HatFedoraCentOS

HatFedoraCentOS is an informal term used to describe the ecosystem surrounding Red Hat’s Linux offerings, notably Fedora and CentOS, and their relationship to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). The phrase combines Red Hat’s branding with the two major distributions that define the Fedora–RHEL lineage, emphasizing how they fit into enterprise Linux lifecycles.

Origins and scope: Fedora is a community-supported, cutting-edge Linux distribution that serves as the upstream for RHEL. CentOS originated as a free downstream rebuild of RHEL, providing a stable, enterprise-oriented alternative. In 2020 Red Hat announced a shift in the CentOS project, transforming CentOS Linux into CentOS Stream, a rolling-release distribution that sits between Fedora and RHEL as an upstream development track; CentOS Linux 8 reached end of life on 31 December 2021.

Current landscape: Fedora continues to release major versions roughly every six months, focusing on current technologies and innovation. CentOS Stream remains the upstream pre-release path for RHEL, intended for testing and early feedback rather than final downstream deployment. In parallel, projects such as Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux emerged as downstream, RHEL-compatible alternatives aiming to fill the traditional CentOS role. The HatFedoraCentOS term is therefore commonly used in discussions of lifecycle, packaging compatibility, and deployment strategies within the Red Hat ecosystem.

See also: Red Hat, Fedora Project, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux.