The phrase “end-of-life” (EOL) is well known in enterprise technology, but it’s also a bit of a misnomer: the software in question isn’t actually dead.
The more accurate (and no less morbid) metaphor might be to say that EOL software is left for dead. It still exists, it (probably) still runs, but when it reaches its end-of-life date, that’s all she wrote – literally, if you’re referring to the codebase.
No more updates, no more patches, no more integrations. It’s kind of like if you drove a car that you carefully maintained over the years, and then one day, the manufacturer or your mechanic said – that’s it, you can’t service this vehicle anymore. No more oil changes, no more brake pads, and good luck with that transmission.
If you’re not ready or willing to switch off CentOS just yet, let’s consider some of your options for ensuring the system’s security, stability, and performance in the foreseeable future. Then we’ll highlight another path – one that essentially lets you have your cake and eat it, too.