Anolis OS

Anolis OS is an enterprise-grade Linux distribution created by the OpenAnolis open-source community, initiated by Alibaba. The 7/8 series is built on RHEL/CentOS compatibility; the 23 series evolves independently. Heavily optimized for cloud computing and localization scenarios, it is one of the most influential EL-ecosystem distributions originating from China.

Overview

The name “Anolis” comes from the anole lizard, a highly adaptable reptile — symbolizing the operating system’s versatility. In Chinese, it is known as “Long Xi” (dragon lizard), incorporating Chinese cultural elements.

Core Positioning

Cloud computing infrastructure operating system
Key component of China’s domestic IT ecosystem (Xin Chuang)
Multi-architecture support (x86, ARM, LoongArch, RISC-V)
Native optimization for Alibaba Cloud

The OpenAnolis Community

Founding and Background

The OpenAnolis community was initiated by Alibaba in September 2020 as a neutral open-source operating system community. The community was founded against the backdrop of:

Migration needs triggered by the CentOS traditional version EOL
Development of China’s information technology application innovation (Xin Chuang) industry
Growing demand for customized OS in cloud computing infrastructure

Community Members

The OpenAnolis community brings together many of China’s leading technology companies:

Alibaba (initiator)
UnionTech Software
Loongson Technology
Phytium Information Technology
Zhaoxin
China Telecom
China Mobile
Inspur
Over hundreds of enterprise members in total

Governance Structure

Board of Directors: Responsible for community strategic direction
Technical Committee: Responsible for technical roadmap decisions
SIG Groups: Responsible for specific technical domains

Anolis OS Versions

Anolis OS 7

Compatible with CentOS 7 / RHEL 7
Suitable for migrating existing CentOS 7 systems off it
Regular support ended in 2024-06; it now runs on ELS (extended life) until 2028-06 — do not pick it for new projects, and plan existing systems off it (matches distro-profiles.openanolis.releases[2].support=maintenance)

Anolis OS 8 (current 8.10)

Compatible with CentOS 8 / RHEL 8
Actively maintained
Ships with ANCK (Anolis Cloud Kernel, 5.10 series)

Anolis OS 23 (current 23.5)

This is the most distinctive version of Anolis OS — it no longer strictly follows the RHEL roadmap, instead taking an independent evolution path:

Based on the Linux 6.6 upstream kernel (ANCK); newer 6.x kernels are also available in the repositories
Independent package management and software version strategy
More aggressive adoption of new technologies
Designed for next-generation cloud computing infrastructure

# Package management on Anolis OS 23 is similar to the EL family
dnf update -y
dnf install -y <package>

Cloud Kernel (ANCK)

ANCK (Anolis Cloud Native Kernel) is the core differentiating feature of Anolis OS.

Technical Highlights

Based on a newer upstream Linux kernel
Production-grade validation across Alibaba’s massive cloud computing infrastructure
Optimized for virtualization and container workloads
Memory management optimization (for large-spec instances)
Network stack performance enhancements
Scheduler optimization (mixed deployment scenarios)

Real-World Deployment

ANCK runs on millions of Alibaba Cloud servers and has been battle-tested through multiple Singles’ Day (11.11) shopping festivals:

# Check current kernel
uname -r
# Example output: 6.6.xxx.an23.x86_64 (Anolis OS 23) or 5.10.xxx.anolis.x86_64 (Anolis OS 8)

# Install ANCK: package name and command vary by series/repo (yum on 7, dnf on 8/23);
# follow the current OpenAnolis Cloud-Kernel docs (no command inlined here to avoid staleness)

Relationship with Standard Kernel

The 7/8 series ships both an RHEL-compatible kernel and ANCK (the 23 series evolves independently on an upstream-LTS-based kernel, with no RHEL-compatible kernel option):

Kernel Type	Description	Use Case
RHEL-compatible kernel (7/8 series only)	Identical to RHEL kernel	Strict compatibility needed
ANCK	Cloud-optimized kernel (default on 23, upstream LTS based)	Cloud computing, containers

Multi-Architecture Support

Anolis OS leads among EL distributions in multi-architecture support.

x86_64

Primary platform, Intel and AMD processors
Complete software package coverage

aarch64 (ARM64)

Supports domestic ARM processors including Phytium and Kunpeng
Native support for Alibaba Cloud Yitian ECS instances

LoongArch (Loongson)

Supports the LoongArch architecture for Loongson processors
Critical for China’s domestic IT replacement scenarios
Most other EL distributions do not support this architecture

RISC-V

Frontier open-source instruction set architecture support
Under active development
Targets future IoT and edge computing scenarios

# Check system architecture
uname -m

# Check Anolis OS version
cat /etc/anolis-release

Alibaba Cloud Integration

Anolis OS is one of the recommended operating systems for Alibaba Cloud ECS (Elastic Compute Service):

Official Anolis OS images available in the Alibaba Cloud console
Cloud kernel deeply integrated with ECS virtualization
Native support for automation tools (Cloud Assistant)
Pre-configured security hardening and compliance

Using on Alibaba Cloud

# Select Anolis OS image when creating an ECS instance
# Supports Anolis OS 7, 8, and 23

# Update using Alibaba Cloud mirror sources
dnf update -y

Installation and Configuration

Getting Anolis OS

Download: openanolis.cn/download

Repository Structure

# Anolis OS 8 main repositories
dnf repolist

# BaseOS        Core system packages
# AppStream     Applications and runtimes
# PowerTools    Developer tools (equivalent to CRB)
# Plus          Additional packages
# Extras        Extra tools

Migrating from CentOS

Anolis OS provides tools and documentation for migrating from CentOS:

# Migrate from CentOS 7 to Anolis OS 7
# Migrate from CentOS 8 to Anolis OS 8
# See OpenAnolis community migration guide for details

Domestic IT and Localization

Anolis OS plays a significant role in China’s Xin Chuang (information technology application innovation) ecosystem.

Chip Adaptation

Loongson LoongArch
Phytium ARM
Zhaoxin x86
Hygon x86
Kunpeng ARM
Sunway SW64 (via community support)

Software Adaptation

DM Database (Dameng)
KingBase Database
TongTech Middleware
Other domestic foundational software

Security Compliance

Meets Multi-Level Protection Scheme 2.0 requirements
Provides security hardening guides
Supports Chinese national cryptographic algorithms (SM2/SM3/SM4)

Community Ecosystem

SIGs (Special Interest Groups)

SIG	Focus Area
Cloud Kernel	Cloud kernel development and optimization
Container	Container runtimes and tools
High Availability	HA clusters
Virtualization	Virtualization technologies
AI	AI/ML infrastructure
DB	Database optimization
Security	Security technologies
LoongArch	Loongson architecture support

How to Participate

Website: openanolis.cn
Code repository: gitee.com/anolis
Community forums and mailing lists
Regular tech meetups and developer events

Comparison with Other Chinese EL Distributions

Feature	Anolis OS	OpenCloudOS	openEuler
Initiator	Alibaba	Tencent	Huawei
RHEL compatible	Yes (7/8)	8 userspace-compatible; 9 fully self-developed	No
Independent version	Anolis OS 23	Stream	openEuler
Cloud integration	Alibaba Cloud	Tencent Cloud	Huawei Cloud
Custom kernel	ANCK	TencentOS Kernel	openEuler Kernel
Multi-arch	Very broad	Good	Broad

Ideal Use Cases

Alibaba Cloud users: Native best experience
Domestic IT projects: China’s localization replacement needs
Multi-architecture needs: Especially LoongArch and RISC-V
Large-scale cloud computing: ANCK performance advantages
CentOS migration: Localized choice for Chinese users

Summary

Anolis OS is a major player in the Chinese EL ecosystem. It provides RHEL compatibility through its 7/8 versions while exploring an independent evolution path with Anolis OS 23. For users needing domestic IT support, multi-architecture coverage, and Alibaba Cloud integration, Anolis OS is a choice that deserves serious attention.