Software Alternatives & Startups

Cities: Skylines VS CloudLinux

Compare Cities: Skylines VS CloudLinux and see what are their differences

Cities: Skylines

Cities: Skylines is a Construction and Management, City Building, and Single-player Simulation developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive.

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0 reviews
CloudLinux

Making Linux secure, stable, and profitable for thousands of hosting providers and data centers worldwide.

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0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
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Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Cities: Skylines
CloudLinux
Website paradoxplaza.com cloudlinux.com
Pricing —
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Cities: Skylines 6 features
CloudLinux 5 features
  • Detailed city-building
    Cities: Skylines offers a highly detailed city-building experience, allowing players to plan and grow their cities from the ground up with extensive control over zoning, road-building, and public services.
  • Modding support
    The game offers robust support for mods, leading to a vibrant community that creates and shares new content, enhancing replayability and customization.
  • Realistic simulation
    The game features realistic simulation of city growth and management, including traffic patterns, public services, and economic factors, adding depth to gameplay.
  • Expansions and DLC
    Frequent expansions and downloadable content introduce new features, buildings, and scenarios, keeping the game fresh and engaging over time.
  • User-friendly interface
    Even with its depth, the game maintains a user-friendly interface, making it accessible for both casual and hardcore gamers.
  • In-depth tutorials
    The game provides comprehensive tutorials, helping new players understand the complex mechanics and features available.

Possible disadvantages

  • High hardware demands
    The detailed graphics and complex simulations can be demanding on hardware, requiring a powerful PC to run smoothly, especially for larger cities.
  • Steep learning curve
    While the game is accessible, it has a steep learning curve due to the depth of its mechanics and the complexities involved in managing a city effectively.
  • Traffic management complexity
    Managing traffic can become particularly challenging and frustrating, especially in larger cities where congestion problems are frequent.
  • Frequent DLC costs
    Although the game offers numerous expansions and additional content, the cost of frequently purchasing DLCs can add up over time.
  • Performance issues with large cities
    As cities grow larger, performance issues such as lag and long loading times can occur, impacting the overall experience.
  • Ambiguous A.I. behavior
    Sometimes the behavior of the A.I., such as residents and emergency services, can be unpredictable and hard to manage effectively.
  • Enhanced Server Stability
    CloudLinux uses its lightweight virtualization technology (LVE) to isolate each tenant on a shared hosting server, preventing any single user from consuming excessive resources and crashing the server for everyone else. This ensures consistent uptime and performance.
  • Improved Security with HardenedPHP and KernelCare
    CloudLinux offers HardenedPHP, which patches old and unsupported PHP versions against known vulnerabilities, and KernelCare, which provides live kernel patching without requiring server reboots. These features significantly enhance server security posture.
  • Resource Limit Management
    Administrators can set granular resource limits (CPU, memory, I/O, number of processes, etc.) per user account using LVE Manager. This makes it easy to manage shared hosting environments and ensure fair resource distribution among tenants.
  • CageFS File System Virtualization
    CageFS creates a virtualized file system for each user, preventing them from seeing other users on the server, viewing sensitive configuration files, or exploiting server vulnerabilities. This adds an important layer of isolation and security.
  • Wide Compatibility with Hosting Panels
    CloudLinux integrates seamlessly with popular hosting control panels such as cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin, making it straightforward for hosting providers to adopt without overhauling their existing infrastructure or workflows.

Possible disadvantages

  • Additional Licensing Cost
    CloudLinux requires a paid monthly or annual license on top of the base server cost. For smaller hosting providers or individual server owners, this additional expense can add up and may not always be justifiable compared to free alternatives.
  • Limited to CentOS/RHEL-Based Systems
    CloudLinux is built on top of RHEL/CentOS and does not support other Linux distributions like Ubuntu or Debian. This limits its adoption for hosting providers who prefer or already run non-RHEL-based environments.
  • Learning Curve for Configuration
    While CloudLinux provides powerful resource management tools, properly configuring LVE limits, CageFS, PHP Selector, and other features requires a solid understanding of the platform. Misconfiguration can lead to users being unnecessarily restricted or resources being poorly allocated.
  • Potential Performance Overhead
    The additional layers of virtualization, resource monitoring, and file system isolation introduced by CloudLinux can impose a slight performance overhead on the server compared to running a bare, unmodified Linux distribution without these controls.
  • Dependency on CloudLinux Ecosystem
    Adopting CloudLinux means relying on their ecosystem for kernel updates, PHP patches, and security fixes. If the company experiences delays in releasing patches or changes its pricing/licensing model, hosting providers may find themselves locked into a dependency that is difficult to migrate away from.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Cities: Skylines
CloudLinux

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Cities: Skylines is generally considered a good game, particularly for fans of city-building simulations.

Why this product is good

  • The game offers a detailed and immersive city-building experience, with a wide range of tools and features that allow players to create sprawling cities complete with detailed road networks, public transport systems, and urban planning. Its realistic simulation of city management challenges, such as traffic congestion and resource management, provides an engaging experience. The game also benefits from a strong modding community, which has expanded its content substantially. Furthermore, the developers, Paradox Interactive, have been supportive with regular updates and expansions.

Recommended for

  • Fans of city-building and simulation games
  • Players who enjoy complex strategy and management challenges
  • Gamers looking for an expansive modding community to enhance gameplay
  • Those interested in urban planning and city management

Overall verdict

  • CloudLinux is a well-regarded, mature Linux OS distribution and toolset specifically designed for shared hosting and multi-tenant server environments, offering strong isolation, resource management, and security features that make it a solid choice for hosting providers.

Why this product is good

  • Provides LVE (Lightweight Virtual Environment) technology for per-tenant resource isolation, preventing 'bad neighbor' effects on shared servers
  • Enhances server stability and security by isolating users so that one account's issues (crashes, resource spikes) don't affect others
  • Offers extended lifecycle support (longer than standard CentOS/RHEL support windows), which is valuable for legacy systems
  • Includes tools like CloudLinux OS Shield, Imunify360 integration, and hardened kernel options for improved security
  • Compatible with popular control panels like cPanel and Plesk, making it easy to integrate into existing hosting stacks
  • Backed by an established company with a long track record in the hosting industry and responsive support
  • Offers granular control over CPU, memory, I/O, and other resources per user account
  • Provides PHP Selector and multiple PHP version support, useful for hosting providers serving diverse client needs

Recommended for

  • Web hosting companies running shared or reseller hosting environments
  • Hosting providers needing to isolate customer accounts on the same physical server
  • Businesses requiring extended OS support lifecycles beyond standard RHEL/CentOS EOL dates
  • Enterprises using cPanel or Plesk that want tighter security and resource control
  • Hosting companies looking to reduce support tickets caused by noisy-neighbor resource contention
  • IT teams managing multi-tenant infrastructure who need governance and monitoring tools built into the OS layer

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Cities: Skylines 2 videos + Add
CloudLinux 3 videos + Add

Cities: Skylines Review

More videos

  • - LGR - Cities: Skylines Review (from 2015)

When To Use Cloudlinux On Your Virtual Private Server (VPS)

More videos

  • - CloudLinux OS+ in a minute: Explore Features
  • - How CloudLinux Plans to Keep CentOS 6 Alive

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Cities: Skylines
CloudLinux
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
CMS
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

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