Linux has come a long way since its inception and now powers a majority of the web infrastructure. Linux admins are already in high-demand, while new lucrative computer science jobs are opening every day. There are many well-reputed Linux certifications that will help you land your dream job in no time. Red Hat Linux certifications are one of the most prominent in this regard. You can easily prove your Linux credentials to employers if you have completed any Red Hat courses. Moreover, you don’t necessarily need to obtain certifications if you’re just sharpening skills. Simply complete some online courses that validate your knowledge in some way.
Red Hat Linux Certifications and Courses for Aspiring Sysadmins
Red Hat is a US-based multinational software company renowned for its open-source enterprise products. Many companies around the globe use the Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and they prefer engineers with prior experience with this distribution. You can find some excellent Red Hat Linux certifications and courses below to help you get started.
1. Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)
The Red Hat Certified System Administrator or RHCSA is of the most popular Linux certifications for starting admins. It has earned its reputation as a well-laid out certification employers can use when measuring their candidates.
Holding an RHCSA certification proves your ability to perform the essential administration tasks in enterprise Linux solutions. Participants must have an in-depth knowledge of core system tools, packages, the filesystem hierarchy, and networking to obtain this certification successfully.
Features of this Certification
- This professional certification is aimed at senior admins, IT professionals, or students who’ve previously completed any Red Hat courses.
- You must pass the final exam titled EX200 to obtain this Red Hat certification.
- The exam validates the candidate’s knowledge about core administration tasks and mastery over everyday Linux commands.
- Users may also obtain guidelines from several readily available training aimed at this certification, both free and paid.
2. Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
The Red Hat Certified Engineer or (RHCE) is aimed at senior system admins already proficient in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. If you have already obtained the RHCSA certification and are looking to test your Linux administration abilities even further, this is a suitable course.
Moreover, having an RHCE certification validates your administration skills and will help you land more lucrative CS job offers. The Red Hat website provides several useful infographics for helping candidates with this course.
Features of this Certification
- The RHCE certification validates the candidate’s knowledge of enterprise automation, infrastructure management, and development operations.
- Current RHCSAs can choose from two distinct paths, and the legacy track emphasizes networking skills while the new track leans towards automation.
- The more recent track requires admins to be efficient in Ansible Automation and Linux shell scripting alongside traditional administration.
- It is one of the best Red Hat Linux certifications for senior admins and will significantly pay rise.
3. Red Hat Certified Enterprise Application Developer
This is one of the best Red Hat courses aimed at software developers who want to accelerate their career opportunities further. The target audience for this certification is JSE developers, and it will thoroughly test their ability to develop robust enterprise solutions with Java.
Participants should have prior experience with Java development and be familiar with business applications. It is an excellent choice for software developers looking to add more skills to their CV and more lucrative offers.
Features of this Certification
- Candidates must pass the EX183 – Red Hat Certified Enterprise Application Developer Exam to obtain this certification.
- It requires participants to have a strong command over the Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment, JSE, Java APIs, and modern build tools.
- This course validates your expertise as a senior Java application developer and will increase in a significant pay rise.
- Participants can choose from multiple exam formats such as classroom exams, on-site exams, or individually.
4. Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)
The Red Hat Certified Architect or (RHCA) certification is for engineers who have already obtained multiple Red Hat certifications and want to get the highest certification level. It is a robust program that offers diverse learning paths and a wide range of credentials.
Red Hat also allows candidates to get RHCA in either infrastructure or enterprise solutions. If you have years of experience as a senior developer/admin, you may also choose to complete both paths.
Features of this Certification
- Candidates must pass at least five different courses from either the Red Hat System Administrator list or the Red Hat Enterprise Application list.
- This course is an excellent option for existing RHCEs who want to bolster their skill set in a range of Red Hat Enterprise products.
- The diverse course layout of the RHCA certification makes it attainable for candidates coming from different backgrounds.
- It is one of the highest levels of Red Hat certification and will guarantee a considerable pay rise.
5. Red Hat Certified Engineer in Red Hat OpenStack
The Red Hat OpenStack is a commercially supported software suite that allows enterprises to develop and manage large-scale computing infrastructure on the cloud. Since OpenStack works with both public and private clouds, it is suitable for many businesses.
A Red Hat certified OpenStack engineer is held in extremely high regard and will attract excellent job offers. So if you are an IT professional who wants to work in enterprise environments, attaining the Red Hat OpenStack certification will be very beneficial.
Features of this Certification
- Candidates must pass the Red Hat OpenStack exam (EX310) successfully to obtain this certification.
- The exam tests the participant’s ability to configure complex networking in enterprise OpenStack environments.
- Existing RHCSAs and RHCEs can take this certification for getting towards the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA) course.
- The final exam is quite practical and evaluates the participant’s ability to perform standard administration and configuration tasks.
6. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (EL) Administration
It is one of the best introductory Red Hat courses you can take to master the Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment. Participants will learn to work with the Linux command shell, user management, filesystem privileges, and many more from this course.
This popular RHEL course offers 6 hours of on-demand video tutorials, which takes the user through many details. So, we highly suggest this course to beginners who’re looking to sharpen their RHEL skills.
Features of this Course
- This Red Hat Course is offered by Udemy and provides a certificate of completion.
- The instructor provides an in-depth overview of essential RHEL skills using live examples and uses cases.
- Being able to view and take lessons from smartphones is another huge plus for this course.
- Udemy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can buy this course without any hesitation.
7. Red Hat Certified Enterprise Microservices Developer
A Red Hat Certified Enterprise Microservices Developer is an IT professional who can build stable Java-based microservices suitable for enterprise environments. It is a senior position with many admirers in the job field. This course is especially helpful for people who’ve already obtained the Red Hat Certified Enterprise Application Developer certification. Moreover, active Red Hat Certified JBoss Developers can also take this course and become certified microservices developers.
Features of this Certification
- Candidates must have either the Red Hat Certified Enterprise Application Developer certification or the Red Hat Certified JBoss Developers one.
- Existing RHCJDs will need to pass the exam EX283, while existing enterprise application developers need to pass EX183.
- Red Hat offers two specially curated courses for helping candidates better prepare for the above exams.
- Earning this certification will validate your skills as a senior enterprise microservices developer.
8. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Security: Linux
Security is a major concern for modern enterprises, and companies are willing to pay top money for engineers who can secure their business infrastructure. A person who has attained the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Security: Linux certification can secure the Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment and other Linux-based commercial applications. This Red Hat certification is especially suitable for people who’ve already obtained the RHCE certification and are on track to becoming an RHCA.
Features of this Certification
- Candidates must pass the exam Red Hat Certified Specialist in Security: Linux (EX415) for getting this certification.
- You can take the course Red Hat Security: Linux in Physical, Virtual, and Cloud (RH415) as a preparation for this certification.
- Participants should have in-depth knowledge of Linux iptables, PAM authentication, SELinux configuration, and other core networking tasks.
- You should be able to successfully comply with security auditing practices and be familiar with associated tools.
9. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation
This Red Hat Linux certification is aimed at IT professionals who want to add Ansible automation to their resumes. Ansible is an open-source app deployment and management solution that allows enterprises to automate all business processes.
It is an excellent addition to the toolbelt of existing IT professionals and will likely increase career opportunities. Moreover, completing this certification also counts if you are on track to becoming RHCE certified.
Features of this Certification
- This Red Hat certification validates the candidate’s mastery over Ansible and Linux administration in general.
- Candidates must pass the final exam titled EX407 successfully to obtain this certification.
- Beginners can prepare for this certification by completing the Automation with Ansible (DO407) course from Red Hat.
- The final exam is four hours in duration and tests the participant’s knowledge of practical Ansible automation.
10. Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration
A Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration is a person who is capable of building and managing large-scale cloud applications using the OpenShift containerization software. It is a platform-as-a-service developed on top of Docker and Kubernetes.
Products built on OpenShift are on the rise, and so is the demand for capable professionals. So, if you are working as a DevOps engineer or a sysadmin, adding this certification to your CV will help you stand out and land more attractive offers.
Features of this Certification
- Participants must pass the Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Administration exam (EX280) to obtain this Linux certification.
- It tests the candidate’s ability to tackle cluster operations, networking skills, container orchestration, and so on.
- Red Hat also offers two standalone training courses to help participants better prepare for the exam.
- Enterprises may use this course to train newly recruited site admins, reliability engineers, and DevOps personnel.
11. Deploying Containerized Applications Technical Overview
This is a seminal Red Hat course that introduces users to containerization technology using tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and Red Hat OpenShift. It is an excellent choice for starting Linux developers due to its rigorous curriculum and hands-on teaching approach.
This course is built around OpenShift 4.1 and demonstrates ways to develop and deploy containers in an enterprise Linux environment. You will be able to orchestrate your own containers once you complete this course successfully.
Features of this Course
- This is a free course that provides on-demand video tutorials using standard containerization tools.
- Participants will be able to develop their own containers and deploy them on enterprise clusters.
- The beginner-friendly nature of this course is perfect for starting Linux users and developers.
- It does not offer any certification upon completion, so you will hardly get any workplace benefits.
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12. Red Hat Certified Specialist in High Availability Clustering
It is one of the best Red Hat Linux certifications for engineers working in the high availability domain. A Red Hat Certified Specialist in High Availability Clustering is held in very high regard. Additionally, a low number of such highly skillful engineers makes it easy to negotiate further workplace benefits.
This course is designed for existing IT professionals who are interested in pursuing the RHCA certification. So, don’t forget to check out this program if you’re interested in high-availability services.
Features of this Certification
- Red Hat offers two dedicated training programs on high availability to help professionals prepare for this certification.
- Candidates must pass the exam EX436, which tests their ability to configure clusters, Linux network storage, and monitoring.
- You can complete this course on your path to becoming an RHCA, the highest level of certification awarded by Red Hat.
- Linux professionals can get a significant pay rise if they complete this course successfully.
13. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Virtualization
Modern enterprises are always on the hunt for rockstar virtualization engineers. You can easily increase your career opportunities by becoming a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Virtualization. It is a business-centric certification program that can also be used for training fresh recruits.
The course tests a candidate’s ability to operate commercial virtualization infrastructures as well as Linux virtual machines. So check out this course if you are working with hypervisors in general and seeking additional workplace benefits.
Features of this Certification
- This Red Hat course evolves around the Red Hat Virtualization software, which is a KVM-based x86 hypervisor.
- Participants should be comfortable with data centers, clusters, templates, and storage pools alongside Linux and Windows emulators.
- Candidates must clear the EX318 exam, which will also count if they want to pursue the RHCA certification.
- Our editors suggest users complete the RHCSA certification before trying this program.
14. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Hybrid Cloud Management
The recent boost in cloud infrastructure has opened up numerous long-term career opportunities for IT professionals. You can earn significantly more by working in this sector. Becoming a Red Hat Certified Specialist in Hybrid Cloud Management is a good first step toward this direction. This course validates the participant’s abilities in cloud infrastructure management using the Red Hat CloudForms software. You can find more information on this Red Hat Linux certification from their website.
Features of this Certification
- This course is suitable for experienced Red Hat CloudForms administrators who are looking to validate their cloud skills.
- Candidates need to clear the final exam titled EX220 to obtain the final certification.
- Participants may prepare for the exam by completing the Red Hat CloudForms Hybrid Cloud Management (CL220) program.
- This course deals with a specific Red Hat product and may not be the best option for many professionals.
15. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ceph Storage Administration
Ceph is many enterprises that use a free storage platform. A Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ceph Storage Administration is a person who has demonstrated his capabilities to work with commercial Ceph servers successfully.
It is an excellent course for existing RHCSAs or OpenShift developers who want to validate their skills. Our editors found this course to be a good value for the money and highly recommend it to interested candidates.
Features of this Certification
- The Red Hat Certified Specialist in the Ceph Storage Administration exam (EX125) thoroughly tests the candidate’s capabilities.
- Participants should be able to create & manage Ceph storage clusters, configure policies, and assess their performance.
- Candidates may complete the Red Hat Ceph Storage Architecture and Administration (CEPH125) course as a preparatory program.
- This course will also count when taking the Red Hat Certified Architect or RHCA certification.
16. Red Hat OpenStack Technical Overview
This official video aims to introduce Linux users to the Red Hat OpenStack platform and other cloud technologies in general. Our editors liked the simplicity of this course and highly recommend it to beginners.
You will learn to play around with OpenStack, deploy personalized solutions, and even a little bit of high availability computing. Although it is a free course, it does not offer a certificate once you complete the course.
Features of this Course
- This course is meant for beginners and will not demonstrate complex OpenStack operations in detail.
- Udemy offers the entire course as on-demand videos with full smartphone access for a lifetime.
- It is suitable for people who are on their path to become an RHCE in Red Hat OpenStack.
17. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting takes a lot of effort, and companies are ready to pay you top money if you do it for them. A Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting can easily make sense of those errors in your enterprise solutions.
Red Hat validates their participant’s knowledge about various system management issues like package updates, networking pitfalls, and security best practices through this course. So take a look at it if you’re interested in troubleshooting in general.
Features of this Certification
- The Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting exam (EX342) also counts when becoming an RHCA.
- Candidates may take the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Diagnostics and Troubleshooting (RH342) program to prepare for this course.
- Having this Red Hat Linux certification will result in a significant pay rise for many IT professionals.
- This course is curated for existing sysadmins and is not appropriate for starting Linux users.
18. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices
A Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices is a senior engineer who has demonstrated his complex business automation abilities using Ansible. This is an excellent course for those who have already completed the course Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation. You should be able to work with Ansible Tower and implement Ansible’s best practices for earning this certification. So check it now if you are currently working with Ansible.
Features of this Certification
- This is an advanced automation course aimed at experienced Linux users and IT professionals.
- Candidates need to pass the exam Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices (EX447).
- Completing this certification also counts if you want to become a Red Hat Certified Architect.
- Participants may prepare for the exam by taking part in the program Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices (DO447).
19. Red Hat System Administration I
This Red Hat Course comprises the first of a two-part series covering the fundamental RHEL administration skills. It teaches candidates to work from the Linux command shell alongside some standard Linux tools used in enterprise product development.
This course has a duration of 5 days and allows participants to train directly from pre-designated Red Hat training centers around the globe. So, check it out if you want to master the basics of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Features of this Course
- This introductory course is meant for people coming from non-Unix systems and network admins and starting sysadmins.
- It has a course code of RH124 and is required to obtain the RHCSA certification from Red Hat.
- Candidates will not be certified till they pass complete both parts of the course and pass the exam EX200.
20. Red Hat System Administration II
This course builds on top of the above course and illustrates a detailed overview of many RHEL use cases. It forms the foundation of the RHCSA certification alongside RH124. Candidates can easily take the 4-day long training program and will be able to configure and manage standard Linux distributions, provide business support, and monitor performance once completed. Whether you are interested in becoming an RHCSA or not, this course will increase your RHEL skills.
Features of this Course
- This is the perfect course for seasoned Linux admins to get familiarized with the RHEL.
- The EX200 exam requires candidates to pass this course (RH134) alongside RH124 for obtaining RHCSA.
- Red Hat does not provide any certification for completing the RH134 course only.
Ending Thoughts
Red Hat Linux certifications are known for their competitive level and are widely accepted in the industry. It doesn’t matter whether you are working as a system admin or a cloud engineer; you can always find a Red Hat course associated with your job.
They are an excellent way of increasing your career choices and will easily land more exciting job offers. That’s why we have compiled this guide today with some of the most popular Red Hat certifications right now. Browse them on your own accord and see what serves your career the most for yourself.
Guys, although official Red Hat Linux Certifications are expensive, they offer very well workplace benefits 🙂 Specially if you’re a recent graduate with no professional IT experience.
The training is expensive if you go through official sources. The training can also be gotten for nearly free from youtube and other self study. Searching youtube with keywords “red hat certified system administrator” provides “complete” courses, that I cannot recommend personally, because I have no experience using those sources, The good news is the youtube videos will allow you to get your feet wet to see if this is something you feel is worth your time and effort. There is also Linux Academy which offers training for a monthly fee.
These are the base level courses. As far as what courses you should start with depends on your experience with Linux.
Red Hat System Administration I & II are for people completely new to Linux and lead to a Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certification.
Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) is for people who already have general experience with Linux.
Gosh!!! This is too expensive 🙁
I also want to know if I’ll get extra job benefit after completing a course from this list? Also which one do you recommend?
Are they really worth the money? They sure seem to be expensive!!!