The 20 Best Red Hat Linux Certifications and Courses in 2020

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. ^[1]

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. The Red Hat Enterprise
Linux is used by many companies around the globe, 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 in order to obtain this certification successfully.
^[2]

Features of this Certification

• This professional certification is aimed at senior admins, IT
  professionals, or students who’ve completed any Red Hat courses
  previously.
• You must pass the final exam titled EX200 in order to obtain
  this Red Hat certification.
• The exam validates the candidate’s knowledge about core
  administration tasks and mastery over everyday Linux commands^[3].
• Users may also obtain guidelines from several readily available
  training aimed at this certification, both free and paid.

View Certification^[4]

2. Red Hat Certified Engineer
(RHCE)

The Red Hat Certified Engineer or (RHCE) is aimed at senior
system admins who are 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,
then this is a suitable course for you. Moreover, having an RHCE
certification validates your administration skills and will help to
land more lucrative CS job offers^[5]. 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 over
  enterprise automation, infrastructure management, and development
  operations.
• Current RHCSAs can choose from two distinct paths, and the
  legacy track emphasizes more on networking skills while the new
  track leas towards automation.
• The more recent track requires admins to be efficient in
  Ansible Automation and Linux shell scripting^[6]
  alongside traditional administration.
• It is one of the best Red Hat Linux certifications for senior
  admins and will result in a significant pay rise.

View Certification^[7]

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 even
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 who are looking to add more skills to their CV and land
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 on an individual basis.

View Certification ^[8]

4. Red Hat Certified Architect
(RHCA)

The Red Hat Certified Architect or (RHCA) certification is for
those engineers who have already obtained multiple Red Hat
certifications and wants to get the highest level of certification.
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 in enterprise solutions. If you
have years of experience as a senior developer/admin, then 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 by candidates coming from different backgrounds.
• It is one of the highest levels of Red Hat certification and
  will guarantee a considerable pay rise.

View Certification^[9]

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 a wide range of
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. ^[10][11]

Features of this Certification

• Candidates must pas the Red Hat OpenStack exam (EX310)
  successfully in order 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.

View Certification^[12]

6. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (EL)
Administration

It is one of the best introductory Red Hat courses you can take
if you want 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 a lot of details. So, we
highly suggest this course to beginners who’re looking for
sharpening 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.

View Course^[13]

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 a
certified microservices developer.

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.

View Certification^[14]

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 as well as other
Linux-based commercial applications. This Red Hat certification is
especially suitable for people who’ve already obtained the RHCE
certification and is on the track of 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^[15], 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.

View Certification^[16]

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 resume. Ansible is an
open-source app deployment and management solution that allows
enterprises to automate all types of 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 the track of 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
  for obtaining 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.

View Certification^[17]

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^[18] 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.

View Certification^[19]

11. Deploying Containerized
Applications Technical Overview

This is a seminal Red Hat course that introduces users to the
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.

View Course^[20]

12. Red Hat Certified Specialist
in High Availability Clustering

It is one of the best Red Hat Linux certifications for engineers
who are 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 storages^[21], 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.

View Certification^[22]

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. ^[23]

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^[24].
• Candidates must clear the EX318 exam, which will also count if
  you want to pursue the RHCA certification.
• Our editors suggest users complete the RHCSA certification
  before trying this program.

View Certification^[25]

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^[26]. 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,
  therefore, may not be the best option for many professionals.

View Certification ^[27]

15. Red Hat Certified Specialist
in Ceph Storage Administration

Ceph is a free storage platform is used by many enterprises. 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 thus highly recommend it to interested candidates.

Features of this Certification

• The Red Hat Certified Specialist in the Ceph Storage
  Administration exam (EX125) tests the candidate’s capabilities
  thoroughly.
• 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.

View Certification^[28]

16. Red Hat OpenStack Technical
Overview

This official video aims to introduce Linux users with 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.

View Course^[29]

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 as a preparation 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.

View Certification ^[30]

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
abilities with complex business automation 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 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).

View Certification ^[31]

19. Red Hat System Administration
I

This Red Hat Course comprises the first of a two-part series
that aims to cover 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, as well as network admins and starting
  sysadmins.
• It has a course code of RH124 and is a requirement for
  obtaining 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.

View Course^[32]

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. So, whether you are
interested in becoming an RHCSA or not, this course will still help
to 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.

View Course^[33]

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.