What’s New in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | AI Powered Enterprise OS

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Overview of RHEL 10
3. Key Features and Enhancements
   • Updated Core Components
   • Smarter Installation Experience
   • AI-Powered Command-Line Assistant (Lightspeed)
   • Advanced Security Enhancements
   • Improved Web Console
   • Expanded System Roles for Automation
   • Desktop Environment Enhancements
   • Cloud and Edge Optimizations
   • Container Enhancements
   • Supported Upgrade Paths
   • Deprecated and Removed Features
4. Conclusion

Introduction

For more than two decades, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has served as the foundation of modern enterprise IT. It powers banking systems, cloud infrastructure, telecom operations, and critical workloads in government and healthcare. With each release, Red Hat has set new benchmarks for stability, security, and innovation. Now, with the arrival of RHEL 10, the operating system is redefining what it means to be enterprise-ready in an era of AI-driven automation, zero-trust security, and hybrid cloud computing.

Unlike incremental updates of the past, RHEL 10 represents a significant leap forward. It combines a refined developer experience, improved security architecture, AI-powered tools, and deep cloud-native integration. Whether you're deploying workloads on bare metal servers, in a private data center, across public clouds, or at the edge, RHEL 10 delivers a unified, reliable, and secure platform.

In this guide, we’ll provide a comprehensive exploration of RHEL 10. You’ll discover new features, upgraded components, improved installer workflows, automation tools, container enhancements, cloud optimizations, and desktop changes. We’ll also cover upgrade paths, deprecated features, and why this release matters for enterprises modernizing their IT stack.

Overview of RHEL 10

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 is designed with three main goals in mind: security, scalability, and simplicity. It extends support for emerging workloads while maintaining backward compatibility for critical enterprise applications. Here’s what stands out:

• High Performance Across Environments: Optimized for hybrid cloud, edge deployments, and traditional on-premises servers.
• AI-Integrated Operations: Lightspeed assistant helps administrators manage systems with natural language commands.
• Consistent Experience: Unified platform across VMware, AWS, Azure, GCP, and bare metal.
• Enhanced Automation: Expanded system roles reduce repetitive tasks and ensure consistency at scale.
• Future-Ready Security: Includes post-quantum cryptography, SELinux updates, and compliance automation.

What truly differentiates RHEL 10 is its focus on helping enterprises address the skills gap. With Lightspeed AI and simplified workflows, Red Hat empowers both junior and senior administrators to operate more efficiently, reducing time spent on repetitive troubleshooting.

Key Features and Enhancements in RHEL 10

Let’s explore the major updates in RHEL 10 and how they address today’s IT challenges.

1. Updated Core Components

RHEL 10 refreshes nearly every major system component, ensuring that administrators and developers can work with the latest, most secure, and best-performing tools. These updates improve compatibility with modern applications, increase developer productivity, and enhance performance across workloads.

Key updates include:

• Kernel: Upgraded to 6.12 for improved hardware compatibility and performance.
• Python 3.12: Latest Python release with performance optimizations and developer-friendly improvements.
• GCC 14.2 & glibc 2.39: Updated compilers and libraries to support modern application builds.
• systemd 256: Enhanced service management, boot optimization, and resource control.
• OpenSSH 9.9: Strengthened security for remote access and automation.
• MariaDB 10.11, MySQL 8.4, PostgreSQL 16: Latest database versions for modern application needs.
• PHP 8.3, Node.js 22: Updated developer stacks with performance boosts and security patches.
• Git 2.45, Bash 5.2, DNF 4.20: Refined tools for system administrators and developers.
• Web Servers: Apache HTTP Server 2.4.62 and Nginx 1.26 bring scalability and security enhancements.

By aligning with the latest software ecosystems, RHEL 10 ensures developers can build applications with modern frameworks while enterprises benefit from a secure, performance-optimized foundation.

2. Smarter Installation Experience

The RHEL 10 installer has been redesigned with a focus on usability and speed. Red Hat has simplified key setup steps to reduce friction for both new users and seasoned administrators.

Highlights include:

• Admin Rights by Default: New users created during installation now receive administrative privileges by default. This can be disabled for stricter security policies.
• Simplified Time Zone Setup: Instead of selecting from a complex map, administrators can now choose time zones through simple dropdown menus.
• RDP Support: Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) replaces VNC as the standard option for graphical remote access, offering smoother performance and better integration.

These changes make initial deployments faster and reduce errors during setup, helping organizations roll out RHEL 10 across large-scale environments with greater efficiency.

3. AI-Powered Command-Line Assistant (Lightspeed)

One of the most exciting innovations in RHEL 10 is Lightspeed, an AI-powered assistant integrated into the command line. This feature bridges the gap between administrators of varying skill levels, making Linux management more intuitive.

How it works:

• Administrators can type natural language queries like: “Why isn’t my Nginx service starting?”
• Lightspeed analyzes the query and provides actionable solutions, referencing Red Hat Knowledgebase content and official documentation.
• It integrates with systemd-creds, enhancing secure password storage and retrieval.

By embedding AI directly into system management, Red Hat is not just modernizing Linux administration but also helping organizations overcome the shortage of skilled IT professionals. Junior admins can solve problems faster, while senior admins save time on repetitive troubleshooting.

4. Advanced Security Enhancements

Security has always been one of the strongest pillars of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and RHEL 10 raises the bar even higher. Enterprises face increasing risks from zero-day vulnerabilities, ransomware, supply chain attacks, and even emerging quantum threats. Red Hat has built RHEL 10 with a security-first design, ensuring that workloads are protected not just for today, but also for the future.

Key security updates in RHEL 10:

• OpenSSH 9.9: RHEL 10 ships with the latest OpenSSH version, adding stronger encryption methods, improved key handling, and better integration with modern authentication systems.
• Post-Quantum Cryptography (Tech Preview): With threats from quantum computing on the horizon, RHEL 10 includes support for post-quantum algorithms in OpenSSL, GnuTLS, NSS, and OpenSSH. This future-proofs enterprise systems against the next generation of cyber threats.
• Sequoia PGP Tools: New utilities such as sq and sqv provide modern, secure alternatives to legacy GnuPG, simplifying encryption and signing workflows.
• SELinux 3.8: SELinux now includes expanded support for Wayland environments, improved sandboxing, and tighter integration with system roles.
• New sudo System Role: Enterprises managing thousands of servers can now configure sudo consistently across systems using automation, reducing misconfigurations.
• Compliance Automation: RHEL 10 integrates updated compliance content for FIPS, CIS Benchmarks, DISA-STIG, and other frameworks. Security teams can validate system compliance with minimal manual effort.

Together, these improvements ensure that RHEL 10 is capable of protecting sensitive workloads in finance, healthcare, telecom, and government sectors. Administrators will particularly benefit from the combination of automated compliance tooling and AI-powered troubleshooting, which makes security enforcement both proactive and efficient.

5. Improved Web Console

The RHEL web console, powered by Cockpit, has become an essential tool for administrators who prefer browser-based system management. With RHEL 10, the web console introduces a brand-new file browser and several usability improvements designed to reduce reliance on the command line for everyday tasks.

Highlights of the new web console:

• File Browser: Browse, search, and manage files directly within your browser. You can copy, move, rename, delete, upload, and bookmark directories without opening an SSH session.
• Sorting and Filtering: Quickly locate files based on size, type, or name using advanced filters.
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Power users can navigate and manage files using shortcuts for faster operations.
• Process Monitoring: Enhanced process view allows administrators to kill or restart processes in a few clicks.
• Storage Management: Improved views for LVM, Stratis, and volume snapshots simplify storage tasks.

This evolution of the web console demonstrates Red Hat’s commitment to making Linux administration more accessible. Even administrators who are new to Linux can handle file and system management tasks without diving into complex terminal commands. Meanwhile, advanced users benefit from faster, more visual workflows, particularly for troubleshooting storage and process issues.

6. Expanded System Roles for Automation

Automation is a central theme in RHEL 10. With IT environments becoming larger and more distributed, manual configuration is no longer scalable. RHEL’s system roles, powered by Ansible, are designed to simplify complex administration tasks by providing ready-made automation modules. RHEL 10 introduces several new system roles and enhances existing ones.

New and improved roles in RHEL 10:

• aide role: Automatically configure Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment (AIDE) to detect unauthorized file or system changes.
• sudo role: Manage sudoers configuration consistently across hundreds or thousands of systems.
• storage role: Now supports management of Stratis pools and resizing of LVM physical volumes, giving administrators more flexibility in dynamic storage environments.
• ha_cluster role: Export and reuse Corosync cluster configurations, simplifying high-availability deployments.
• podman role: Manage container registry credentials globally or per container, improving security in containerized environments.
• snapshot role: Added support for snapshots of LVM thin pools, improving disaster recovery and rollback capabilities.

These roles reduce repetitive work and ensure consistent, reliable results. For example, instead of manually configuring sudo across dozens of servers, an administrator can deploy a single playbook with the sudo role to enforce organization-wide standards instantly. This level of automation saves time and reduces the risk of human error.

7. Desktop Environment Enhancements

Although RHEL is primarily known as a server OS, its desktop experience remains vital for developers, administrators, and workstations in enterprises. RHEL 10 brings several desktop environment enhancements that improve usability, performance, and compatibility with modern workflows.

Desktop improvements in RHEL 10:

• GNOME Enhancements: Improved font rendering, better window overview in GNOME Classic, and performance optimizations for smoother multitasking.
• Colored Bash Prompt: A new bash-color-prompt package provides colored prompts by default, making it easier to distinguish commands and outputs.
• Papers Document Viewer: Replaces older document tools with a modern, efficient viewer that supports multiple file formats.
• Flatpak Support: Applications like Firefox, Thunderbird, and development SDKs are now delivered as Flatpaks, ensuring faster updates and sandboxed security.
• GNOME Online Accounts: New restrictions allow administrators to control which features providers can access, enhancing privacy and compliance.

For developers, these desktop improvements make RHEL 10 a more attractive workstation option. By leveraging Flatpak-based applications and modern GNOME enhancements, RHEL ensures a consistent, secure, and developer-friendly desktop environment. This also aligns with Red Hat’s long-term vision of unifying developer and server experiences across environments.

8. Cloud and Edge Optimizations

RHEL 10 has been engineered with the cloud and edge in mind. As organizations increasingly rely on hybrid cloud architectures and distributed edge computing, Red Hat has ensured that its flagship OS provides consistent performance and management across all platforms.

Key cloud and edge enhancements:

• cloud-init with NetworkManager: The default network renderer in cloud-init is now NetworkManager, providing greater flexibility and compatibility for virtual machines across AWS, Azure, GCP, and OpenStack.
• Unified Kernel Image (UKI): Introduced to improve security in cloud deployments by combining kernel, initramfs, and bootloader signatures into a single cryptographically signed package.
• Automatic Registration: RHEL 10 instances launched from eligible cloud marketplaces are automatically registered with Red Hat and configured to receive updates, reducing manual setup steps.
• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Support: RHEL images for WSL 8–10 are now available from the Red Hat Customer Portal, allowing Windows users to run enterprise-grade Linux workloads on their desktops.
• Optimized Edge Deployments: RHEL 10 includes improvements for image mode and simplified tooling for deploying lightweight, immutable systems at the edge.

These improvements make RHEL 10 a compelling option for enterprises standardizing across multi-cloud, hybrid cloud, and edge infrastructures. With automatic updates and cryptographic assurances, IT teams can focus on business applications rather than system maintenance.

9. Container Enhancements

Containers are now a critical part of enterprise IT, and RHEL 10 continues to improve its container support through updated tooling and stronger integration with cloud-native workflows.

Container-related updates in RHEL 10:

• Podman, Buildah, Skopeo: Updated to their latest versions, these tools offer improved performance, OCI compliance, and advanced features for container builds and lifecycle management.
• VMDK Image Creation: The bootc-image-builder can now create and deploy VMDK images, making it easier to integrate with VMware environments.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Image Support: Enterprises can now generate GCP-specific images for streamlined cloud deployment.
• OCI Artifact Support: Podman and Buildah support adding OCI artifacts to image indexes, ensuring compatibility with multi-format registries.
• Multi-Architecture Builds: Full support for building multi-architecture container images, critical for organizations deploying across x86, ARM, Power, and IBM Z architectures.
• FIPS Mode in Image Mode: RHEL 10 image mode now supports FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards), enabling enterprises to meet strict regulatory and compliance requirements.

With these enhancements, RHEL 10 provides a secure, flexible, and standards-compliant container environment. Whether you are running standalone Podman containers or deploying workloads into OpenShift Kubernetes clusters, RHEL 10 provides the foundation you need.

10. Supported Upgrade Paths

Red Hat understands that enterprises value long-term stability and need predictable upgrade paths. With RHEL 10, the supported in-place upgrade routes ensure that customers can migrate with minimal disruption.

Upgrade options:

• From RHEL 9 to RHEL 10: Fully supported in-place upgrade paths are available for:
  • AMD and Intel 64-bit (x86-64-v3)
  • ARM 64-bit (ARMv8.0-A)
  • IBM Power Systems (POWER9, Little Endian)
  • IBM Z (64-bit, z14)
• From RHEL 8 to RHEL 10: There is no direct upgrade path. Customers must first upgrade from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9, and then from RHEL 9 to RHEL 10.

This structured approach ensures smoother transitions, allowing organizations to plan upgrades strategically while maintaining system availability and compliance.

11. Deprecated and Removed Features

To modernize the platform, Red Hat has removed or deprecated several legacy components in RHEL 10. These changes align the OS with current best practices and future requirements.

Removed or replaced features include:

• authconfig Kickstart commands: Replaced with authselect.
• OpenStack image type in image builder: No longer supported; use .qcow2 instead.
• TigerVNC: Replaced by the gnome-remote-desktop daemon.
• GNOME Terminal: Replaced by Ptyxis.
• LibreOffice: Removed from the base OS; available via Flatpak from Flathub.
• PulseAudio: Fully replaced by PipeWire for advanced audio management.
• X.Org Server: Deprecated in favor of XWayland for legacy X applications.
• LUKS version selection: Removed from Anaconda installer; LUKS2 is now the default.
• dhcp-client package: Replaced by NetworkManager’s internal DHCP client.
• Automatic bug reporting in Anaconda: Removed; issues must be reported manually using logs.

While some of these changes may require administrators to adjust workflows, they ensure that RHEL 10 remains aligned with modern enterprise needs, providing a leaner, more secure base platform.

Conclusion

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 is not just another upgrade—it’s a milestone release that redefines how enterprises approach operating system infrastructure. With its focus on AI integration, security, automation, containers, and hybrid cloud, RHEL 10 empowers organizations to meet today’s IT challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s.

For system administrators, RHEL 10 delivers productivity improvements through the Lightspeed assistant, simplified installer, and Cockpit web console. For security teams, it offers post-quantum cryptography, FIPS compliance, and automated policy enforcement. For developers, it provides the latest toolchains, Flatpak applications, and a modern desktop environment. And for IT leaders, it ensures stability, extended support, and streamlined upgrade paths.

If your organization is planning to modernize its IT environment, RHEL 10 is a strategic investment. By adopting it, you gain a platform that can scale across data centers, cloud providers, and edge deployments while staying resilient against evolving security threats. Simply put, RHEL 10 is more than an operating system—it’s the foundation for the future of enterprise computing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on RHEL 10

1. What is Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 (RHEL 10)?

RHEL 10 is the latest release of Red Hat’s enterprise operating system, designed for hybrid cloud, data center, and edge environments with a strong focus on AI, security, and automation.

2. When was RHEL 10 released?

RHEL 10 was officially released in 2025, building on the long legacy of Red Hat Enterprise Linux as the foundation of enterprise IT.

3. What makes RHEL 10 different from RHEL 9?

RHEL 10 introduces AI-powered Lightspeed assistance, post-quantum security, improved system roles, enhanced container tools, and broader cloud-native support compared to RHEL 9.

4. What are the main use cases for RHEL 10?

RHEL 10 is used for secure enterprise servers, cloud-native applications, DevOps pipelines, AI workloads, edge deployments, and as a developer workstation environment.

5. Does RHEL 10 include an AI assistant?

Yes, RHEL 10 introduces Lightspeed, an AI-powered command-line assistant that helps administrators troubleshoot and configure systems using natural language queries.

6. How does RHEL 10 improve security?

RHEL 10 includes OpenSSH 9.9, post-quantum cryptography (tech preview), new sudo system roles, Sequoia PGP tools, SELinux 3.8 enhancements, and stronger compliance automation.

7. What’s new in the RHEL 10 installer?

The RHEL 10 installer features admin rights by default for new users, simplified time zone selection, and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) replacing VNC for remote access.

8. Which core components have been updated in RHEL 10?

Major updates include Kernel 6.12, Python 3.12, GCC 14.2, glibc 2.39, systemd 256, PHP 8.3, Node.js 22, MariaDB 10.11, MySQL 8.4, PostgreSQL 16, and Git 2.45.

9. How does RHEL 10 help with compliance?

RHEL 10 provides automated compliance tools with updated content for FIPS, CIS Benchmarks, and DISA-STIG, helping enterprises meet strict security and regulatory standards.

10. What is new in the RHEL 10 web console?

The RHEL 10 web console adds a file browser with features like upload, copy, delete, bookmarks, and keyboard shortcuts, simplifying system management from a browser.

11. What are RHEL 10 system roles?

System roles are prebuilt Ansible modules that automate common tasks. RHEL 10 adds new roles for AIDE, sudo, Podman, snapshots, storage, and HA clusters.

12. How is RHEL 10 optimized for cloud environments?

RHEL 10 supports cloud-init with NetworkManager, Unified Kernel Images for secure boot, automatic registration in cloud marketplaces, and WSL images for Windows users.

13. Does RHEL 10 support containers?

Yes, RHEL 10 includes updated Podman, Buildah, and Skopeo tools, support for OCI artifacts, multi-architecture image builds, and FIPS-compliant image mode.

14. What desktop improvements are in RHEL 10?

RHEL 10 improves GNOME Classic with a window overview, adds colored Bash prompts, introduces Papers as a document viewer, and delivers Firefox/Thunderbird via Flatpak.

15. Can you upgrade directly from RHEL 8 to RHEL 10?

No, direct upgrades are not supported. You must first upgrade from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9, then from RHEL 9 to RHEL 10.

16. What upgrade paths are supported in RHEL 10?

Supported in-place upgrades are available from RHEL 9 to RHEL 10 for x86-64-v3, ARMv8-A, POWER9 (LE), and IBM Z (z14) architectures.

17. What features have been removed in RHEL 10?

Deprecated features include TigerVNC, GNOME Terminal, PulseAudio, and authconfig. LibreOffice has been removed from the base OS and must be installed via Flatpak.

18. Why is Lightspeed important for administrators?

Lightspeed reduces the Linux skills gap by allowing admins to troubleshoot and configure systems using natural language, improving productivity for both new and experienced users.

19. Is RHEL 10 suitable for AI workloads?

Yes, RHEL 10 supports AI-driven tools, optimized container builds, edge deployments, and modern developer toolchains, making it ideal for AI and machine learning environments.

20. Why should enterprises upgrade to RHEL 10?

Enterprises should upgrade to RHEL 10 for stronger security, better automation, AI-driven management, cloud-native support, improved performance, and long-term stability.