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What Is Fedora Linux? Everything You Need to Know

Fedora is one of the major Linux distributions, but what features and advantages have made this distribution stand next to big names like Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat?

The Fedora distribution has become one of the most popular Linux distributions with its wonderful features, such as providing the latest packages and software, high security, and various versions. It has attracted the attention of most developers.

Suppose you choose one of the Linux distributions, and Fedora has caught your attention. In that case, we recommend that you first read this comprehensive article and then make your decision:

What is Federova distribution?

Fedora was first released in 2003 as one of the distributions supported by Red Hat. At the beginning of the release period, this distribution was known as “fedora Linux,” which was later changed to “Fedora Core,” but finally, its permanent name was “fedora.”

The Fedora operating system is one of the best open-source and Linux-based distributions, which has attracted the attention of many people due to its high security and general use.

Although about 14 years have passed since this distribution’s first release, users’ enthusiasm to use the latest software and features of Linux has made Fedora continue to be one of the most popular Linux distributions in the Linux market. Fedora Linux distribution’s release and update period are 6 to 8 months, and this positive feature has kept it fresh and stable.

Fedora distribution versions

If you visit Fedora’s official website, you will come across five different versions, three versions are introduced as the main version, and two versions are introduced as the emerging version:

fedora WORKSTATION

Workstation is a reliable, user-friendly, and powerful operating system that every developer – from a student eager to learn to a professional developer in a large company – can install on their laptop or PC and use in a simple and clean environment. enjoy it

With this version, you have access to the toolbox, and in addition to the fact that you can easily and for free use the complete set of Fedora languages and tools, you are also free to create new and useful features. Also, hosting tools like COPR help quickly make your code and builds available to the community.

This version of Fedora allows you to build container-based applications with Open Container Initiative (OCI) built-in image support.

fedora SERVER

Using this version of Fedora, you can run your desired applications on bare metal and cloud systems and benefit from the latest open-source technologies.

Users can choose the application version and the language stack they need. Even if their system is upgraded to the latest version, you will not have problems running the application and using languages.

Fedora server management is done using the powerful and modern Cockpit graphical interface. This graphical interface makes it easier for the user to view and monitor the performance and status of the system and deploy and manage computer-based services.

Fedora IoT

This version is the foundation for IoT and provides a reliable and immutable system to the user using OSTree technology. Also, system administrators can check the health and functionality of the system using the green boot framework. High scalability and support for different architectures are other features of this version.

Users who use this version have both the Open Container Initiative (OCI) and can deploy and manage their container-based applications.

In general, security, one of the most important needs of IoT devices, is fully provided with this version. Support for TPM2, SecureBoot, and automatic decryption with Clevis are the most important factors from which the IoT version of Fedora benefits.

Two emerging versions:

Fedora CoreOS – Automatic, minimal, container-based update.

Fedora Silverblue – an immutable desktop operating system aimed at supporting container-based workflows.

Of course, Fedora versions are also categorized by SPINs, each of which has its desktop environment. KDE Plasma, XFCE, LXQt, MATE-Compiz, and LXDE are among the most popular ones, which differ in the appearance of the graphical interface and the way to use their various features.

In this section, we examine the most important features of Fedora to understand why this distribution has achieved significant achievements compared to Windows and macOS:

Exciting desktop environment

Fedora’s default desktop environment is Gnome, but the developers of this distribution have done their best to expand Gnome’s features and capabilities. By installing this distribution, you will face a beautiful and modern view of GNOME, through which you can access the most up-to-date and latest technologies.

Of course, this distribution is available in different themes and colors, and the support community has assigned the term spins to this feature. Each spin of this distribution uses a different desktop environment instead of GNOME. In general, Fedora supports Plasma, XFCE, LXQT, Mate-Compiz, Cinnamon, LXDE, and SOAS environments, and each Fedora spin can use one of these DEs.

ease of use

A beginner user can easily use the operating system without the need for technical and specialized knowledge is one of the biggest positive features that the Fedora distribution has been able to take advantage of. Also, installing Fedora in the system can be easy, quicquickh a series of steps (graphical or terminal).

This distribution supports various auxiliary software such as Slack, Steam, Firefox, etc., but if you search for Google Chrome in the store and do not find it, you can download its RPM file and easily double-click it. Open the file and click on the install button.

In addition to RPM files, Fedora also supports Flatpak. This framework is used for software deployment and package management of most Linux distributions and minimizes user restrictions for various applications.

Overall, the sense of compatibility and familiarity that a user has when working with Fedora indicates that this distribution can provide features and technologies with a simple and attractive graphical interface.

Open-source and free

Unlike Windows and macOS operating systems, Fedora is a completely free and open source software that not only does not pay for its use, but from the kernel to the applications of this distribution, all are open source, and their source code is available. The public is located. The main reason for the diversity of Linux distributions is its open source

high security

This feature of open source is the main reason for the high security of Linux compared to Windows and macOS. Thanks to free access to the source code, thousands of developers are working on the project to add new security features and fix vulnerabilities and bugs. These security features are one of the main reasons why Fedora is on the list of the best Linux distributions for programming. Of course, it is not true to think that Fedora or any Linux distribution is anti-virus and malware, but they are less prone to hacker attacks than other operating systems such as Windows.

Also, Fedora has a Multi-Level Security (MLS) feature that allows users to select a specific security level and use this access to secure files.

Fewer hardware requirements

Although Fedora is not the lightest Linux distribution in terms of resource consumption, it has high hardware compatibility. This feature makes Fedora work well on all systems, and installing this distribution on a weak or old system is not associated with much trouble.

For example, this distribution supports various hardware, graphic and audio adapters, printers, digital cameras, modems, PCMCIA cards, etc.
Providing new and advanced software

Fedora Linux distribution is updated every six months, and you get the latest updates by installing it. In addition, Fedora is one of the winners of the competition between operating systems that provide open-source and advanced software by default. First, the Fedora distribution switched from ext4 to Btrfs, from X11 to Wayland, and PulseAudio to PipeWire.

There is no LTS version of this distribution, and it has earned the title of bleeding edge distribution due to its excellent performance in providing a stable version (with the latest software and features of Linux and updated drivers).

Better Package Manager

Ubuntu and Debian distributions are famous for their pkg package manager and Fedora for their RPM package manager. This package manager is supported by the DNF front end. A comparison of pkg and RPM shows that RPM is easier to build and less complex, and the combination of this simplicity with more features makes RPM more powerful than dpkg. RPM files are similar to DEB files; to install them, you need to download the file and double-click to install it.

Powerful support

The Fedora distribution has strong support, and its community consists of many regular users, developers, designers, and software professionals who are more than happy to help you solve problems. Fedora IRC and Reddit are great communication channels that you can use to learn about topics and share your experiences for free.

Is Fedora OS Right for You?

In the previous sections, we discussed this operating system’s features, advantages, and disadvantages in detail. Flatpack support, Wayland usage, constant and stable updates, and a thousand other wonderful features have made Fedora a great option for application development, access to the latest packages, and DevOps.

To better understand whether Fedora is right for you or not, answer the following questions:

  • Do you want to use the latest software supported by a strong community?
  • Do you need a platform that has standard and stable technologies?
  • Do you care about advancements in application development and software innovation?
  • Is deployment and management of container-based applications important to you?
  • Are criteria such as security, scalability, and flexibility among your priorities?

If your answer to all these questions is “yes,” then Fedora is a good option. With this distribution, you have access to the latest free and open-source technologies, which, along with good engineering practices and a smooth and simple user interface, will create a great experience for you.

Is Fedora a good choice for a virtual server?

Although among Linux distributions, Ubuntu and Debian are the best options for virtual servers, Fedora has most of the necessary advantages for VPS.

Better memory management, high security, automatic updates, and high scalability are Fedora’s strengths that will help you host a website or any other application. Of course, working with a virtual server requires experience and expertise, which is why it is a professional virtual server.

It depends on you and your interest and skill level whether you choose Fedora as your virtual server operating system or not. Still, Ubuntu, Debian, and Centos are some of the most popular Linux distributions for virtual servers. The high stability and security of these operating systems, in combination with high hardware and network power, make you the owner of an excellent virtual server for your business.

If you wish, you can refer to Ded9 Linux virtual server purchase page, and by checking the features and price of each plan, choose the most suitable option for you and make your path to success smoother.

Conclusion

Fedora operating system is one of the Red Hat-supported distributions that has reached a very good position by taking advantage of new features and technologies (especially for developers). This distribution has different versions, each of which has its infrastructure and spin and is used in specific areas.