RHEL 8 vs 9 vs 10: Key Differences Explained
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a leading Linux distribution used by enterprises around the world for its stability, performance, and support.
Red Hat has continuously evolved RHEL to meet the demands of modern IT infrastructure, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. With the release of RHEL 8, RHEL 9, and the latest RHEL 10, many users and administrators are often wondering: With the arrival of RHEL 10, system administrators and developers are curious to know how it differs from RHEL 8 and RHEL 9.
In this blog post, we will analyze the key differences, new features, enhancements, and system requirements of RHEL 8, 9, and 10 - all in a clear, tabular, and easy to understand format.
|
Features |
RHEL
8 |
RHEL
9 |
RHEL
10 |
|
Code Name |
codename is 'Ootpa' |
codename is ‘Plow‘ |
codename is ‘Coughlan‘ |
|
Security
Enhancements |
SELinux
improvements, FIPS 140-2 support |
Further SELinux improvements, TLS 1.3
support |
Improved SELinux, Integrated system roles for CIS benchmarks, TLS 1.3, FIPS(Federal Information Processing
Standards) 140-3 |
|
Kernel
Optimization |
Kernel
4.18, improved resource management |
Kernel
5.14, improved scalability |
Kernel 6.12, advanced memory management and scheduling
|
|
Support
for Modern
Hardware |
Supported newer hardware compared
to RHEL 7 |
Expanded
support for hardware and devices |
Full
support for cutting-edge processors and networking hardware |
|
Cloud
Integration |
RHEL
8 optimized for hybrid cloud |
Enhanced
cloudnative support |
Seamless
integration with Red Hat OpenShift, improved support for AWS, Azure, GCP |
|
Application
Streams |
Introduced Application Streams
|
Further improvements to Application Streams and
Utilizes modularity for packaging |
More
flexible Application Streams, easy access but do not use for modularity. |
|
Developer Tools |
Python
3.6, Java11, Node.js-18 support |
Python 3.6, Java-17, Node.js-20
support |
Enhanced
support for Python 3.12, Node.js-22, Java-21, and container development tools
|
|
Container
Support |
Initial improvements
in container support |
Further
container optimizations |
Optimized
container resource management, improved Podman and Buildah integration
|
|
Web Console |
Basic
web interface for system management |
Improved Web Console
with better UI |
Fully
upgraded Web Console for advanced management and troubleshooting |
|
System
Automation |
Basic automation
with Ansible |
Expanded automation with more roles
|
Expanded
system roles for automating updates, security, and configuration tasks |
|
Desktop
Environment |
GNOME
3.28 |
GNOME
40 |
GNOME
47 |
|
Teamd
Service |
teand service is available |
teamd service deprecated but available |
teamd
service has been removed; kernel-based bonding as a replacement |
|
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Lightspeed
|
Red Hat's AIpowered service not
available. |
Red
Hat's AI-powered service is available only on version 9.6. |
Red
Hat's AI-powered service is available. |
|
Maximum
Logical CPUs Supported (on x86_64 arch) |
768 [8192] |
1792
[8192] |
3840
[8192] |
|
Maximum Memory
(RAM) Supported (on x86_64 arch) |
24 TB |
48
TB |
64
TB |
|
Browser Versions (Firefox)
|
Firefox 91.8.0 |
Firefox
60.5.11 |
Firefox
128.8.0 |
|
Compiler
|
GCC 8 |
GCC
11 |
GCC
14 |
|
Systemd Version |
version 238 |
version
252 |
version
256 |
|
Default Databases
|
The following database servers are
available in RHEL8*: |
The
following database servers are available in RHEL9* |
The following database servers
are available in RHEL10* |
|
MySQL 8.0 |
MySQL 8.0 |
My
SQL 8.4 |
|
|
MariaDB 10.3 |
MariaDB
10.5 |
Maria
DB 10.11 |
|
|
PostgreSQL
10 and
PostgreSQL 9.6 |
PostgreSQL
13 |
PostgreSQL
16 |
|
|
Redis 5.0 |
Redis
6.2 |
- Velkey 8.0(Valkey replaces Redis)
|
|
|
Base
OS |
Fedora 28 |
Fedora
34 |
Fedora
40 |
|
Podman Version |
Podman 1.x |
Podman 3.x -Support Rootless
container |
Podman
5.x- Security Hardened, systemd integration |
|
OpenSSL |
OpenSSL 1.1 |
OpenSSL
3.0 |
OpenSSL
3.2 |
|
Cloud Image Builder
|
CLI Only |
GUI+CLI
Support |
Full
Pipeline, CI/CD integration |
|
Container Registry
Support |
Red
Hat Registry, Manual |
Podman
+ Native registry |
Secure
registry with image scanning |
|
CI/CD Pipeline Support
|
Manual Setup,Jenkins supported |
GitLab, Jenkins, Tekton
pipelines |
Deep integration with OpenShift
Pipelines |
|
Firewall
|
firewalld + iptables |
firewalld
with nftables |
Full
Cockpit firewall UI, AI rules suggestions |
Conclusion
Red Hat continues to innovate with each release of RHEL. If you're looking for stability and enterprise support, RHEL 8 or 9 may still be perfect. But if you're ready to move into the next generation of Linux infrastructure with built-in AI, cloud-native support, and advanced security, RHEL 10 is the future.
Choosing the right RHEL version depends on your current infrastructure, future goals, and application needs.
RHEL 8 is extremely robust for stability and long-term support.
RHEL 9 balances modern features with reliability.
RHEL 10 is for those who are ready to adopt cutting-edge cloud-native, container-first, and AI-ready solutions.
Whether you're a system administrator, DevOps engineer, or enterprise decision maker, knowing these differences will help you deploy more efficiently and plan better.
Download the PDF on this Topic:
Post a Comment