RHEL Major Version Lifecycle Summary

Understanding the RHEL Lifecycle Phases

Phase 1 – Full Support (Years 1–5)

Phase 2 – Maintenance Support (Years 5–10)

Phase 3 – Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS, Optional)

RHEL 9 Minor Version EOL Dates

RHEL 8 Minor Version EOL Dates

RHEL 10 — Current Recommended Release

RHEL 7 — Fully End of Life

How to Check Your RHEL Version

What to Do When Your RHEL Version Is Approaching EOL Knowing exactly when your RHEL version reaches end of life — and which minor release you need to be on — is critical for maintaining security compliance and support eligibility. This guide covers every active and recently retired RHEL major and minor release, end of life dates, lifecycle phases, and what your team should do before support ends. Quick answer: RHEL 8 full support ended May 31, 2024 — RHEL 8.10 is the final minor release and stays in Maintenance Support until May 31, 2029. RHEL 9 full support runs until May 31, 2027, with maintenance to May 31, 2032. RHEL 10 (released May 20, 2025) full support runs until approximately May 2030. Red Hat defines three main support phases: Active platform development: new hardware enablement, new functionality, and full bug and security fix coverage. Minor releases (e.g., RHEL 9.1, 9.2) ship roughly every 6 months. Only the final minor release (e.g., RHEL 8.10) receives updates — limited to critical security advisories and urgent bug fixes. No new hardware support or feature development. A paid add-on that extends security patch coverage 1–3 years beyond the 10-year lifecycle. Intended as a migration bridge, not a permanent solution. ⚠️ Important: During Maintenance Support, only the latest minor release receives patches. If you're on RHEL 8.9, you must upgrade to RHEL 8.10 to remain supported. RHEL 8.10 is the final minor release of RHEL 8. All earlier 8.x versions are end of life. RHEL 10 (released May 20, 2025) is Red Hat's latest major release and the recommended target for new deployments and for teams migrating from RHEL 8. It follows the standard 10-year lifecycle: full support until ~May 2030, maintenance until ~May 2035. RHEL 7 reached the end of Extended Life Cycle Support on June 30, 2026. Any system running RHEL 7 is now completely unsupported. Migrate to RHEL 9 or RHEL 10 immediately. When is RHEL 8 end of life?

RHEL 8 full support ended May 31, 2024. RHEL 8.10 (final minor) is in Maintenance Support until May 31, 2029. When is RHEL 9 end of life?RHEL 9 full support ends May 31, 2027. Maintenance Support extends to May 31, 2032. Is RHEL 8.10 the last RHEL 8 release?Yes. RHEL 8.10, released May 2024, is the final minor release of RHEL 8. What is RHEL ELS?

ELS is a paid add-on extending security patch coverage beyond the standard 10-year lifecycle for 1–3 additional years. It's a bridge, not a long-term solution. Live version data and version checker: endoflife.ai/rhel Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to ? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse