedora is a commercialized enterprise deployment based on Red Hat Linux and its derivatives, all of which are classified as RPM-based deployments. This is a well-known and capable operating system. Fedora, on the other hand, is more open-source-focused than Mint, with no proprietary applications in its authorized package repository. It is offered at no cost. It has approximately 20000 modules to make it cost-effective, safe, and user-friendly. 

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is an open-source operating system in the Linux distributions family created by Red Hat Software, a software firm that creates software and provides administration and support for this software to businesses. Red Hat provides a wide range of usability options and cross-device support. It can be used to build computers, servers, and data clouds, also known as cloud servers. 

Comparison Table Between Fedora and Red Hat 

Parameters of Comparison Fedora Red Hat 
Cost Free Subscription-based. 
Target For developers and system administrators Businesses and corporate organizations 
Stability Less stable Most stable 
Technical Support Not supported by Red Hat Provides technical support 
Release Cycle Every 6 months Every 12 to 18 months 
Release Date 2003 1994 

What is Fedora?

Fedora is a Red Hat Enterprise-supported open-source Linux-based operating system. It is free to users and can be integrated with a variety of apps and packaged software. 

Fedora was first released in September 2003. It was also called Fedora Core at first. To connect to external machines or networks, Fedora OS employs IPSec. It makes safe, strong connections between machines by utilizing the Internet Key Exchange, or IKE protocol. 

Fedora is a robust operating system that is free to use and is based on the Linux kernel. It is a distributed open-source program that is widely supported by the global community. It was first called Fedora Core. It was first introduced in 2003. 

Fedora promotes Security-Enhanced Linux, a feature that incorporates various security measures that are lacking in the majority of Linux-based operating systems. It is strong and modular in design. Fedora has a quick development and releases cycle to give the most up-to-date technology on current hardware platforms. 

It is intended primarily for programmers and system developers. It is a Linux distribution based on the Linux kernel that is one of the most dependable and commonly used. It has a thriving global community that is constantly trying to improve it. 

It’s an excellent distribution for testing new programs or adding new features to existing apps as a development platform. It’s important to understand that because this is a testing environment, some apps may not work with RHEL. 

Fedora is designed for desktop users, with a fairly smooth interface based on the GNOME desktop environment. Fedora always has something fresh and fascinating to offer because the latest edition of the operating system is launched on a regular basis. A 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, and 10GB of space are required to install Fedora on a system. 

What is Red Hat? 

It is sold on an annual/monthly subscription basis, which includes technical assistance and access to the Red Hat network. It was released in 1994 as the successor to Fedora Core. 

Red Hat made every effort to promote its Enterprise Linux offering, as well as its capabilities and benefits for high-end applications. 

Red Hat is another Linux distribution system built by the business Red Hat Software, which was founded in 1995 and has since grown significantly. It is designed for businesses and shares a lot of code and instructions with Ubuntu due to the fact that they are both based on Linux. Red Hat is designed for the creation of enterprise applications. 

RHEL is the basic replacement to Fedora and the upgraded version of Red Hat Linux, which was discontinued in 2004. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is extremely stable and is available in monthly or annual subscriptions. It is one of the most popular Linux distributions since it is open-source and thus highly modifiable. 

Red Hat also guarantees ten years of dedicated software support for applications built with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. RHEL features include development tools, high security, high stability, virtualization, and so on. It also has an extremely responsive DE (Development Environment). It has also been improved to include more gadget support, an on-screen console, and multi-screen functionality. 

Main Differences Between Fedora and Red Hat 

  • Fedora is free of cost and an open-source Linux distribution OS. Red Hat is a subscription-based OS. 
  • Fedora is a general-purpose operating system that is meant for developers and system administrations. On the other hand, Red Hat is meant for corporate organizations and businesses. 
  • Fedora is comparatively less stable than Red Hat, which is the most stable Linux distribution. 
  • Fedora is not supported by Red Hat, which means it is not optimum for production environments, whereas Red Hat provides technical support for a fixed amount of time. 
  • Fedora releases new updates every 6 months. On the other hand, Red Hat releases updates every 12 to 18 months. 
  • Fedora was released in 2003, and Red Hat was released in 1994. 
  • Conclusion 

    Fedora acts as a testing ground for applications that may one day make their way into RHEL. It includes new technologies, security patches, new versions, and other variables that may cause specific software to become volatile or inappropriate for industrial use. 

    Based on the project’s progress, Red Hat is the business version, which has slower releases, comes with support, and isn’t free. Red hat is widely intended for commercial usage and requires a licensing cost; therefore, it is not free like Ubuntu. It can still be changed, subject to trademark restrictions. 

    References 

  • https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VHIteZ-uvlQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=fedora+and+red+hat&ots=KL-jMQ6E-h&sig=OOt_eFjTS8gcIlve6_sXWEerXbo 
  • http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780137142958/samplepages/0137142951_Sample.pdf 
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