What actually changes between Amazon Linux 2 and Amazon Linux 2023 — and why it matters now: AL2 reached end of life 2026-06-30. AWS has published post-EOL AL2 releases, but standard support ended and AL2023 is the durable migration path. Facts below are from AWS's own AL2-vs-AL2023 comparison.
| Area | Amazon Linux 2 | Amazon Linux 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Package manager | yum | dnf (a yum symlink remains for compatibility) |
| Extras library | amazon-linux-extras | Removed — packages are default, version-namespaced (python3.11, nginx1.24), or in SPAL |
| Time sync | ntpd | chronyd |
| Firewall backend | iptables | nftables |
| Python | 2.7 and 3.x | 3.x only — no Python 2 |
| glibc | 2.26 | 2.34 |
| Releases & support | Single rolling release | Versioned releases, 5-year support, quarterly updates, deterministic upgrades |
| Security defaults | Looser | Hardened — SELinux on, IMDSv2-friendly, locked-down by default |
[AWS source: comparing AL2 and AL2023]
Inspect the al2023-gate CLI coverage →
The differences above require workload-specific validation. Use the AL2 → AL2023 checklist and the migration guide, or check the repository evidence report ($299, 30-day money-back) for exact observed AL2 source references and a remediation order.