Baseline: AlmaLinux 9.3. Covered range: versioned changes from 9.4 through
10.2, including 9.8-10.2-ga, plus lifecycle, ELevate, and project-security
updates captured through 2026-07-11.
Reference index
| Reference | Topics |
|---|---|
| platform-installation.md | Kernels, architectures, x86-64-v2, i686, media, Btrfs, Secure Boot, legacy hardware, lifecycle |
| packages-toolchains.md | Application streams, compilers, debugging tools, package omissions and replacements |
| security-cryptography.md | Crypto policies, OpenSSL, RPMv6, OpenPGPv6, SELinux, Keylime, identity |
| operations-virtualization.md | Networking, logging, containers, IBM POWER KVM, SPICE, kernel behavior |
| system-upgrades.md | Beta conversion, ELevate paths, Leapp contracts, third-party repository transitions |
| security-advisories.md | 2026 kernel, container-escape, local-root, and nginx advisories |
Compatibility breaks and deprecations
Choose the AlmaLinux 10 x86 build deliberately
The standard AlmaLinux 10 x86_64 build uses the x86-64-v3 CPU baseline.
Use AlmaLinux's x86_64_v2 build for older CPUs, but account for the fact
that RHEL 10 third-party packages target v3. A v2 system is safest with the
default OS package set or packages rebuilt for v2 (10.0).
AlmaLinux 10.0 removed i686 packages. AlmaLinux 10.2 restores i686
userspace for legacy applications, CI, and containers
(9.8-10.2-ga), but it does not add an i686 installer or 32-bit kernel.
The packages live on vault.almalinux.org, official containers use
linux/386, and the stream is maintained through 2035 (10.2).
Do not assume upstream package parity
Notable packages absent from AlmaLinux include:
9.5:insights-client,kmod-redhat-*,kpatch*,openssl-fips-provider,rhc, Subscription Manager add-ons,virt-who,virtio-win, and Windows SPICE packages.9.6:command-line-assistant.10.0:redhat-cloud-client-configuration,redhat-flatpak-data,redhat-support-lib-python, andredhat-support-tool.
AlmaLinux supplies its own backgrounds, index, logos, release, and related
branding packages (9.7). See the package reference for exact names.
Toolchain and lifecycle traps
- Starting with GCC Toolset 15, the toolset no longer ships Annobin or
dwz(9.7). System Annobin remains separately versioned. - A minor AlmaLinux release reaches end of life when the next minor ships.
The major version's active and security windows do not extend an old minor
(
release-catalog). - New AlmaLinux 10.1 installations enable CRB by default (
10.1). Do not assume an upgraded or older installation has the same repository state.
Upgrade hazards
Stable ELevate supports AlmaLinux 9.8 to 10.2
(elevate-upgrades). The x86_64_v2 AlmaLinux 9 to AlmaLinux 10 and
Kitten 10 paths use dedicated leapp-data-*x86_64_v2 packages and were
released to NG.
Before chaining CentOS 7 to EL8 to EL9, remove every ELevate-related EL7
package after reaching EL8. Stale leapp-data-* can conflict with
leapp-upgrade-* under /etc/leapp/repos.d/system_upgrade and create
malformed semicolon-suffixed symlinks.
Keep these rules in mind:
--targetselects only a published, supported destination minor; an unreleased target may disappear until it ships.- Non-
x86_64architectures can use the standard quickstart with current map files. - EL9-to-EL10 PES data covers EPEL, Docker CE, PostgreSQL, nginx, KernelCare, MariaDB, Imunify, and Imunify360 alt-PHP, but not MariaDB MaxScale or Tools.
- Microsoft signing keys differ:
BE1229CFfor EL8/EL9 andF748182Bfor EL10. - Imunify360 alt-PHP needs its repository token substituted before upgrade.
- LUKS volumes bound to Clevis with a TPM 2.0 token are now permitted.
net.naming-schemeis enabled by default.--enable-experimental-featureexplicitly enables experimental Leapp features, including simplified LiveMode.
Use system-upgrades.md for the exact Leapp/data versions, repository mappings, transition actions, and 9.4 or 10.0 beta-to-stable commands.
Installation and storage quick reference
AlmaLinux 10 media
Media follow AlmaLinux-10.0-$arch-{boot,minimal,dvd}.iso. Only boot media
needs a network source. If discovery fails, use a mirror's
10.0/BaseOS/$arch/kickstart/ path (10.0).
Verify with the AlmaLinux 10 signing key:
wget https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-10
gpg --import RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-10
gpg --verify CHECKSUM
sha256sum AlmaLinux-10.0-$(uname -m)-boot.iso
The key fingerprint is
EE6D B7B9 8F5B F5ED D9DA 0DE5 DEE5 C11C C2A1 E572.
Storage, boot, and hardware
- AlmaLinux 10.1 can install and boot on Btrfs. Initial scope is the installer
and storage-management stack, not blanket support across all software
(
10.1). - AlmaLinux 9.8 shim 16.1 is dual-signed with the Microsoft 2011 and 2023
UEFI Secure Boot certificates (
9.8). - AlmaLinux 9.4 and 10.2 restore support for substantial sets of older
storage and networking hardware. Some 9.4
be2netdevices need kernel5.14.0-427.18.1.el9_4or later.
Cryptography and trust quick reference
| Release | Behavior |
|---|---|
| AlmaLinux 9.5 | System crypto-policy algorithm selection extends to Java; OpenSSL 3.2.2 adds TLS certificate compression and TLS 1.3 Brainpool curves. |
| AlmaLinux 9.7 | Select the PQ subpolicy to enable post-quantum algorithms; OpenSSL 3.5 adds ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, and default hybrid ML-KEM TLS groups. |
| AlmaLinux 10.0 | Crypto policies, OpenSSL, and OpenSSH 9.9 support post-quantum algorithms; OpenSSL adds FIPS-compliant PKCS #12 and pkcs11-provider. |
| AlmaLinux 10.1 | Post-quantum algorithms are on by default in every system crypto policy; RPMv6 supports multiple signatures and Sequoia handles post-quantum RPM and OpenPGPv6 signatures. |
Other high-value security changes:
- OpenSSL provider configuration has a drop-in directory (
9.4). - SELinux 3.6 supports explicit deny rules (
9.4); SELinux 3.8 can emit CIL fromaudit2allowand supports the sandbox on Wayland (10.0). - Keylime agent 0.2.7 supports IDevID and IAK credentials and defaults to
TLS 1.3;
keylime-policyconsolidates policy management (10.0). - AlmaLinux 10.0 supplies a
sudosystem role for fleet configuration.
Applications, tracing, and virtualization
- AlmaLinux 9.4 adds Python 3.12, Ruby 3.3, PHP 8.2, nginx 1.24, MariaDB 10.11, and PostgreSQL 16 streams.
- AlmaLinux 9.6 updates Maven 3.9, MySQL 8.4, nginx 1.26, and PHP 8.3.
- AlmaLinux 9.8 adds Python 3.14 and new MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and Ruby
streams; AlmaLinux 10.2 includes Python 3.14, PostgreSQL 18, MariaDB 11.8,
Ruby 4.0, and PHP 8.4 (
9.8-10.2-ga). - AlmaLinux 10 enables frame pointers distribution-wide for real-time tracing
without rebuilding workloads (
10.0). - IBM Power KVM starts as a technology preview in 9.6 and is fully enabled for IBM POWER in 10.2.
- AlmaLinux 10 enables SPICE in server and client applications (
10.0). - The AlmaLinux 9.8 kernel includes a dentry-lock race fix for excessive
systemdandpsCPU during task cleanup (9.8).
Use the package and operations references for complete version matrices.
Security response snapshot
Advisory status here is from project-news on 2026-07-11. Re-check current
repositories before acting.
| Issue | Exposure | Snapshot status |
|---|---|---|
| GhostLock, CVE-2026-43499 | Local root and container escape; every supported release | Patched kernels in testing |
| Januscape, CVE-2026-53359 | KVM/x86 guest-to-host root escape; every release | Patched kernels in testing |
| Bad Epoll, CVE-2026-46242 | Local root on AlmaLinux 9 and 10 | Patched kernels in testing |
| IPv6 fragmentation flaw | Container-to-host root on AlmaLinux 10 and Kitten 10 | AlmaLinux 10 fix in testing; Kitten fix scheduled |
| CIFSwitch, CVE-2026-46243 | Local root through cifs.spnego under specific namespace/package conditions |
Fixed kernels in production; update and reboot |
| CVE-2026-46333 | Read root-owned files through __ptrace_may_access() |
Patched kernels in testing; mitigation available |
| NGINX Rift, CVE-2026-42945 | Unauthenticated rewrite-module heap overflow | Fixed packages in production for all supported releases and streams |
Copy Fail, Dirty Frag, and Fragnesia are additional local-root risks for multi-tenant systems, build farms, CI, and untrusted shells. Read security-advisories.md for CVEs, affected contexts, mitigations, and captured package state.