Why do some web hosts chose to deploy or use CentOS instead of RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux)? The simple reason is due to licensing costs. Instead of paying a few hundred dollars for a RHEL license. The web host can download and deploy a server with CentOS for no cost.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux costs money for the web host to use. CentOS is an exact near copy of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that doesn’t cost money. The only real difference between CentOS and Red Hat Enterprise Linux is:
-CentOS is released a few weeks after a RHEL version is released
-CentOS users receive technical support from the community. Red Hat Enterprise Linux users with an active subscription or license can get technical support directly from Red Hat
-Red Hat Enterprise Linux costs money to use while CentOS is free
The best part is the CentOS project (developers behind CentOS) is affiliated with Red Hat.