Amazon Linux 2

Introduction

Amazon Linux 2 is the latest and one of the most popular distributions provided by Amazon web service, especially for the cloud environment. Based upon the Amazon Linux AMI, Amazon Linux 2 offers further improved features and long-term support making it the first pick for developers and enterprises who run workloads on AWS.

Origins and Evolution

Amazon Linux 2 was made available in December 2017 as a long-term supported OS intended to bring high Performance, Security, and Cost optimizations for developing and running applications on the cloud. It is integrated to work well with other AWS products and has been optimized for use with Amazon EC2 instances. This evolution occurred in order to meet the needs of cloud-native applications where their existing stability, security, or even long-term support on the back of the original Amazon Linux AMI was not strong enough.

Key Features

1. Long-Term Support (LTS):
   With five years of support planned for Amazon Linux 2, you get the OS and its updates, which comprise bug fixes and security patches that are applicable for production use. The LTS feature is essential for enterprises requiring a platform that is relatively immune from shocks due to system updates.
2. Kernel and Package Management:
   Of its components, the operating system has a custom-tuned Linux 4. 14 kernel, which provides an improvement in the speed and reliability of the system. Furthermore, Amazon Linux 2 includes the newest EBS features and has software in its repositories, such as Python, Node .js, Ruby, and more. Consumers also get the advantages of the Amazon Linux Extras, which contain more recent versions of essential programs and packages.
3. Enhanced Security:
   Another area of concern that has been given a lot of importance in Amazon Linux 2 is security. Some of the components it offers range from SELinux which is Security-Enhanced Linux that is designed to automatically enforce mandatory access control in order to increase the system security against various security threats. Security updates are also released from time to time to make the operating system competent with new vulnerabilities that are discovered in the system.
4. Compatibility and Flexibility:
   Amazon Linux 2 can work well with a whole bunch of AWS services such as EC2, ECS, EKS, etc., while it can easily be integrated into AWS environments. It also can support multiple deployment models, such as on-premises, through using virtual machines and docker containers. This flexibility is essential when using the product by developers who are in a hybrid cloud setup or migrating applications to the cloud.
5. Developer-Friendly:
   What makes Amazon Linux 2 appealing to developers is simple: it comes with support for the most widely used development languages, tools, and frameworks. AWS SDKs and CLI extend the integration with AWS tools that enable easy development and deployment of applications on the cloud.

Use Cases and Adoption

Amazon Linux 2 provides an excellent solution for all groups of users, from simple website owners to big enterprises. Due to high performance and its integration with AWS services it would be helpful for the workloads that involve high availability, efficiency, and reliable security. For this reason, there is an increased usage among enterprises and developers who use AWS as their cloud platform.

Guide on how to Download Amazon Linux 2

AmznLinux2 can be downloaded, and installation can be done by using an Amazon EC2 Instance. Here's a guide on how to do it.

1. Amazon EC2 Instance

Despite the fact that it is an open-source Operating System, Amazon Linux 2 is built to work well with Amazon Web Service's Elastic Compute Cloud platform, and the best way to use it would be to instantiate it.

Steps:

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console:
   
   • Then go to https://console.aws.amazon.com
   • Log in using your Amazon web service user authentications.
2. Launch an EC2 Instance:
   
   • Now to the EC2 Dashboard at the top right of the navigation bar under the Amazon EC2 Badge.
   • Select "Launch Instance"
   • In the 'Select an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)' field, select Amazon Linux 2.
   • Consider the details of an instance, such as the Type, the Volume, and the Group that oversees the instance.
   • To commence the instance, click on "Launch."
3. Connect to the Instance:
   
   • Once the instance has been created, use the ssh command with the key pair that was used while launching the instance to log in to the instance.
   • In this case, it is going to be 'ec2-user' since this is the default user of the AMIs.
   • Example SSH command:

Command:

Conclusion

Amazon Linux 2 is highly secure, stable, and optimized for the cloud while providing a base OS that is supported in the long term with superior performance and integration with AWS services. It is an excellent pick for creating and deploying cloud-native applications in different settings since it is highly portable.