


What is the minimal install of CentOS and what does it include?
Jul 07, 2025 am 12:35 AMA minimal install of CentOS is a lightweight setup that includes only essential components, making it ideal for servers or systems requiring full control. It contains core utilities like bash, yum/dnf, networking tools, and security packages, while excluding desktop environments, web servers, and development tools. To choose this option during setup, select “Minimal Install” in the GUI or use @^minimal in kickstart files. Included packages cover system management, networking, package handling, filesystem tools, logging, and basic security. Missing tools like text editors, network diagnostics, development packages, and services can be added later via yum/dnf. This approach ensures efficiency, security, and a reduced attack surface by installing only what is necessary.
If you're setting up a CentOS system and want to keep it lean, the minimal install is the way to go. It gives you a clean, lightweight base without unnecessary packages—perfect for servers or setups where you want full control over what gets added later.
What Exactly Is a Minimal Install?
A minimal install of CentOS means installing only the most essential components needed to get the system running. This includes the core operating system tools like basic utilities (think bash
, coreutils
, yum
or dnf
), networking tools, and a few other critical packages that allow the system to boot and function at a basic level.
You won’t find desktop environments, web servers, or development tools here. It’s barebones by design, which makes it fast, secure, and efficient for specific use cases like containers, cloud instances, or custom server builds.
How to Choose Minimal Install During Setup
When installing CentOS via the standard ISO image, you’ll usually reach a screen asking you to select the installation type. Here’s how to make sure you’re getting the minimal install:
- In the Installation Summary screen (for GUI-based installs), choose the Minimal Install option under “Software Selection.”
- If you're using kickstart or an automated setup, include this line in your kickstart file:
@^minimal
This ensures only the absolute essentials are pulled in during installation. You can always add more packages later based on your needs.
What's Included in a Minimal Install
The actual package list may vary slightly depending on the CentOS version (like CentOS 7 vs CentOS Stream), but generally, a minimal install pulls in:
- Core system utilities (
systemd
,glibc
,bash
,shadow-utils
) - Basic networking tools (
iproute
,NetworkManager
,firewalld
) - Package management (
yum
ordnf
,rpm
) - Filesystem tools (
e2fsprogs
,xfsprogs
) - Logging and monitoring (
rsyslog
,audit
) - Security-related basics (
openssh-server
,sudo
,pam
)
No GUI, no office tools, no games. Just enough to run the OS and manage it from the command line.
What’s Missing That You Might Want to Add
Since it's minimal, there are quite a few common tools you'll probably want to install manually after setup:
- Text editors:
vim
,nano
- Network diagnostic tools:
curl
,wget
,net-tools
,bind-utils
- Development/build tools:
gcc
,make
,kernel-devel
- Services:
httpd
,nginx
,mariadb
, etc. - Monitoring tools:
htop
,iotop
,nmon
You can install these later with a simple yum install <package-name></package-name>
or dnf install <package-name></package-name>
. For example:
sudo yum install vim curl wget
Just be aware that every package you add increases the system’s footprint and potential attack surface, so stick to what you need.
That's basically all there is to a minimal CentOS install—it's not complicated, but it does require knowing what you'll eventually need to add. Once you understand what comes by default and what doesn't, it becomes much easier to build exactly the system you want.
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