--- 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: '2026-11-11' parent_category: name: IT Infrastructure url: https://www.g2.com/categories/it-infrastructure ---

Amazon Linux 2 Reviews & Product Details

Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

2 months

Return on Investment

11 months

User Insights

Average based on 303 real user reviews.

Implementation Time

2 months

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

Amazon Linux 2 Reviews (303)

Reviews

Amazon Linux 2 Reviews (303)

4.5
303 reviews

What do users say?

Generated using AI from real user reviews

Pros & Cons

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Dave S.
DS
Dave S.
IT
"User-Friendly with Excellent Security Features"
4.5/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?

Price Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Abdoulaye M.
AM
Abdoulaye M.
Lavoratore autonomo
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Reliable AWS Integration, but Limited Packages and Documentation"
5/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Financial Services
UF
Verified User in Financial Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Lightweight, Stable, and Seamless on AWS"
4/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ravi Ranjan G.
RG
Ravi Ranjan G.
Azure Specialist
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Updates and Strong AWS Package Support"
4.5/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Computer & Network Security
AC
Verified User in Computer & Network Security
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Experience Using Amazon Linux 2"
4/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?

The package availability is limited compared to other OSes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Consumer Goods
AC
Verified User in Consumer Goods
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Tight AWS Integration and a Fast-Booting, EC2-Optimized AMI"
5/5
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 Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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 Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

TANMAY B.
TB
TANMAY B.
Associate Technical Consultant
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.
"Lightweight, Fast, Secure,"
5/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Amazon Linux 2?

Far fewer tutorials, guides, and community resources compared to Ubuntu or RHEL Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Computer Software
AC
Verified User in Computer Software
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Lightweight, YUM-Based, and Easy to Install Packages"
4.5/5
What do you like best about Amazon Linux 2?

It’s lightweight and YUM-based, so I can install lots of things easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services
AI
Verified User in Information Technology and Services
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Stable, Lightweight, and Easy to Maintain"
4/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sivasankaran P.
SP
Sivasankaran P.
Senior Software Engineer
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Best OS for AWS cloud EC2 instance"
5/5
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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Questions about Amazon Linux 2? Ask real users or explore answers from the community

Get practical answers, real workflows, and honest pros and cons from the G2 community or share your insights.

Anshu G.
AG
Anshu Gupta
•
Last activity almost 4 years ago

Is Amazon Linux 2 also available outside AWS?

Gaurav c.
GC
Gaurav chauhaan
•
Last activity almost 2 years ago

Where Can I find

Pricing Insights

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

2 months

Return on Investment

11 months

Average Discount

20%

Amazon Linux 2 Features
I/O management
System operations monitoring
RAM management
Data backup