--- title: Amazon Linux 2 Reviews meta_title: 'Amazon Linux 2 Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 303 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Amazon Linux 2 works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.5 review_count: 303 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-09-26' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure --- # Amazon Linux 2 Reviews **Vendor:** terracloudx **Category:** [Operating Systems](https://www.g2.com/categories/operating-system) **Average Rating:** 4.5/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 303 **AI Verified:** At least 10 G2 reviewers have confirmed using this product's AI features and functionality. ## About Amazon Linux 2 Amazon Linux 2 is a Linux operating system developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide a secure, stable, and high-performance environment for cloud and enterprise applications. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with AWS services, offering a robust platform for developers and IT administrators. Amazon Linux 2 is available at no additional charge and includes long-term support with ongoing security and maintenance updates. Key Features and Functionality: - AWS Integration: Pre-installed packages and configurations facilitate tight integration with AWS services, simplifying the deployment and management of applications. - Long-Term Support: Provides five years of support, ensuring stability and predictability for enterprise applications. - Extras Repository: Offers access to the latest software packages through the Amazon Linux Extras repository, allowing users to install newer versions of popular software without compromising system stability. - On-Premises Use: Available as virtual machine images for VMware, Oracle VM VirtualBox, and Microsoft Hyper-V, enabling on-premises development and testing. - Systemd Support: Includes the systemd init system for efficient process management and service control. - Optimized Kernel and Toolchain: Features an LTS Kernel tuned for enhanced performance on Amazon EC2, along with updated compiler and build toolchain components. - Security Features: Implements default security measures such as limiting remote access, disabling remote root login, and reducing non-critical packages to minimize exposure to vulnerabilities. - Kernel Live Patching: Supports live patching of the Linux kernel, allowing critical and important security updates to be applied without rebooting or downtime. Primary Value and User Solutions: Amazon Linux 2 addresses the need for a secure, reliable, and high-performance operating system tailored for cloud environments. Its deep integration with AWS services streamlines application deployment and management, enhancing developer productivity. The long-term support and regular security updates provide peace of mind for enterprises, ensuring system stability and compliance. Additionally, the availability of virtual machine images for on-premises use allows for consistent development and testing environments, bridging the gap between local and cloud-based operations. ## Amazon Linux 2 Pros & Cons Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews. **What users like:** - Users commend the **speed and performance** of Amazon Linux 2, appreciating its rapid boot times and reliability under heavy workloads. (9 reviews) - Users value the **long-term stability** of Amazon Linux 2, ensuring reliable performance for their AWS workloads. (7 reviews) - Users value the **regular updates** of Amazon Linux 2, ensuring stability and security for their AWS environments. (5 reviews) - Users appreciate the **cloud optimization** of Amazon Linux 2, facilitating easy integration and smooth operation on AWS. (4 reviews) - Users value the **lightweight size** of Amazon Linux 2 for its rapid boot times and resource efficiency on AWS. (4 reviews) - Users value the **Long-Term Support** of Amazon Linux 2, ensuring reliability and timely security updates for production workloads. (3 reviews) - Privacy Focus (3 reviews) - Security Features (3 reviews) - Security/Safety (3 reviews) - Users find Amazon Linux 2's **compatibility and ease of use** excellent, enhancing their server setup experience. (2 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users find the **limited app/store selection** restrictive, especially outside AWS, lacking updates and flexibility of other Linux distributions. (7 reviews) - Users report **installation difficulties** due to missing dependencies and limited documentation, especially outside AWS environments. (3 reviews) - Users face **lack of support** for issues outside the AWS ecosystem, making problem resolution time-consuming and difficult. (3 reviews) - Users find the **limited software availability** on Amazon Linux 2 restricts flexibility and updates for various use cases. (3 reviews) - Users experience **limited support** for Amazon Linux 2 when used on non-AWS platforms compared to AWS environments. (1 reviews) - Bloatware Issues (1 reviews) - Installation Issues (1 reviews) - Outdated Technology (1 reviews) - Security Issues (1 reviews) - Slow Updates (1 reviews) ## Amazon Linux 2 Reviews ### 1. Stable and Reliable Linux for AWS Workloads **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Priyank T. | Lead DevOps Engineer, Computer Software, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** August 01, 2022 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like most about Amazon Linux 2 is that it’s stable, lightweight, and works really well with AWS services. It’s easy to set up and maintain, and we haven’t had to spend much time dealing with OS-related issues. The integration with AWS makes it a convenient choice for running our applications and managing servers in the cloud. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One thing I dislike about Amazon Linux 2 is that some packages and software versions can be older than what you might find on other Linux distributions. At times, this means we need to manually update or find an alternative package. It would also be nice if upgrading to newer versions was a bit more straightforward. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 gives us a stable and reliable operating system for running our applications and services on AWS. It reduces the amount of time we need to spend on server setup and maintenance, and the AWS integration makes it easier to manage our infrastructure. Overall, it helps us keep our environment consistent and reliable without adding a lot of extra overhead. ### 2. Stable, Secure, and Seamlessly Integrated with AWS **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Komal S. | Technical Trainer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic Review from User Profile:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was not provided any incentive by G2 for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** July 22, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like best about Amazon Linux 2 is its stability and seamless integration with AWS services. In my DevOps work, I’ve used it for provisioning EC2 instances, configuring Docker and Kubernetes environments, and automating deployments. It’s lightweight, secure, and optimized for AWS, making it a reliable choice for building and managing cloud infrastructure. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One limitation I’ve experienced with Amazon Linux 2 is that some packages and development tools can be older than those available on other Linux distributions. This sometimes requires adding extra repositories or performing manual updates when setting up newer DevOps tools. However, the trade-off is a stable and reliable operating system for production workloads. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 solves the need for a secure, stable, and AWS-optimized operating system for cloud workloads. In my DevOps projects, it has helped me deploy applications, automate infrastructure, and manage Docker and Kubernetes environments with minimal compatibility issues, resulting in more reliable deployments and easier maintenance. ### 3. Lightweight and AWS-Ready: Amazon Linux 2 Boots Fast for Auto Scaling **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Prakhar J. | Security Engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** June 15, 2026 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** If I’m being honest, as an admin responsible for managing multiple environments, the best part about Amazon Linux 2 is that it’s lightweight and AWS-ready. It’s free of bloatware and the extra programs you often see in other standard distributions. Since we’re dealing with multiple instances and auto scaling groups, boot time really matters. Amazon Linux 2 boots up super fast and gives us a head start to make the necessary changes. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** There isn’t much to dislike about Amazon Linux 2, but there are a few points worth mentioning. First is the End of Life, which is happening at the end of this month. Because of that, our team has to take on a large-scale migration from Amazon Linux 2 to Amazon Linux 2023. This isn’t a simple upgrade, since Amazon Linux 2023 uses the dnf package manager, so we basically have to sit down and re-test our automation scripts and applications from scratch. Second, our day-to-day struggle is with packages. Since Amazon Linux 2 ships with RHEL 7–version packages, the default repos are quite outdated. When we need a newer python3, node.js, or similar libraries, we have to rely on the amazon-linux-extras repo to get more recent tools, which can sometimes create dependency clashes. It takes time, and it can be tough to manage. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** The main problem it solves for us is providing a very stable, RHEL-like environment directly on AWS without paying any extra OS licensing fees. Whenever we deploy one of our custom applications, we need an OS that’s stable and reliable, offers strong customization, and is properly supported. Since it comes pre-optimized for EC2, we don’t have to spend hours tweaking kernel or network parameters. It also saves us the cost and effort of procuring a separate OS, because it comes with the instance. For our admins, it’s been easy to maintain because it works almost like RHEL, so the learning curve was basically zero. We’ve used it for years, but now it’s going EOL. ### 4. Reliable, Secure, and Optimized for AWS **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Megha C. | Developer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** July 21, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I like Amazon Linux 2 because it is secure, lightweight, and optimized for AWS. It receives regular security updates, offers long-term support, and integrates well with AWS services. This makes it a reliable operating system for running production workloads on EC2 **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The main drawback is that Amazon Linux 2 is optimized for AWS, so it's less flexible for multi-cloud environments. Also, some packages are not the latest versions because the focus is on stability and long-term support. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 provides a secure and stable operating system that is optimized for AWS. It saves time by working well with AWS services, receives regular security updates, and makes server management easier. This helps me deploy and maintain applications more efficiently. ### 5. AL2 : AWS backed Operating system. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sahil Y. | Cloud Engineer | Cloud Solutions Architect , Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Provides the exact stability like centos and rhel and works extremely well for AWS optimized use cases also comes with free of cost so one does not have to pay for the os to use **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** As it is first gen AWS backed os now most of the packages and dependencies are outdated . Also the compatibility with other os like rhel and centos at binary levels are different . **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** For the user to have centos and rhel stability without using the license is something that AL2 Solves and easily integrets with the AWS eco system Also it is great for infrastructure level workloads so user can opt for the os without any restriction ### 6. Optimized Integration and Stability in AWS **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Lucas V. | IT Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **AI Translated:** This review has been translated from Spanish; Castilian using AI. **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I use Amazon Linux 2 as the operating system on EC2 in AWS and I like that it is stable and lightweight. The stability gives us peace of mind because we don't have to restart servers or see strange errors. Since it is lightweight, small EC2 instances work well for simple apps without needing to pay more. Amazon Linux 2 is optimized for AWS, so it is easy to configure and there is no need to deal with licenses. Also, security updates arrive quickly and without breaking anything, and AWS repositories are very fast, which means I don't have to wait long to install or update something. Additionally, since it is made by AWS, it already has the agents pre-installed for use with CloudWatch or Systems Manager, which makes monitoring and management easier. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Sometimes the packages come older than in other distros, you have to resort to extra yum repos or compile manually. And it doesn't run outside of AWS, so if you want to replicate the environment locally, it's somewhat tedious. It also doesn't have as much community documentation as Ubuntu or RHEL. The versions of Python or Node sometimes come old and we have to install with nvm or pyenv. Also, Postgres comes in a version that is no longer used as much. That forces you to add extra steps to the setup, it's not serious but it's noise. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 saves me from dealing with licenses and configurations. It is optimized for AWS, stable, lightweight, and with fast updates. It includes pre-installed agents for AWS, which facilitates integrations with CloudWatch and Systems Manager. ### 7. A stable, high-performance Linux distribution optimized for the AWS cloud ecosystem **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nikunj R. | Owner, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** February 02, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** The seamless integration with the AWS ecosystem is its biggest strength. For a developer, having the AWS CLI and other essential tools pre-installed saves significant setup time. It is incredibly lightweight and high-performing, making it an excellent choice for hosting community projects like TechAstra on EC2 instances without unnecessary resource overhead. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The package repository can feel restrictive compared to Ubuntu. Some newer versions of libraries and compilers required for advanced competitive programming or modern tech stacks aren't always available in the default yum repositories. You often have to rely on Amazon Linux Extras or compile from source, which adds friction to the development workflow **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It provides a stable, "production-ready" environment for testing cloud-native applications. By using the same OS in development that I use for deployment on AWS, I avoid the "it works on my machine" syndrome. This stability is crucial when I'm building out resources and tools for the TechAstra student community. ### 8. Seamless AWS Integration with Solid Performance and Long-Term Stability **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** June 27, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like best about Amazon Linux 2 is how tightly it integrates with the AWS ecosystem. It comes preconfigured with the AWS CLI and cloud-init, so spinning up EC2 instances and wiring them into other services is fast and predictable. The long-term support commitment gives me confidence to run it in production, and the tuned kernel and minimal default footprint deliver solid performance and security out of the box. Package management through the Extras repository makes it easy to pin specific versions of software like Nginx or PostgreSQL without breaking the base system. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** My main frustration is that the older package versions in the default repositories can lag behind upstream, so getting newer releases of certain tools sometimes means adding third-party repos or building from source. Being effectively tied to AWS also means it's not a great fit if you need to run the same OS on-premises or on another cloud, which hurts portability. Documentation for some of the more niche Extras topics can be thin, and now that Amazon Linux 2 is heading toward end-of-life, the push to migrate to Amazon Linux 2023 adds some planning overhead for existing fleets. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 gives us a stable, well-supported base operating system for our production web and application servers running on EC2. Before standardizing on it, we spent a lot of time hardening and patching general-purpose distributions and dealing with inconsistent images across environments. Now we use a single, AWS-optimized AMI that boots quickly, comes secure by default, and works seamlessly with services like CloudWatch, Systems Manager, and auto scaling. This has reduced our provisioning time, cut down on configuration drift, and lowered licensing costs since the OS itself is free, letting our small team manage a larger fleet with less operational overhead. ### 9. Lightweight, Stable, and Seamlessly Optimized for AWS **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Himanshu J. | Founder, Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **G2 Icon:** Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise. **Reviewed Date:** March 20, 2026 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 is easy to work with, stable, and well optimized for AWS environments. I like that it feels lightweight while still being reliable for production use. Its smooth integration with AWS services makes deployment and management much more convenient, especially for cloud-based applications. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One drawback of Amazon Linux 2 is that some packages can feel a bit outdated compared to other Linux distributions. That stability is great for production environments, but it can also be limiting if you want the latest tools and software versions without having to do extra manual setup. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 meets my need for a stable, secure, and AWS-optimized operating system for running cloud workloads. It reduces compatibility issues within the AWS ecosystem and makes deployment, management, and scaling feel much smoother. For me, the biggest benefit is having a reliable environment that’s easy to maintain, performs well in production, and is more cost-effective. ### 10. Stable and AWS-Optimized, but Limited Beyond the Ecosystem **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **G2 Icon:** Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise. **Reviewed Date:** May 06, 2026 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like most about Amazon Linux 2 is its stability and seamless integration with Amazon Web Services. It’s reliable, lightweight, and well-optimized for cloud environments, making it great for production use. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One downside of Amazon Linux 2 is that it can feel a bit limited outside the Amazon Web Services ecosystem. Package versions are often older due to its stability focus, and the software repositories aren’t as extensive as some other distributions. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 solves the problem of running Linux on AWS in a stable, secure, and low-maintenance way. It gives: A consistent environment across servers (less “works on one, breaks on another”) Long-term security updates without major system changes Better integration with AWS services out of the box Less effort in setup, patching, and maintenance ### 11. Convenient AWS Integration and Solid Stability with Amazon Linux 2 by **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sushant S. | Senior Software Developer, Computer Software, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **G2 Icon:** Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise. **Reviewed Date:** May 05, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 comes with pre-installed packages and AWS integration. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** What I dislike most is that the software repositories can sometimes feel a bit dated. Even though the stability is excellent, getting the latest versions of certain runtimes often means relying on the 'extras' library or doing manual configuration, which adds extra complexity to automation scripts. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps me spin up several servers for my business with minimal setup. Since it supports integration with AWS, it gives me a lot of flexibility and makes it easier to adapt as my needs change. ### 12. Reliable OS for AWS Work **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Veniprasad Y. | software Developer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** May 05, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What i like most about Amazon Linux 2 is that it is stable and works well for server and development use. It runs smoothly and integrates nicely with AWS service, which makes deployment easier. Overall, it feels reliable for daily work. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One thing I do not like is that it can be a bit difficult for beginners, especially if you are not used to Linux. Sometimes setting things up takes extra time, and documentation can feel limited for some use cases. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 helps solve the problem of having a stable and reliable system for running applications and servers. It makes deployment easier, especially with AWS, and reduces downtime. Because of this, I can manage my work more smoothly and focus on development instead of system issues. ### 13. Great for EC2 and AWS Integrations, but Packages Can Feel Outdated **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ritik S. | Student, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic Review from User Profile:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was not provided any incentive by G2 for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 29, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux is lightweight, secure, and optimized for AWS out of the box. No more tweaking generic distros—everything just works. Updates come fast, and the integration with Systems Manager and CloudWatch is seamless. We cut our deployment times in half. If you run on EC2, this is the only choice. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux prioritizes stability over currency, which means you’ll spend hours fighting ancient versions of Python, Node, or Git. Even with amazon-linux-extras, you often get minor releases that are years behind. For modern development, I end up installing everything from source or switching to Fedora / Ubuntu. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Outdated packages, AWS lock‑in, poor local dev support, sparse community docs, and painful major version upgrades (e.g., AL2 to AL2023 breaks workflows). Great inside AWS, but a headache elsewhere. ### 14. AWS Linux 2 Works Great, Though We Sometimes Prefer Familiar Ubuntu **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Karel A. | Lead Architect, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** We develop applications for transportation and buses control, with a lot of connected devices such as bus validators. We also have CRM users running reports. AWS Linux 2 is a great OS to work with. I have used on some deployments with great success. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** I don't specifically dislike any particular feature. It's just that we are familiar with Ubuntu Server and that's the only reason we sometimes prefer Ubuntu instead of AWS Linux 2. We are not detractors of AWS Linux 2. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** On our backend systems we need a stable, well maintained and affordable OS solution that have to be Linux based. AWS Linux 2 is one of the best choices for that. It is very performant and AWS has great support for it. ### 15. Stable, Secure, and Seamlessly Integrated with AWS **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Harikshna K. | Managing Director & Founder, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** May 06, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like best about Amazon Linux 2 is its stability, security updates, and smooth integration with cloud environments like AWS. It provides reliable performance, easy package management, and strong support for hosting applications and server workloads efficiently. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One downside of Amazon Linux 2 is that some newer software packages and development tools may not always be available in the default repositories. The learning curve can also be slightly challenging for teams unfamiliar with Linux-based server environments and command-line management. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 helps us manage secure, stable, and scalable server environments for hosting applications and backend operations. It improves system reliability, reduces maintenance effort, and supports smooth cloud-based infrastructure management with better performance and security updates. ### 16. A reliable AWS-optimized OS for our EC2 workloads **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Telecommunications | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** May 12, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 has been rock solid for our EC2 workloads. The tight integration with AWS services like CloudWatch agent, SSM, and IAM roles makes provisioning servers really painless. Long-term support and regular security patches give us peace of mind, and the kernel live patching feature has saved us multiple maintenance windows. Performance on Graviton instances is excellent and yum/extras repos make installing the right versions of Python, Docker, and nginx straightforward. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The biggest downside is the end-of-life timeline since AL2 standard support ends in June 2025, which pushed us into a migration planning effort to AL2023. Package versions in the default repos can also feel dated compared to upstream distros, so we sometimes need amazon-linux-extras or third-party repos to get newer software. Documentation around extras topics could be clearer, and using it outside of AWS feels awkward. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 gives us a consistent, AWS-optimized base image for running our microservices, web servers, and batch jobs on EC2 and ECS. It reduces operational overhead because patches and AMIs are managed by AWS, and it gives our team confidence that the OS is tuned for the underlying hypervisor. We use it to host containerized Node and Python applications behind ALBs, and we have seen lower boot times and better observability via the bundled SSM and CloudWatch agents. ### 17. Stable, Lightweight, and Perfectly Optimized for AWS Graviton **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mahesh P. | Cloud Architect, Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** February 02, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It is the most stable and reliable OS for my AWS cloud architecture. I specifically like how well it is optimized for Graviton processors (Arm64), which gives our team a massive performance boost and significant cost savings compared to traditional x86 instancees **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The default package repositories can sometimes be a bit conservative with software versions. While this helps with stability, i often have to use the amazon-linux-extras library or compile manually if i need the absolute latest version of a specific developer tool. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It provides a highly secure and optimized foundation for our production microservices. By using a native AWS operating system, we minimize compatibility issues with other AWS services and benefit from built-in security patches that are tuned for the EC2 environment. ### 18. AL2 is a rock-solid image for web apps and utility servers **Rating:** 1.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Garrick C. | Staff Software Engineer, Financial Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** March 31, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It was a very solid OS when it was actively maintained. At this point, you should be using AL2023 instead. AL2 had solid package manager support, which made it easier to work with compared with AL2023. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s currently deprecated. I also didn’t particularly enjoy using the yum package manager, since it isn’t as familiar to me as apt. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It’s been my core deployment platform for many Laravel web apps and bastion hosts across numerous AWS cloud environments. ### 19. Amazon Linux 2: Smooth, Up-to-Date, and Easy to Manage **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Chirag B. | Associate Manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** February 01, 2026 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 is a great tool with updated packages. Unlike CentOS, it works very smoothly and feels easy to use, maintain, and manage overall. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The main downside of Amazon Linux 2 is that it’s closely tied to AWS, which makes it less suitable for non-AWS environments. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 addresses the challenge of running unstable or poorly optimized operating systems in cloud environments. Since it’s built specifically for AWS, it minimizes compatibility issues and makes initial setup and ongoing configuration much simpler. Its security patching and long-term support help reduce the risk of vulnerabilities and unexpected downtime. The performance tuning for AWS infrastructure also helps applications run faster and more efficiently. As a result, I spend less time dealing with OS-level problems and more time focusing on development and scaling my applications with confidence. ### 20. Amazon Linux 2: optimized performance and great integration with AWS EC2 **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **AI Translated:** This review has been translated from Spanish; Castilian using AI. **Reviewed Date:** February 03, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 is excellent for applications on AWS EC2. Optimized performance, fast security updates, and full compatibility with the AWS ecosystem. Low overhead, based on CentOS but with better integration. Extended support until 2025 is very valuable. Ideal for containers, microservices, and automation in cloud infrastructure. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Limited documentation compared to Ubuntu/CentOS. Some packages are not in official repositories. Smaller community, less third-party support. Rapid changes between versions can break dependencies. Does not have 10-year support like Enterprise Linux. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Solve the compatibility and performance issue in AWS infrastructure. It benefits me by providing an OS optimized for EC2 with quick security updates without management complications. Ideal for containerized applications, microservices, and automation with IaC. It reduces infrastructure costs, improves performance compared to traditional instances, and provides extended support until 2025 for critical projects. ### 21. Stable, Secure, and AWS-Optimized: Amazon Linux 2 at Its Best **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Chetan P. | System engineer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** April 08, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I like its stability and long-term support the most. Amazon Linux 2 is optimized for AWS, has regular security updates, and integrates well with cloud services, making deployments reliable and efficient. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Its main drawbacks are limited software availability compared to other Linux distributions and slower updates for some packages. This can make it less flexible for certain development needs outside the AWS ecosystem. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 solves compatibility and security challenges for cloud workloads. It provides a stable, optimized environment for AWS services, with long-term support and regular security updates. This reduces maintenance effort, improves performance, and ensures reliable deployments in the cloud. ### 22. Seamless AWS Integration and Efficient Cloud Performance **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Uday S. | Associate Software Engineer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic Review from User Profile:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was not provided any incentive by G2 for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** December 30, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** The integration with AWS services such as EC2, ECS, and Lambda is seamless, making it easy to work within the AWS ecosystem. I also appreciate the long-term support and the consistent security updates, which provide peace of mind. Additionally, the product is lightweight and well-optimized for cloud workloads, ensuring efficient performance. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The product comes preconfigured for AWS, which significantly reduces the time needed for setup. Security patches are released promptly, ensuring the system stays up to date. Additionally, it has a minimal resource footprint when compared to more resource-intensive Linux distributions. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** One challenge I faced was managing secure and scalable cloud workloads. Amazon Linux 2 addresses this by offering enhanced security features and reliable, predictable updates. Another issue was ensuring compatibility with various AWS services. Since Amazon Linux 2 is pre-tuned for AWS, it helps minimize operational overhead. Additionally, the cost of enterprise operating system licenses can be significant, but Amazon Linux 2 is free to use, which helps reduce overall infrastructure expenses. ### 23. fastest growing and safest operating system **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** kaushik g. | System admin, Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** October 06, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** as we know Linux is light weight and less consume resource like CPU and RAM compare to windows, and also we dont have pay for any license like windows and i like this feature among best and same we can say it most secure one and easy to use if you know ,how, aws Linux 2 command work than it would be very easy to work with aws Linux 2 and just for information by default SSH is disable for security purpose this one and we can just manage our patching activity using yum cmd , that make single cmd to work you update package manager **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** so there is not much i don't like , it would be to little difficult to someone don't know cmd , because this is not GUI OS like windows so before we want to work with aws linux 2 just learn some basic cmd so it will be make easy to work with it **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** For me, hosting any application becomes easy—just install your web server, such as Apache or Nginx, make a few simple changes, and you can use an AWS Linux server as your web server. Additionally, the security features are a major advantage here. ### 24. Lightweight, Stable, and AWS‑Optimized: A Solid Choice in the Cloud **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rajendra K. | Senior Consultant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** December 15, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 is a lightweight and stable operating system that is highly optimized for AWS, allowing instances to boot rapidly and remain dependable even when handling heavy workloads. Its seamless integration with EC2, Systems Manager, and CloudWatch, along with frequent security updates, makes managing large fleets straightforward and requires minimal OS maintenance. It is easy to implement and integrate, and provides great customer support. I mostly like working with Linux system that is why I have used it more frequently. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The ecosystem and documentation are not as extensive as those of more mainstream distributions like Ubuntu, which means that resolving less common issues can sometimes take more time. Additionally, package availability may lag behind what is offered by community-driven distributions, so I occasionally have to resort to workarounds or custom builds to access newer tools and libraries. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 provides a secure and consistent base image for all our AWS workloads, making it easier to manage CI/CD pipelines, AMIs, and compliance requirements. This has helped us reduce the time spent on patching, enhance the performance of our services, and allows our team to dedicate more attention to application logic rather than dealing with operating system maintenance. ### 25. A Stable and AWS-Optimized OS for Production Workloads **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rahul P. | Devops lead, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** January 15, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Stability and optimized for AWS infrastructure. As all our infra is in aws, it works seamlessly with AWS services, which makes deployment and day-to-day operations smooth. The long-term support and regular security updates give confidence when running production workloads. It’s also lightweight, performs well, and has good package management with yum, making it easy to maintain and keep systems up to date across our infrastructure. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One downside of Amazon Linux 2 is that it can sometimes lag behind other distributions when it comes to newer packages or software versions **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 solves the problem of having a reliable, secure, and AWS-optimized operating system for cloud workloads. The built-in security updates and long-term support also reduce operational overhead and help us focus more on application reliability rather than OS management. ### 26. Clean, Lightweight, and Efficient—My Preferred Distro **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** July 09, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s clean, very lightweight, and easy to run on most systems while still running efficiently. As a long-time user, I much prefer this distro over many other companies’ distros. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Its fairly basic and locked down. Whilst this isnt necessarily a bad thing it does mean sometimes using other distros is required. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It’s efficient and lightweight. The fact that it can run on most hardware really simplifies my day-to-day work, and it lets me use it consistently across many different machines. ### 27. Worked Well for Everyday Use **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** June 01, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I like that it is stable and easy to manage once everything is setup. it runs reliably for day-to-day work, updates are straightforward, and we didn't run into many issues during regular use. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The setup took a little time to get used to, especially in the beginning. Some packages and tools I wanted were not always available by default, so a few extra steps were needed **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It gave us a stable environment to run applications and services. We spent less time dealing with system issues and managing services became a bit easier for the team ### 28. Tight AWS Integration, Strong Security Defaults, and Stable Performance **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** March 25, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Stands out for its tight AWS integration , long-term support, and strong security defaults. it delivers stable performance with an EC2 - optimized kernel while still offering access to newer software through the extras repository, making it ideal for production workloads on AWS **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** limiting on-prem or multi-cloud environments. package availability lag behind, often requiring extrac configuration or workarounds and the smaller community means fewer thrid party resources and tutorials **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** its porviding stable, Long-term platform for regulated workloads. simplified cloud operations and automations. Also improved cloud reliability and reducing operational risk ### 29. Lightweight, Stable, and AWS Ready with Fast, Reliable Performance **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Harshul S. | Sr tech support, Information Services, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was not provided any incentive by G2 for completing this review. **G2 Icon:** Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise. **Reviewed Date:** February 16, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** lightweight - stable- easy to run on AWS without extra setup. It boots fast, uses very few resources, and stays reliable under load. The longterm support and security update make it feel dependable for everyday tasks. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** feels a limited because it focuses mainly on AWS use cases, so some packages or tools aren’t as updated or flexible as different Linux distributions. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** gives me a stable, lightweight environment thats work smoothly with AWS, so setting up the servers takes less of time. It handle updates and security patches reliably, which do reduces maintenance work. Because it’s optimized for AWS, performance is good consistent and verypredictable ### 30. Stable, Secure, AWS-Optimized OS with Excellent Performance **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Manish K. | Managerial, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Stable, secure, AWS-optimized OS with long-term support and excellent performance. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Outdated packages, slower updates, limited repos, and weaker community support vs mainstream distros. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 solves cloud workload consistency, security patching, and AWS integration. It provides a stable, optimized runtime with long-term support, reducing operational overhead, improving reliability, and speeding up deployment on AWS infrastructure. ### 31. User-Friendly with Excellent Security Features **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dave S. | IT **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google One Tap using a business email account **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** October 30, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I found Amazon Linux 2 to be very easy to discover and incredibly user-friendly, which made the initial transition effortless. The setup process impressed me with its straightforwardness, allowing me to get started without any significant hurdles. One of the standout features for me is its ease of use, which ensures that I can efficiently carry out my tasks without unnecessary complexity. Additionally, I appreciate the strong security it offers, which gives me confidence in the system's reliability and integrity. Overall, everything about Amazon Linux 2 meets my needs, from its usability to its robust functionality, and it fits seamlessly into our information technology hardware systems. It works perfectly as is, with no changes necessary, which speaks volumes about its completeness and efficiency. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Price **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** I find Amazon Linux 2 easy to learn and use, providing good security and facilitating expansion of our system hardware. ### 32. Reliable AWS Integration, but Limited Packages and Documentation **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Abdoulaye M. | Lavoratore autonomo, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** October 16, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I appreciate that Amazon Linux 2 is specifically optimized for AWS, which ensures stable performance and smooth integration with AWS services. The long-term support and consistent security updates also give me confidence when using it for production workloads. Its lightweight and secure design, along with strong support, make deploying and maintaining cloud applications straightforward and reliable. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Some software packages are not as current as those found on other distributions, which sometimes means I have to spend extra time on configuration. Additionally, there are fewer pre-built packages available compared to more popular Linux distributions, so I occasionally need to compile software from source. I also find that the documentation could be more comprehensive, especially when it comes to advanced use cases. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 addresses the challenge of operating dependable and secure servers within the AWS cloud. Thanks to its long-term support and regular security updates, I am able to keep my production environments stable, which in turn minimizes both maintenance efforts and unexpected downtime. ### 33. Lightweight, Stable, and Seamless on AWS **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 08, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s lightweight, stable, and works really well on AWS. Setup is simple, it gets regular security updates, and it integrates smoothly with other AWS services, which makes managing servers much easier. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Package versions can feel outdated sometimes, and compared to Ubuntu, there’s less community support and fewer ready-made guides. Also, some tools/libraries aren’t available by default, so setup can take extra effort. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 gives a stable and secure OS that’s optimized for AWS, so we don’t have to worry much about compatibility or performance issues. It simplifies server setup, patching, and scaling, which saves time and reduces operational effort. ### 34. Updates and Strong AWS Package Support **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ravi Ranjan G. | Azure Specialist, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** January 14, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s designed for stability in production with security updates and a predictable lifecycle.Common AWS agents and packages are easy to install and are well-supported. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s stability-first, so core versions (glibc, gcc, Python/Node/OpenSSL stacks, etc.) can lag behind Ubuntu “latest” releases. You often end up using Amazon Linux Extras, third-party repos, containers, or building from source.It’s optimized for AWS. If you want identical behavior on-prem/other clouds, Ubuntu/Debian/RHEL tend to be easier to standardize across environments. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It’s designed for long-lived production servers where you want security updates without constantly chasing major OS upgrade. If you manage lots of EC2 hosts, you get a repeatable baseline. ### 35. Experience Using Amazon Linux 2 **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer & Network Security | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** October 02, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I like that it is stable, and runs really smoothly on AWS. The integration with EC2, S3 bucket, Image builder and other AWS services makes setup so much easy. I do not have to worry about connectivity from server to console because the required tools are already there on the server to connect to console, example - AWS CLI, SSM agents . Compatibility or performance issues is also very good. If any issue occur, we can get support in No time waste from AWS. I am frequently using this OS for client requirements. Overall a very good product/OS. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The package availability is limited compared to other OSes. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon Linux 2 solves the stress of managing an OS on AWS. Since it is built and tuned for EC2, I do not have to take care of compatibility and connectivity issue from console. It saves my time so that I can focus more on other development things. ### 36. Tight AWS Integration and a Fast-Booting, EC2-Optimized AMI **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Goods | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** March 26, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** the biggest strenght is tight AWS integration. An optimized AMI that boot really fast with kernel and packages tuned for EC2 perf **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** A problem is older package versions. Bacause AWS prioritizes stability over cutting-edge software, many libs and tools are outdated compared to different distributions **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It give us a stable, secure and cost efficient workload in AWS, without taking care the OS itself. ### 37. Lightweight, Fast, Secure, **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** TANMAY B. | Associate Technical Consultant, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 24, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** like best about Amazon Linux 2 is its tight integration with AWS services combined with its lightweight, stable, and secure-by-default design. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Far fewer tutorials, guides, and community resources compared to Ubuntu or RHEL **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Pre-installed AWS CLI, cloud-init, Systems Manager, CloudWatch agents; seamless EBS, S3, EFS integration ### 38. Lightweight, YUM-Based, and Easy to Install Packages **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 27, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s lightweight and YUM-based, so I can install lots of things easily. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** As far as I’m concerned, it’s good, and I don’t have any dislikes yet. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It’s a free OS provided by Amazon for servers, and it can help bypass the need for RHEL. ### 39. Stable, Lightweight, and Easy to Maintain **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** January 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** I feel it is very stable and lightweight it feels, especially on AWS. It’s easy to maintain, gets regular updates, and just works without unnecessary complexity. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The main downside is that some newer packages and tools aren’t available by default. eg. getting newer versions of Node.js or Python often requires enabling extra repos or doing manual installs. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** AL 2 helps me run AWS-optimized OS without extra tuning. It benefits me by reducing setup time, improving performance on EC2, and making long-term maintenance much easier. ### 40. Best OS for AWS cloud EC2 instance **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sivasankaran P. | Senior Software Engineer, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic Review from User Profile:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was not provided any incentive by G2 for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** September 13, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like best about Amazon Linux 2 is its seamless integration with AWS services, making it an ideal choice for deploying and managing cloud-native applications. It’s optimized for performance on AWS infrastructure, with long-term support and regular security updates, which adds stability for production environments. The inclusion of systemd, updated compiler toolchains, and a wide range of development tools makes it both modern and developer-friendly, while still being lightweight and secure. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One downside of Amazon Linux 2 is its limited package availability compared to more mainstream distributions like Ubuntu or CentOS. This can make it harder to install some software without manually building from source or using third-party repositories. Additionally, while it's great for AWS, it's not as well-suited for use outside of that ecosystem, limiting flexibility in hybrid or multi-cloud environments. The slower pace of major updates can also be a drawback for users who want access to the latest features and packages. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** As a Senior Software Engineer working extensively with AWS, I've primarily used Amazon Linux 2 (AL2), and it's solved several key challenges in my day-to-day operations. AL2 provides a stable, secure, and performance-optimized environment tailored for AWS, which has made it easier to deploy and manage applications at scale. Its deep integration with AWS services like EC2, CloudFormation, and Systems Manager has streamlined automation and infrastructure management for me. The long-term support and regular security updates reduce the operational burden, allowing me to focus more on innovation rather than maintenance. Overall, AL2 has been a reliable foundation for my cloud projects. ### 41. Quick and Flexible Virtual Servers **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rakesh K. | Technology Analyst, Information Technology and Services, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** October 06, 2025 At G2, we prefer fresh reviews and we like to follow up with reviewers. They may not have updated their review text, but have updated their review. **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Optimized for AWS, with seamless integration with EC2, S3, EFS and other services easily. It's also secured and provied regular secuirty updates and long-term support as well. It is cost-effective compared to other OS like Red hate & Cent OS. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Limited support for some third-party software compared to other Linux distros and having few pre-built packages. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** We have used it for multiple servers, and it provides a stable, optimized, and up-to-date environment for AWS. It helps us deploy applications quickly, reduces maintenance effort, ensures better security. We have migrated lots of on-prem servers to Amazon Linux 2 like Boomi Atom, Molecules, Kong Dataplanes etc. ### 42. Lightweight, Cost-Effective, and Seamlessly Integrated with AWS **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Source: Organic:** Organic review. This review was written entirely without invitation or incentive from G2, a seller, or an affiliate. **Reviewed Date:** May 13, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It is lightweight and optimised for AWS Workloads. Since it is an Amazon product it runs well with AWS servers and costs almost nothing. It integrates well with other AWS services **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** It is more AWS centric, so outside AWS portability and support are an issue compared to Ubuntu and Debian **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** The problem of maintaining secure, stable, AWS-optimized servers with minimal setup effort ### 43. Amazon linux 2 - Reliable, secure and built for AWS workloads **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shirisha D. | Infra transformation sr analyst, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** October 07, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** What I like best about Amazon linux 2 is how seamlessly it integrated with AWS services. It is lightweight , stable and optimized for ec2 so instances boot fast and perform consistently. I also appreciate it's long term support model where we don't have to worry about frequent updates in production environments. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** The main downside I feel is that the package ecosystem isn't as vast or up to date as ubuntu or debian. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Amazon linux 2 simplifies server management on AWS. I get a secure, optimized OS with minimal configuration overhead. Ready to use. ### 44. Amazon Linux 2: Secure and Easy to Maintain **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Anji R. | Sr. IT Manager, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 is More secure and easy to maintain. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Performance is liitle slow comared to other operating systems **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** We do not have any problems to solve by Amazon Linux. ### 45. ARM-Optimized for AWS, but Limited Architecture Support **Rating:** 3.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Amit G. | Graduate Research And Teaching Assistant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account added to their profile **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was not provided any incentive by G2 for completing this review. **G2 Icon:** Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise. **Reviewed Date:** May 07, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It is ARM-based, optimized for AWS services. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Is not supported on all the system architectures. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** The integration with AWS services helps in deploying applications more quickly. ### 46. Regular Vulnerability Updates and Security Patches You Can Rely On **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Kaushal Y. | Platform engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through Google using a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 17, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** It’s one of the best because it provides regular updates on vulnerabilities and security patches. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** limited support on third pary application **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It provides better security, and behind the scenes it uses a Linux kernel version. ### 47. Seamless AWS Integration and Stability with Amazon Linux 2 **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jeffrey K. | VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Current User:** The reviewer uploaded a screenshot or submitted the review in-app verifying them as current user. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** December 10, 2025 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** AMAZON LINUX 2 IS DESIGNED TO WORK SEAMLESSLY WITH AWS SERVICES PROVIDING A SECURE AND STABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR CLOUD APPLICATIONS. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** END OF SUPPORT DATE IS 6/30/26. AFTER THIS DATE, AMAZON LINUX 2 WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE SECURITY UPDATES, BUG FIXES, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF SUPPORT FROM AWS. **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** PROVIDES A STABLE AND SECURE WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR CLOUD OPERATIONS AND APPLICATIONS ### 48. Reliable, Lightweight Amazon Linux 2 That Runs Smoothly on AWS **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rajan Y. | Technical support engneer, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 06, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Amazon Linux 2 is reliable and lightweight.It runs smoothly, and the Cloud instance & well with AWS service **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** I didnot like any issue with amzon linux 2 **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is makes things easier by handling stability and compatibility issues ### 49. Long-Term Stability, AWS-Tuned Performance, and Strong Security **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** jamsheed I. | Senior Civil Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through LinkedIn **Incentivized:** The reviewer received either a gift card or a donation made to a charity of their choice in exchange for writing this review. **Source: G2 Gives Campaign:** G2 Gives Campaign. The reviewer received either a gift card or a donation made to a charity of their choice in exchange for writing this review. **G2 Icon:** Our network of Icons are G2 members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions and commitment to helping others through their expertise. **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** Long-term stability,Performance tuned for AWS,Security and regular updates,Package management flexibility **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** Older package versions,AWS-centric ecosystem,Extras library dependency **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** Inconsistent environments in cloud deployments,Compatibility with AWS services,Stability vs updates conflict ### 50. Stable, Well-Supported, and Deeply Integrated with AWS **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Goods | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) This reviewer's identity has been verified by our review moderation team. They have asked not to show their name, job title, or picture. **Validated Reviewer:** Validated through a business email account **Incentivized:** This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Source: G2 invite:** Invitation from G2. This reviewer was offered a nominal gift card as thank you for completing this review. **Reviewed Date:** April 20, 2026 **What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?** We choose it for its strong stability and long term support. It is also useful to us the tigth integration with AWS services. Useful also the regular update and maintenance from AWS. **What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?** One downside is that it can feel somewhat limited outside the AWS ecosystem. Community support and 3rd party documentation are not as extensive as other big distributions **What problems is Amazon Linux 2 solving and how is that benefiting you?** It helps us running stable and secure workloads. ## Amazon Linux 2 Discussions - [Where Can I find](https://www.g2.com/discussions/where-can-i-find) - 4 comments, 1 upvote - [Is Amazon Linux 2 also available outside AWS?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-amazon-linux-2-also-available-outside-aws) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [How to look for the correct linux commands, which works with the Amazon Linux 2?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-to-look-for-the-correct-linux-commands-which-works-with-the-amazon-linux-2) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [View Amazon Linux 2 pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/terracloudx-amazon-linux-2/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-09-30+06%3A00%3A38+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=35d52410-a379-4048-830f-bed6c44f5065&secure%5Btoken%5D=7b706388a2f32f89d7964cb09293562e968d5948dceef99520f86a2ef692e249&format=llm_user) ## Amazon Linux 2 Features **Memory Management - Operating System** - RAM management - App Management - File Management **Device Management - Operating System** - I/O management **Backup and Recovery - Operating System** - Data backup **Error Detection - Operating System** - System operations monitoring **Additional Functionality** - Generative AI - Data Security - User Interface - Resource Allocation - System Updates - For Developers - AI Copilot - Desktop Interface ## Top Amazon Linux 2 Alternatives - [Red Hat Enterprise Linux](https://www.g2.com/products/red-hat-enterprise-linux/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (933 reviews) - [Ubuntu](https://www.g2.com/products/ubuntu/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (2,351 reviews) - [Chrome OS](https://www.g2.com/products/chrome-os/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (733 reviews)