Introduction to RHEL 10: What’s New and What to Expect

Introduction to RHEL 10: What’s New and What to Expect

The wait is over! Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 10, codenamed “Coughlan,” has long been the cornerstone of enterprise-grade Linux systems, and the release of RHEL 10 on May 20, 2025, at the Red Hat Summit marks a transformative step forward. With RHEL 10 features cutting-edge designed for hybrid cloud environments, AI-powered operations, quantum-safe security, and modern application delivery, RHEL 10 is positioned as the most secure and intelligent RHEL version yet.

In this post, we’ll explore the key highlights of RHEL 10, understand how it caters to today’s enterprise needs, and what this means for developers, sysadmins, and organizations moving into the future.

Key Features of RHEL 10

1. AI-Enhanced System Management with Red Hat Lightspeed

RHEL 10 is embedded with Red Hat Lightspeed, an AI-powered assistant that brings natural language interfaces directly into Linux management. Think of it as having a Linux expert beside you, answering queries, suggesting optimizations, and guiding configurations in real-time.

This is particularly valuable for teams struggling with Linux skill shortages, as it reduces the learning curve and enhances efficiency.

2. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)

With threats from quantum computing on the horizon, RHEL 10 is among the first OS platforms to integrate Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). Based on NIST’s standards, this move prepares enterprises for the future of cybersecurity.

Why it matters: Data harvested today could be decrypted by quantum computers tomorrow. PQC in RHEL 10 helps mitigate that threat—especially in sectors like finance, healthcare, and government.

3. Immutable Image Mode (for container-native deployments)

Enterprises are embracing container-native infrastructure, and RHEL 10’s Image Mode is a response to that shift. Image Mode offers an immutable, bootable container image that includes both OS and applications.

This approach ensures consistency, improves security, and streamlines CI/CD pipelines.

Ideal for: Kubernetes environments, edge devices, and any organization aiming for zero-drift infrastructure.

4. Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Flexibility

RHEL 10 comes pre-optimized and available as ready-to-deploy images across all major cloud providers:

• AWS
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud

This offers consistent performance, faster deployments, and seamless integration for DevOps teams building hybrid architectures.

New: Red Hat Insights is now smarter, offering image builder suggestions and drift management features.

5. Extended Architecture Support: RISC-V

One of the big surprises in RHEL 10 is the developer preview support for RISC-V—a rising open-source hardware architecture. This opens new doors for hardware developers looking to explore alternatives to ARM and x86.

Partnered with: SiFive, Red Hat’s move into RISC-V support is strategic, targeting edge and embedded systems innovation

Security First: RHEL 10’s Approach

Security is a core focus in RHEL 10 features Key highlights include:

• OpenSSH 9.9 with updated encryption algorithms
• sudo system role: Automated privilege management
• FIPS 140-3 compliant modules for federal-grade security
• SELinux hardening improvements and more comprehensive auditing tools

RHEL 10’s security capabilities are designed to align with compliance needs (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FedRAMP) from day one.

Modernized Development Toolchain

Developers will find RHEL 10 features a more attractive platform with updated language runtimes and compilers. Key updates include:

• Python 3.12
• Ruby 3.3
• Node.js 22
• Perl 5.40
• PHP 8.3
• GCC 14.2
• glibc 2.39
• MySQL 8.4, PostgreSQL 16, MariaDB 10.11, and Valkey 7.2 (a Redis fork)

Wayland as Default Display Server

RHEL 10 transitions to Wayland as the default display stack, with Xwayland available for compatibility with legacy X11 applications. Note that the X.org server itself is no longer included

Linux Kernel 6.12

At its core, RHEL 10 is powered by the Linux kernel 6.12, bringing the latest in performance improvements, hardware support, and security enhancements. This modern kernel provides a robust foundation for demanding workloads.

DevOps and Application Ecosystem

RHEL 10 enhances the developer experience with:

• Podman 5.x and Podman DesktopDesktop for container management
• Extensions Repository: A curated set of trusted developer tools
• System Roles Expansion: More automation-ready roles for faster provisioning

Modern App Ready: From Node.js to Python 3.12 and Rust, RHEL 10 includes updated versions of modern development stacks.

Performance and System Optimization

Red Hat has tuned RHEL 10 for:

• Faster boot times
• Reduced memory usage on edge devices
• Smarter kernel performance profiles

The system is also better integrated with Red Hat Insights to allow predictive analytics and proactive issue detection across your fleet.

Upgrading from RHEL 9

Planning to upgrade from RHEL 9?

• Use the Leapp utility for smooth in-place upgrades
• Red Hat provides extensive documentation and tooling support
• Long-term support for RHEL 9 is available until 2032, so you can plan phased migrations

Release Lifecycle

Final Thoughts

RHEL 10 isn’t just another Linux release. It’s a bold step toward building intelligent, secure, and hybrid-ready infrastructure for the next decade. Whether you’re a sysadmin, cloud architect, or developer, RHEL 10 offers compelling improvements to make your workflows faster, safer, and smarter.

Start testing RHEL 10 in your dev environment today and experience the future of enterprise Linux.

Red Hat Product Documentation