CentOS 9 Minimal Generation 2 image

This is a minimal ready to use ProComputers packaged CentOS 9 Generation 2 image, mainly used as a common base system on top of which other appliances could be built and tested. It contains just enough packages to run within Azure, bring up an SSH Server and allow users to login.

Generation 2 virtual machines (Gen2 VMs) use the new UEFI-based boot architecture instead of BIOS-based architecture and have a simplified virtual hardware model and improved boot and installation times.

CentOS 9 – Rolling-Release, Stable, and RHEL-adjacent Linux for Cloud Workloads

CentOS 9 is a continuously delivered Linux distribution that sits between Fedora and RHEL, offering a preview of the next minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It is a stable, open-source, and community-driven distribution ideal for development, testing, and modern cloud-native applications. Backed by the CentOS community and maintained by Red Hat Inc., CentOS 9 serves as the upstream for RHEL 9 and provides early access to features and updates.

This CentOS 9 image is fully optimized for Microsoft Azure, supporting cloud-init for provisioning, fast boot times, and secure-by-default configurations for enterprise deployments.

Key Features of CentOS 9

Rolling-release model delivering updates slightly ahead of RHEL 9.
Cloud-init enabled for seamless provisioning in Azure.
Quick boot times and optimized defaults for Azure VMs.
Secure by default: SELinux in enforcing mode, SSH hardened, minimal package footprint.
Supports accelerated networking for low-latency, high-throughput applications.

Benefits of Using CentOS 9

Ideal for developing and validating workloads targeting RHEL 9.
Maintained by Red Hat with strong upstream alignment to RHEL.
Stability suitable for dev/test and pre-production environments.
Lightweight and efficient image for CI/CD, DevOps, and cloud-native workloads.

Use Cases for CentOS 9

Build and test applications with visibility into upcoming RHEL 9 changes.
Host scalable web apps using Nginx, Apache, PHP, or Python.
Deploy relational and NoSQL databases like PostgreSQL, MariaDB, or MongoDB.
Power LAMP/LEMP stacks or custom backend services in the Azure cloud.

Conclusion

This CentOS 9 Azure image offers a future-facing, stable environment for developers, system integrators, and IT operations teams. Whether you're building cutting-edge applications, testing RHEL-compatible workloads, or automating infrastructure, CentOS Stream 9 provides the flexibility and insight into RHEL's direction—delivered with enterprise-grade performance and security optimizations for Azure.

Other minimal ready-to-use images:

If this CentOS 9 image does not suit your needs, please choose another one from our popular image list below:

Why choose ProComputers?

With over 10 years of experience working with Microsoft Azure, ProComputers provides open-source software bundled together into solutions ready to be launched on-demand in the cloud.

Red Hat and CentOS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Red Hat or the CentOS Project.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

THIS PRODUCT IS PROVIDED AND LICENSED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

CentOS 9 Minimal Generation 2ProComputers

CentOS 9 Minimal Generation 2

ProComputers

CentOS 9 Minimal Generation 2

ProComputers

CentOS 9 Minimal Generation 2
ProComputers