CentOS has been declared end of life because of a change in the development and support model for the operating system. In December 2020, Red Hat, the company behind CentOS, announced that it was shifting its focus to CentOS Stream, a new development branch of the operating system. As part of this shift, Red Hat announced that it would no longer provide updates or support for CentOS 8 after December 31, 2021.
The implications of this change for users of CentOS 8 are significant. Without updates or security patches, the operating system will become increasingly vulnerable to security threats over time. This could put users' data and systems at risk. In addition, software vendors and developers may stop supporting their applications on CentOS 8, making it difficult or impossible to use certain tools and services.
To address these concerns, Red Hat has recommended that CentOS 8 users migrate to either CentOS Stream or to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which provides ongoing support and updates. CentOS Stream is a rolling release of the operating system that provides users with access to the latest features and updates. RHEL, on the other hand, is a commercial product that provides enterprise-level support and a stable, predictable release schedule.
Overall, the end of life for CentOS 8 represents a significant change for users of the operating system. However, with careful planning and migration to a supported platform, users can continue to benefit from the stability and reliability that CentOS has provided in the past.