Planning to switch to a Russian OS? We recommend testing these three systems in the cloud

The government's import substitution program has long obliged the public sector to use domestic OS and software. And sanctions have led to the fact that businesses have also begun to switch to Russian software. This has motivated developers to more actively develop Russian OS and build entire ecosystems around them. So now there are dozens of domestically produced operating systems. Ministry of Digital Development makes a bet into three: Astra Linux, RED OS and ALT Linux. Each of them has compatible software, technical support and security certificates that allow working with sensitive information, including state secrets.

We decided to figure out the difference between them to make it easier for you to choose an OS for working in the cloud.

What is important when choosing

If you are going to change your usual Windows to a domestic OS, we recommend looking at five basic criteria:

User-friendly interface. It's a matter of taste and habit, but if the OS has several different graphical shells to choose from, then this will definitely be an advantage.

Accessibility from the cloud. Important for those who intend to migrate from their own hardware to the cloud and simultaneously from a foreign OS to a Russian one. The cloud can also be used as a test stand to check the system in action before purchasing a license.

Availability of support. The problem of most Russian companies that work on foreign OS is precisely the lack of support. Therefore, when choosing software for replacement, first of all write to support and see how quickly and how sensibly they answer you.

Security certificates of FSTEC, FSB, Ministry of Defense. For organizations that are critical information infrastructure objects, work in GIS and APCS, process personal data and state secrets, certification of programs in FSTEC is mandatory. It is unacceptable to use uncertified software in them, since this carries huge risks to information security.

Long list of compatible software. Make sure it includes programs that the company already uses and that are critical to it. The length of the list itself is also indicative: developers cannot adapt their software to all Russian operating systems and are forced to choose the most promising ones. A large list of compatible programs is an indicator of OS development and stability on the market.

We understand that today the main audience for OS with certificates from FSTEC, FSB and other regulators are state-owned companies and companies with state participation that deploy either pilots or production systems in their own circuit.

Therefore, for analysis, we selected three operating systems that are popular in the public sector, are actively developing, have support and security certificates.

Astra Linux: for working with restricted access data

Developed by RusBITech-Astra based on the Debian operating system from Linux, it is included in the register of domestic software from the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media and meets the requirements of all regulators of the Russian market: FSTEC, FSB and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The flagship product is Astra Linux Special Edition. It can be installed in one of three variations:

1. “Eagle”: basic level of security, suitable for private use.

2. “Voronezh”: medium level of security, suitable for processing restricted access information.

3. “Smolensk”: maximum level of security, suitable for processing information ranging from confidential to state secrets of “special importance”.

Available versions: server, mobile, for payment terminals, POS systems, information kiosks and industrial controllers.

On Astra Linux, you can build an information system that will process data of any level of secrecy and confidentiality. Its distinctive feature is the mandatory model of resource access control within the OS. This feature is available only in the Astra Linux SE version of the Smolensk security level. Thanks to it, you can differentiate user access to objects using confidentiality labels and issue different levels of access to different employees. According to FSTEC requirements, such confidentiality labels distinguish systems for protecting senior grades of the Russian Federation state secrets.

The Astra Group of Companies, which owns the OS, is implementing the program Ready for Astra. The essence of the program is cooperation with manufacturers of software products and equipment. Specialists test software and hardware for correct operation with the operating system and issue certificates of conformity. Such certificates have already been received by 2100 software and hardware products.

In our cloud infrastructure you can use the Astra Linux license in the Orel, Smolensk or Voronezh editions. It is important to understand that if you use a protected edition in the cloud, this does not mean that the corresponding level of protection is extended to the entire infrastructure. For general certification, you must meet all regulatory requirements.

RED OS: for small and medium businesses

The second of the most famous Russian operating systems was developed by RED SOFT. It was this company that once created the GosLinux distribution based on CentOS 6, as required by the Federal Bailiff Service of Russia. Its new brainchild, RED OS, is based on Red Hat and the DNF package manager.

This operating system exists in two variations – for servers and for workstations. It has several types of graphical shell: KDE Plasma, GNOME and MATE – you can choose the one that seems more convenient. Cinnamon is also available, but it cannot be selected during the installation of the system and will have to be installed manually from its own repository.

Unlike Astra Linux, RED OS is based on a more recent version of the Linux kernel — 6.6 LTS, so there won’t be any problems with support for a long time. Its main feature is a seamless transition from Windows due to a similar interface. RED OS is easy to install and use, and the package already includes office programs, browsers, text, multimedia, and graphic editors. But unlike its neighbors in the rating, RED OS does not have a Ministry of Defense certificate. Therefore, it is suitable for small and medium-sized companies that do not need to install ultra-secure software to work with state secrets.

In mClouds cloud infrastructure you can use RED OS 8 on cloud servers. Moreover, the version is for non-commercial use. free. And for commercial tasks, you can first take the OS for a test and only after checking buy a license.

ALT Linux: for government agencies, business and education

The last of the three most famous domestic distributions is the development of Bazalt SPO LLC. ALT Linux is based on the Mandrake operating system, which in turn is based on Red Hat. At the same time, APT is used as a package manager.

ALT Linux, unlike Astra Linux, supports more process architectures. It has a longer testing period and its own full-fledged Sisyphus repository, which is among the top ten largest worldwide.

The distribution itself is positioned as a platform with OS division by purpose.

“Alt Workstation”. The most common version of the distribution is intended for deployment on user workstations. It can be used for free on home computers, but for corporate computers you will have to buy a license. A computer with the installed distribution can be connected to an Active Directory domain.

The distribution itself comes in two variations: “Alt Workstation” and “Alt Workstation K”. The difference between them is in the graphical shell used – MATE and KDE Plasma, respectively. KDE Plasma is considered to have more tools for customizing the desktop.

“Alt Server”. This distribution can be used to deploy a full-fledged corporate infrastructure. The list of applications that can be installed with the OS is the same as for the “Workstation”.

The server version of the OS supports many services: Nextcloud, Postgres and MariaDB DBMS, two types of domain controllers – Samba DC and FreeIPA (these are means of centralized user authentication), Postfix and Dovecot mail servers and other services.

“Alt Education”. This version of the distribution is designed specifically for kindergartens, schools and universities.

With a license, any of the three variations can be deployed in the cloud.

Let's compare options

Everything you need to know about top Russian OS has been collected in one table.

Use cases

All three OS are suitable for different corporate tasks. For example, to deploy a web server with an Apache/Nginx + PHP stack, you can choose:

• “Alt Server”. A long list of supported software and low system load due to the ability to not install a graphical shell.

• Astra Server. Low component load on the system, even with a graphical shell. In version 1.7, the system can consume less than 1 GB of RAM, given the small number of running processes.

And for working in the 1C application using the PostgreSQL DBMS, you can consider:

• RED OS in the “Workstation” variation. It is compatible with both 1C and Postgres. It has user-friendly graphical shells that simplify the work.

• “Alt Workstation”. It will also be a good choice for 1C deployment due to its simple installation and user-friendly interface.

• Astra Linux SE. To install it, you will have to make an effort and edit the configuration file, which is responsible for resolving domain names. But the creators took care of us and attached clear step-by-step documentation, so installing the OS is not easy, but possible.

Software “included”

Russian OS are not just operating systems, but entire software packages that already have Russian software built into them to solve a wide variety of problems:

• Office packages: R7-Office, MyOffice, as well as freely distributed ONLYOFFICE and LibreOffice. The latter can be installed by default together with the system in many Russian OS and foreign Linux distributions.

• Postal services: freely distributed Postfix, Dovecot, Exim, Sendmail and cloud Tegu, MyOffice Mail, CommuniGate Pro.

• Email clients: All three domestic operating systems come with the Thunderbird email client, one of the most famous free solutions.

• VPN: Russian distributions come with a ready-made VPN client for connecting via various protocols, such as OpenVPN, WireGuard, PPTP, L2TP. As a rule, this is solved by a separate package for NetworkManager – a network subsystem installed on Russian OS with a graphical environment.

• Antivirus software: Each of the three operating systems has Kaspersky Endpoint Security in its list of compatible software.

Each OS has a free trial period of two to three months. You can deploy a test stand in the cloudto check the operating system and select the desired version before purchasing a license. If you have any questions, ask in the comments.