Red Hat Certifications
Whether you're an early-career technologist just starting out, a seasoned professional wanting to maintain your skills, or an employer looking to upskill your team, Red Hat offers specialized learning paths and exams across our core products to meet you where you are.
Find your certification path from 5 specialized pathways for targeted expertise
To help organizations identify the right talent and help professionals target the exact expertise needed in the market, Red Hat Certification has created 5 specialized tracks. These tracks make it easy to navigate from a beginner all the way to a Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) and validate skills aligned to specific technologies:
- Enterprise Linux
- Ansible
- OpenShift
- Cloud-native applications
- AI
Validate your expertise with Red Hat Certifications
| Technologist (Level 1) |
Admin/Dev (Level 2) |
Engineer (Level 3) |
Specialist (Level 4) |
Architect (Level 5) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Linux | N/A | Red Hat Certified System Administrator | Red Hat Certified Engineer in Enterprise Linux | Specialist Certifications | Red Hat Certified Architect in Enterprise Linux |
| Ansible | N/A | Red Hat Certified System Administrator | Red Hat Certified Engineer in Ansible | Specialist Certifications | Red Hat Certified Architect in Ansible |
| OpenShift | Technologist Certifications | Red Hat Certified System Administrator in OpenShift | Red Hat Certified Engineer in OpenShift | Specialist Certifications | Red Hat Certified Architect in OpenShift |
| Cloud-native applications | N/A | Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications | Red Hat Certified Engineer in Cloud-native Applications | Specialist Certifications | Red Hat Certified Architect in Cloud-native Applications |
| AI | N/A | Red Hat Certified Developer in AI | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Find your starting point.
View the different levels of certification for each pathway to determine where to begin. Not all levels require pre-requisites.
An optional entry-level credential that validates the essential competencies needed to support Red Hat technology environments, demonstrating the foundational technical skills required to perform basic installation, configuration, and maintenance for a specific Red Hat product or technology.
Designated for professionals beginning their Red Hat certification path in the Systems Administration or Developer tracks, including junior IT and support roles performing day-to-day Red Hat product administration under guidance.
Systems administrator:
Relevant for system administrators focused on the daily operation of enterprise Linux servers, senior administrators managing multi-system or automated infrastructure environments, or professionals progressing toward the RHCE capstone designation. It demonstrates the core ability to manage enterprise servers in a production environment, focusing on essential skills such as user/group administration, storage configuration, and security hardening.
It validates deep expertise in managing complex, multi-system environments and solutions requiring automation, bridging the gap between foundational administration and full-scale infrastructure management.
Developer:
Relevant for software developers that build and deploy containerized applications and senior software engineers or architects that design distributed or hybrid cloud applications, serving as the foundational credential required for advanced paths. It validates the core ability to design, build, and deploy containerized applications on a Red Hat platform.
At this level, you demonstrate the high-level skills required to architect and implement complex, distributed applications and advanced integration strategies, including optimizing application performance, ensuring enterprise-grade security, and managing sophisticated data persistence across hybrid cloud environments.
Relevant for roles requiring proven end-to-end capability across the full systems administration or developer track, including senior engineers, infrastructure leads, and senior developers whose work spans both foundational and advanced responsibilities.
Must successfully earn both the foundational credential and its corresponding advanced credential within the same specialization. It recognizes comprehensive competency in managing, automating, and scaling complex environments at the enterprise level.
Unlike our systems administrator/developer, engineer, and architect credentials, this designation has no prerequisites. This designation is awarded for mastery of a single, well-defined technical domain.
Relevant for individuals and teams responsible for a specific, specialized technical domain. It demonstrates deep proficiency in a specific functional area or high-value technology—such as virtualization, security hardening, or cluster management—to support specialized infrastructure or development requirements.
Relevant for enterprise architects, principal engineers, and technology leads responsible for designing and governing large-scale Red Hat environments, and for senior technical hiring where breadth across the platform, not only depth in one area, is a requirement.
This is the highest level within Red Hat Certification, automatically conferred upon individuals who hold a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) credential and three distinct Red Hat Certified Specialist (RHCS) credentials within the same specialization.
At this level, you're able to design, manage, and lead complex, large-scale enterprise architectures that integrate multiple technologies and domains.
Certifications that set you apart.
Certifications aren't a title extension. They're what help you stand out. Our industry-recognised certifications push your teams and your business ahead of the curve. Select a specialisation within each pathway to view its required exams and subsequent courses. For example, select "Engineer" under Enterprise Linux to see its prerequisites and requirements.
Requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to your questions about Red Hat training and certification offerings, how to maximize your investment in training and certification, and the best way to create a skills path that matches your needs.
As of May 11, 2026, Red Hat Certification has reorganized exams into a structured, five-level path to progressive skill development, making them easier to navigate and more aligned with the Red Hat platforms you rely on daily.
Red Hat have moved to a 5-tier framework—Technologist, Administrator/Developer, Engineer, Specialist, and Architect—across 5 key specializations - Enterprise Linux, Ansible, OpenShift, Cloud-native Applications, and AI. To achieve Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) in any given track, a candidate must pass exactly five specific exams: one Administrator/Developer exam, one Engineer exam, and three Specialist (elective) exams.
Red Hat Certification now focuses on five core product concentration areas:
- Enterprise Linux
- Ansible
- OpenShift
- Cloud-native Applications
- AI
Each track follows a standardized progression: Technologist → Administrator/Developer → Engineer → Specialist (Electives) → Architect. To achieve Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) in any given track, a candidate must pass exactly five specific exams: one Administrator/Developer exam, one Engineer exam, and three Specialist (elective) exams.
No, the entry-level "Technologist" certifications are optional. This tier is designed as an optional, entry-level starting point to help junior talent become productive contributors faster as they gain more experience in preparation for higher level certifications.
Yes, although the technologist certification tier is an optional entry point, you earn a valid Red Hat certification that is based on a specific specialization product track and is good for a period of three years. It is designed for those who are new to IT or Red Hat who need to demonstrate foundational competency. Like all other Red Hat certifications, candidates for a technologist certification also need to take and pass a rigorous performance-based exam. This allows you to officially call yourself a Red Hat Certified Professional.
No, candidates have the flexibility to take specialist (elective) exams at any time, and upon passing, they will be awarded those individual specialist credentials. However, while you can earn these individual specialist badges out of order, they will not automatically trigger the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) title. To achieve the RHCA certification, you will also need to earn the Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) certification for that track, and pass three specialist exams within that specific product concentration.
To efficiently align with our new progressive specializations, some of the existing Red Hat Certification titles are getting an update to better reflect targeted skills for both earners and employers. For these exams, only the names are changing, so the exam SKUs, content, descriptions, and difficulty remain exactly the same:
| Previous title | Updated title (as of May 11, 2026) |
|---|---|
| Red Hat Certified Enterprise Application Developer | Red Hat Certified Specialist in Enterprise Application Development |
| Red Hat Certified Specialist in Containers | Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications |
| Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift AI | Red Hat Certified Developer in AI |
| Red Hat Certified OpenShift Administrator | Red Hat Certified System Administrator in OpenShift |
| Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Application Development | Red Hat Certified Advanced Developer in Cloud-native Applications |
| Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting | Red Hat Certified Advanced System Administrator in Enterprise Linux |
| Red Hat Certified Cloud-native Developer | Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud-native Development |
| Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Automation and Integration | Red Hat Certified Advanced System Administrator in OpenShift |
Certifications remain valid for three years, but renewal is now more flexible:
- 3-Year Validity: Certifications are current for 3 years from the date earned.
- Expiration: Renewal must be completed before the expiration date. Expired certifications must be earned again from scratch.
- Renewal Options: To keep your certifications current, you have three primary paths:
- Retake: Pass the exam associated with your highest-level certification to renew all your lower-level certifications.
- Level Up: Earn a new certification at the same level as your highest certification to renew all your certifications at that level and below.
- Advance: Earn a higher-level certification to renew all your lower-level certifications.
No, Red Hat is committed to ensuring that no one is negatively affected or discredited by these changes. Existing certifications are grandfathered and mapped into the new framework.
Yes. In the old system, passing EX294 without holding an RHCSA yielded no credential. Under the new framework, passing EX294 alone grants a standalone specialist certification (Red Hat Certified Advanced System Administrator in Ansible). This will fix the historical issue and properly recognize your achievement.