Introducing Red Hat Enterprise Linux for AWS: Optimized, integrated and available now

While Red Hat and AWS have been working together for years to make sure the RHEL experience meets customers needs, this new offering represents a new standard. RHEL for AWS is a highly optimized version of RHEL, fine-tuned for the most common AWS instance types. It provides a fast path to value for AWS users by reducing the need for additional configuration and in-depth platform expertise. In short, you get the power of RHEL, optimized for AWS from the very first boot.

Integrated AWS tooling

RHEL for AWS includes native AWS integrations to make cloud operations more seamless. Features include:

• AWS CLI (awscli2) is preinstalled for easy automation
• CloudWatch integration allows you to view your RHEL instances alongside the rest of your AWS infrastructure
• Performance and security settings are tailored specifically for AWS EC2 environments

These additions mean better visibility, stronger automation capabilities, and more efficient cloud operations right out of the box.

A launchpad for Image Mode

RHEL for AWS is the ideal foundation for Image Mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, a container-native operating model introduced with recent RHEL releases. Whether you're managing your own infrastructure and want to minimize configuration drift, or you're a Red Hat partner distributing applications through the AWS Marketplace, Image Mode makes it easier than ever to:

• Build and manage workloads with container-native tooling
• Deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a bootable container image (with bootc)
• Streamline cloud-native application development and IT operations

It's a transformative step toward a unified pipeline from development to deployment in the cloud.

Secure boot and image attestation

Security is a cornerstone of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux experience, and RHEL for AWS reflects this. All images, from RHEL 8.9 and 9.3 onward, come with the boot mode set to prefer UEFI, which allows you to run in Secure Boot mode. With a simple configuration of custom certificates and enabling Secure Boot post-deployment, you can enforce a more secure and trusted environment from the moment your instance spins up.

Available now on AWS

RHEL for AWS is available today in the AWS Marketplace for North America and regions outside of EMEA (Red Hat Inc.), and for EMEA customers (Red Hat Ltd.), and can be used across a broad range of instance types for the latest performance and integration enhancements. 

With RHEL for AWS, you can spend less time configuring your platform and more time building value for your business. This release reflects Red Hat's continued collaboration with AWS to provide enterprise-ready solutions tailored for today's cloud-native world.