Question 1

What happens when RHEL reaches end of life?

Accepted Answer

When RHEL reaches end of life, it stops receiving security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Currently, 4 RHEL versions are already EOL. The latest supported version is RHEL 10, maintained until May 31, 2035. Running an EOL version exposes your systems to unpatched security vulnerabilities with no official fix available.

Question 2

Is RHEL 10 still supported?

Accepted Answer

Yes. RHEL 10 is actively supported until May 31, 2035. It receives security patches and bug fixes. Check the version table above for the full list of supported RHEL releases and their exact end-of-life dates.

Question 3

Is it safe to use RHEL after end of life?

Accepted Answer

No. Running RHEL after EOL is not safe for production systems. Once a version reaches end of life, newly discovered CVEs are published publicly but never patched — leaving your systems permanently exposed. The only safe path is upgrading to an actively supported RHEL release.

Question 4

How to upgrade from RHEL 7 to RHEL 10.x?

Accepted Answer

To upgrade RHEL from 7 to 10: (1) review the official migration guide for breaking changes, (2) test your application against the new version in a staging environment, (3) update dependencies that have version constraints, (4) run your full test suite, (5) deploy with a rollback plan. The earlier you start, the more time you have to resolve compatibility issues before EOL.

Question 5

When is the next RHEL LTS version?

Accepted Answer

RHEL 10 is the current Long Term Support release, maintained until May 31, 2035. LTS versions are recommended for production deployments that prioritize long-term stability over new features. Plan your upgrades to coincide with LTS releases whenever possible.

Question 6

How long does RHEL support each version?

Accepted Answer

On average, RHEL supports each release for approximately 117 months (~9.8 years). LTS releases like RHEL 10 have extended support windows — maintained until May 31, 2035. The exact EOL date for each version is listed in the table above.

Version	Released	Active support	EOL date	Until EOL	Latest	CVEs	Status
10 LTS	May 20, 2025	May 31, 2030	May 31, 2035	in 3278d	10.2	—	Active
9 LTS	May 18, 2022	May 31, 2027	May 31, 2032	in 2183d	9.8	—	Active
8 LTS	May 7, 2019	May 31, 2024	May 31, 2029	in 1087d	8.10	—	Active
7 LTS	Jun 10, 2014	Aug 6, 2019	Jun 30, 2024	709d ago	7.9	—	EOL
6 LTS	Nov 10, 2010	May 10, 2016	Nov 30, 2020	2017d ago	6.10	—	EOL
5 LTS	Mar 15, 2007	Jan 8, 2013	Mar 31, 2017	3357d ago	5.11	—	EOL
4	Feb 15, 2005	Mar 31, 2009	Feb 29, 2012	5214d ago	4.9	—	EOL

RHEL End of Life Dates

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