---

title: About CentOS

layout: aside

---

## CentOS Linux

The CentOS Linux distribution is a stable, predictable, manageable and

reproducible platform derived from the sources of Red Hat Enterprise Linux

(RHEL). We are now looking to expand on that by creating the resources needed

by other communities to come together and be able to build on the CentOS Linux

platform. And today we start the process by delivering a clear governance

model, increased transparency and access. In the coming weeks we aim to publish

our own roadmap that includes variants of the core CentOS Linux.

Since March 2004, CentOS Linux has been a community-supported distribution

derived from sources freely provided to the public by Red Hat. As such, CentOS

Linux aims to be functionally compatible with RHEL. We mainly change packages

to remove upstream vendor branding and artwork. CentOS Linux is no-cost and

[free to redistribute](/legal).

CentOS Linux is developed by a small but growing team of core developers. In

turn the core developers are supported by an active user community including

system administrators, network administrators, managers, core Linux

contributors, and Linux enthusiasts from around the world.

Over the coming year, the CentOS Project will expand its mission to establish

CentOS Linux as a leading community platform for emerging open source

technologies coming from other projects such as OpenStack. These technologies

will be at the center of multiple variations of CentOS, as individual downloads

or accessed from a custom installer. Read more about the [variants](/variants)

and [Special Interest Groups](http://wiki.centos.org/SpecialInterestGroup) that

produce them.

## The CentOS Project

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused around

the goal of providing a rich base platform for open source communities to build

upon. We will provide a development framework for cloud providers, the hosting

community, and scientific data processing, as a few examples. We work with

several 'upstream' communities to help them layer and distribute their software

more effectively on a platform they can rely on.

### The Governing Board

The CentOS Governing Board is made up of members of the CentOS Project, many of

whom have been around since the creation of the Project, as well as new members

from Red Hat who were instrumental in bringing the new relationship together.

The focus of the Governing Board is to curate the CentOS Project, assist and

guide in the progress and development of the various SIGs, as well as to

promote CentOS Linux. For more information read the [governance

page](/about/governance).

### The Project Structure

The CentOS Project is modelled on the structure of the [Apache

Foundation](http://apache.org), with a governing board that oversees various

semi-autonomous [Special Interest Groups or

'SIGs'](http://wiki.centos.org/SpecialInterestGroup). These groups are focused

on providing various enhancements, addons, or replacements for core CentOS

Linux functionality. A few notable examples of SIGs are:

* [Core](http://wiki.centos.org/SpecialInterestGroup/Core) - Building and releasing the core CentOS Linux platform.

* [Xen4CentOS](http://wiki.centos.org/Manuals/ReleaseNotes/Xen4-01) - Providing Xen4 support for CentOS 6

* [CentOS Design](http://wiki.centos.org/ArtWork) - Improving the user experience with high quality artwork