This page summarizes RHEL releases and milestones for 2026.
Last Updated: March 21, 2026
¶ Releases and Versions
| Version |
Status |
Release Date |
Support Phase |
End of Full Support |
| RHEL 10.1 |
🟢 Current |
2025-11-13 |
Full Support |
~2032-05 |
| RHEL 9.7 |
🟢 Active |
2025-11-13 |
Full Support |
~2029-05 |
| RHEL 8.11 |
🟡 Maintenance |
2024-11-12 |
Maintenance 2 |
2024-05 (ended) |
| Version |
Expected Date |
Quarter |
Status |
| RHEL 10.2 |
May 2026 |
Q2 |
📅 Expected |
| RHEL 9.8 |
May 2026 |
Q2 |
📅 Expected |
| RHEL 10.3 |
November 2026 |
Q4 |
📅 Planned |
| RHEL 9.9 |
November 2026 |
Q4 |
📅 Planned |
- 2026: RHEL 10 series continues as the current enterprise standard with RHEL 10.1.
- 2026: RHEL 9.7 provides active support with security and feature updates.
- 2026: RHEL 8 continues in Maintenance Support Phase 2 (security and critical fixes only).
- Expected May 2026: RHEL 10.2 and RHEL 9.8 anticipated following the 6-month minor release cadence.
- RHEL 7 EOL: Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) available for eligible customers after June 2024 EOL.
| Attribute |
Value |
| Current Stable |
RHEL 10.1 (November 2025) |
| Active Support |
RHEL 9.7 (November 2025) |
| Maintenance |
RHEL 8.11 (November 2024) |
| Support Model |
10-year lifecycle per major version (Full Support ~7 years + Maintenance ~3 years) |
| Release Cadence |
Minor releases approximately every 6 months for active versions |
| Extended Support |
Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) add-on available |
| Version |
Full Support Until |
Maintenance Until |
ELS Available |
| RHEL 10 |
~2032-05 |
~2035-05 |
✅ Yes |
| RHEL 9 |
~2029-05 |
~2032-05 |
✅ Yes |
| RHEL 8 |
2024-05 |
~2029-05 |
✅ Yes |
| RHEL 7 |
2019-08 |
2024-06-30 |
✅ ELS Only |
¶ RHEL 10.1 and 9.7 Features (November 2025)
RHEL 10.1 and 9.7 were released on November 13, 2025, bringing significant enhancements to the enterprise Linux platform.
¶ AI and Machine Learning
| Feature |
Description |
| AI-Powered Command-Line Assistant |
Enhanced with expanded context limit for analyzing large log files and data streams |
| Offline Assistant |
Developer preview version for disconnected environments; critical for regulated industries |
| AI Accelerator Support |
Validated drivers for AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA AI accelerators with secure, signed drivers |
| Feature |
RHEL 9.7 |
RHEL 10.1 |
| Post-Quantum Cryptography |
✅ Incorporates PQC algorithms |
✅ Enhanced PQC in TLS |
| TPM Support |
✅ OpenTelemetry Collector on AWS, Azure, GCP |
✅ OpenTelemetry Collector on AWS, Azure, GCP |
| ACME |
✅ Automatic Certificate Management (GA) |
✅ Automatic Certificate Management (GA) |
| SELinux |
✅ Continued enhancements |
✅ Continued enhancements |
| Feature |
Description |
| Soft-Reboots (RHEL 10.1 Image Mode) |
System state changes without full kernel reboot; faster updates with minimal disruption |
| Reproducible Builds |
Container images built with same content are identical; enhances security |
| Image-Based Updates |
Immutable image updates for edge and cloud deployments |
Released alongside RHEL 10.1 and 9.7:
| Feature |
Status |
Description |
| Advisor Service |
GA |
Proactively identifies issues with automated recommendations |
| Vulnerability Service |
Technology Preview |
On-premises CVE assessment and remediation |
| Enhanced Data Control |
GA |
Minimal data submission for subscription reporting |
- Multi-Cloud Support: Enhanced support for AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud, Vultr
- OpenShift Integration: Improved Kubernetes and container orchestration
- Hybrid Cloud: Red Hat Satellite and Insights for hybrid management
- TPM Integration: OpenTelemetry Collector supports TPM on major cloud platforms
- Post-Quantum Cryptography: PQC algorithms for future-proof security
- ACME: Automated certificate management for production applications
- SELinux: Continued policy enhancements and hardening
- Compliance: Automation tools for industry standards (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, STIG)
¶ Containers and Edge
- Podman: Updated container runtime (Podman 5.x in RHEL 10, 4.x in RHEL 9)
- Buildah: Container image building
- Skopeo: Container image inspection and copying
- RHEL for Edge: Immutable image-based deployments for edge computing
- Validated Drivers: Secure, signed drivers for AI accelerators
- AMD Support: AMD Instinct and Radeon Pro accelerators
- Intel Support: Intel Habana and GPU accelerators
- NVIDIA Support: NVIDIA CUDA and data center GPUs
| Release |
Expected Date |
Quarter |
Status |
| RHEL 10.2 |
May 2026 |
Q2 |
📅 Expected |
| RHEL 9.8 |
May 2026 |
Q2 |
📅 Expected |
| RHEL 10.3 |
November 2026 |
Q4 |
📅 Planned |
| RHEL 9.9 |
November 2026 |
Q4 |
📅 Planned |
- RHEL 10.1 and 9.7 released November 13, 2025 with AI/ML and security enhancements.
- RHEL 8.11 is the final minor release for RHEL 8; in Maintenance Support Phase 2.
- RHEL 7 reached End of Life on June 30, 2024; ELS available for eligible customers.
- Release Cadence: Minor releases approximately every 6 months for active versions.
- Support Lifecycle: 10 years per major version (Full Support ~7 years + Maintenance ~3 years).
- Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS): Add-on available for extended support beyond standard lifecycle.
- Migration: Convert2RHEL and Leapp utilities available for in-place migrations.
- Expected Releases: Based on historical 6-month minor release cadence; subject to change.
- https://access.redhat.com/articles/red-hat-enterprise-linux-release-dates
- https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/10/html-single/10.1_release_notes/index
- https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html-single/9.7_release_notes/index
- https://www.redhat.com/en/blog
- https://www.devopsdigest.com/red-hat-enterprise-linux-101-and-97-released
- https://access.redhat.com/support/policy/updates/errata