CloudLinux ships two supported major versions today: CloudLinux 9, at release 9.8, and CloudLinux 10, at release 10.2. Each is a conversion of the matching AlmaLinux release, so the choice is the same one you make when you install AlmaLinux for a hosting server, with a few extra things to weigh. This post sets out the differences that matter on a hosting box and ends with a recommendation.
The two releases side by side
| CloudLinux 9.8 | CloudLinux 10.2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tracks | AlmaLinux 9.8 | AlmaLinux 10.2 |
| Released | 27 May 2026 | 26 May 2026 |
| Kernel | 5.14 with LVE patches | 6.12 with LVE patches |
| Supported until | 2032 | on the RHEL 10 lifecycle, which Red Hat has set at 2035 |
| Architecture | x86-64 | x86-64 |
CloudLinux 8 is still supported until 2029, on the RHEL 8 lifecycle, but there is no reason to install it on a new server. CloudLinux 7 is end of life and only has extended lifecycle support for people who cannot move yet.
To see what an existing server runs:
cat /etc/cloudlinux-release
uname -rThe kernel name contains lve on a CloudLinux server, for example 5.14.0-…lve.el9.
Kernel and hardware
The kernel is the largest technical difference. 6.12 is three years newer than 5.14, which in practice means drivers for recent network cards and NVMe controllers, and better scheduling on CPUs with very high core counts. On hardware that is two or three years old both kernels do the same job, and the LVE accounting sits on top of either.
The catch with 10 is the CPU baseline. RHEL 10, and therefore AlmaLinux 10 and CloudLinux 10, requires a processor that supports the x86-64-v3 instruction level: roughly Intel Haswell (2013) and AMD Excavator (2015) or newer. Most servers pass, but older dedicated boxes and some budget VPS nodes do not. Check before you order anything:
/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 --help | grep supportedIf x86-64-v3 is not listed as supported, that machine runs CloudLinux 9 or nothing.
Both versions get KernelCare live patching with the licence, so the reboot count is the same: one, after conversion.
Panel and software support
DirectAdmin supports AlmaLinux 8, 9 and 10, so DirectAdmin runs on either CloudLinux version and CustomBuild behaves the same on both. For cPanel and Plesk, check the vendor's support matrix for the AlmaLinux 10 family before committing; support for a new RHEL major always trails the release, and you do not want to discover a gap after conversion.
The CloudLinux components themselves, LVE, CageFS, PHP Selector, the Node.js, Python and Ruby Selectors, MySQL Governor and mod_lsapi, are available on both, and the alt-php packages are the same set on both. Your customers get PHP 5.6 through 8.5 in Select PHP Version whichever base you choose.
The OS-native stacks differ. AlmaLinux 9 ships PHP 8.0 as the default with 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 as module streams, and MariaDB 10.5 with a 10.11 stream. AlmaLinux 10 ships PHP 8.3 and MariaDB 10.11. That only matters on a panel-less server: DirectAdmin builds PHP 8.1 to 8.5 and MariaDB up to 11.8 through CustomBuild regardless of the OS, and cPanel brings its own EasyApache builds.
The upgrade path
There is no in-place upgrade between major versions. A CloudLinux 9 server does not become a CloudLinux 10 server with a command; you build a new server, convert it, and move the accounts across with the panel's backup and transfer tools. That is the same rule as for AlmaLinux and RHEL, and it decides the question for existing servers: install the CloudLinux version that matches the major version you already have. Converting AlmaLinux 9 to CloudLinux 9 takes one script and one reboot; converting it to CloudLinux 10 is a migration project.
Within a major version, updates are ordinary: yum update takes 9.7 to 9.8 or 10.1 to 10.2, and point releases follow AlmaLinux by a few weeks.
Which to choose for a new server
For a production hosting server in 2026, install CloudLinux 9. It is supported until 2032, which is longer than most hosting servers stay in service before hardware or pricing moves the accounts elsewhere. Every panel, plugin and script you will meet has run on the 9 family for years, and the AlmaLinux 9 base is what DirectAdmin recommends today, so the conversion path is the well-trodden one.
Choose CloudLinux 10 when you have a specific reason: brand new hardware whose drivers only exist in the 6.12 kernel, a policy that a new server must have the longest possible support runway, or a panel-less setup where the newer native MariaDB and PHP save you work. Confirm the CPU baseline and the panel's support first.
Whichever you choose, do not mix them in one migration. Moving accounts between a 9 server and a 10 server works, but if you run both you carry two sets of kernel behaviour, two update streams and two answers to every support question. Standardise a fleet on one major and move the whole fleet when it is time.
The short version
Existing AlmaLinux 9 server: CloudLinux 9, today, with cldeploy. New server without a special reason: AlmaLinux 9 then CloudLinux 9. New hardware, verified panel support and a taste for the long runway: CloudLinux 10. The conversion itself is identical on both and is walked through in installing CloudLinux on a DirectAdmin server; and the isolation you are paying for works the same way on each, as described in LVE explained.