On 16 November 2023, the CloudLinux OS team announced the release of version 9.3, which brings a number of updates and improvements. The most significant new feature is that this version now includes support for cPanel, meaning that CloudLinux 9 can now be used with the most popular hosting control panel.

Meet our highly anticipated release of the latest CloudLinux OS 9 version, now equipped with cPanel support. Dive into our blog post for detailed insights on upgrading your system. https://t.co/vEZKTLyF7k

— CloudLinuxOS (@CloudLinuxOS) November 16, 2023

CloudLinux OS 9.3 is based on the AlmaLinux 9.3 release and introduces a number of enhancements and features. This update simplifies the deployment of workloads, applications and services across different environments, minimising the effort and time required.

The main changes are as follows

Key additions in this version include crucial security updates:

• Keylime 7.3.0
• OpenSSH has moved further away from the less secure SHA-1 hash algorithm
• The pcsc-lite-ccid USB Chip/Smart Card Interface Device (CCID) and Integrated Circuit Card Device (ICCD) driver has been updated to version 1.5.2
• AlmaLinux 9.3 introduces further enhancements to support the Extended Master Secret (EMS) extension (RFC 7627), which is required by the FIPS-140-3 standard for all TLS 1.2 connections
• SETools, a collection of graphical and command-line tools used to analyse SELinux policies, has been updated to version 4.4.2
• OpenSCAP has been updated to version 1.3.8
• The SCAP Security Guide has been updated to version 0.1.69

Furthermore, improvements have been made to the application stacks, including updates to compilers, runtime languages, databases and web servers. For further information, see the AlmaLinux 9.3 release notes. Key updates:

• The LVE kernel module: kmod-lve-2.1-20
• From kernel version 5.14.0-362.8.1.el9_3 and module kmod-lve-2.1-20 onwards, Secure Boot works even without importing the CloudLinux key
• Updated dynamic programming languages, web and database servers:
  • Redis 7
  • Node.js 20
  • Apache HTTP Server 2.4.57

cPanel support

Following the release of the standard version of CloudLinux OS 9 and the experimental version designed for cPanel, from version 9.3 onwards – starting with cPanel version 11.116.0.1 – an experimental key is no longer required for installation; at that stage, the integration was still in beta. CloudLinux recommended reinstalling cPanel + CloudLinux servers previously installed using the --experimental-os=almalinux-9.2 switch to avoid unexpected errors.

The full integration, intended for production use, was released on 12 March 2024 with the stable release of cPanel 118. The combination of cPanel 118 and CloudLinux 9 has since become the recommended foundation for cPanel hosting, particularly as support for CloudLinux 6 and 7 has ended.

Installation and updates

CloudLinux OS 9.3 can be installed on a new server from an ISO image, or an existing AlmaLinux 9.3 server can be converted to CloudLinux 9.3 (see our article on installing CloudLinux OS). To update existing CloudLinux 9 systems, CloudLinux gradually rolled out the new cloudlinux-release package over a 10-day period; those who did not wish to wait could update as follows:

dnf --enablerepo=cloudlinux-rollout-4-bypass install cloudlinux-release
dnf update

After about two weeks, version 9.3 was added to the main repository; since then, running dnf update on its own updates to the latest point release of the 9 series.

How long is it supported for?

CloudLinux OS 9 will receive updates until 31 May 2032 (see our article on the CloudLinux lifecycle). You can upgrade from CloudLinux 8 to 9 using the ELevate tool: Upgrading CloudLinux from 8 to 9 with ELevate. Further releases in the 9 series:

• CloudLinux OS 9 (January 2023)
• CloudLinux OS 9.2 (May 2023)
• CloudLinux OS 9.4 (May 2024)
• CloudLinux OS 9.5 (November 2024)
• CloudLinux OS 9.6 (May 2025)
• CloudLinux OS 9.7 (November 2025)
• CloudLinux OS 9.8 (May 2026)

Our cPanel hosting plans run on CloudLinux: LVE limits, CageFS and MySQL Governor ensure that hosting accounts are kept separate. It can also be installed as an operating system on our KVM VPS servers.

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