What is STACKIT Red Hat Enterprise Linux?
STACKIT provides Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) as a standard operating system image for virtual machines on the STACKIT Compute Engine. The images are built regularly directly from official Red Hat sources and provided unmodified as base images. STACKIT operates the associated VMs exclusively in German data centers for complete GDPR compliance.
Core Features
- Standard images for RHEL 8, RHEL 9, and RHEL 10, each also available as an ARM64 variant
- RHEL license billed directly through the STACKIT invoice, tiered by vCPU count (separate SKU since 01/12/2025); use is additionally subject to the Cloud Software and Services Agreement with Red Hat, Inc.
- Regularly updated, unmodified base images built directly from Red Hat sources with current security patches
- Full customizability of the VM after provisioning
- Provisioning via the STACKIT portal or API with no fixed contract terms
- Available in EU01 (Germany) and, since March 2026, also in EU02 (Austria, x86_64 only)
- Runs on the STACKIT Compute Engine with hourly billing for the underlying infrastructure
Typical Use Cases
SAP Workloads: RHEL is a widely used certification base for SAP systems such as SAP HANA and SAP NetWeaver.
Oracle Database Hosting: Running Oracle database workloads on an established enterprise Linux operating system.
Enterprise Java and Container Workloads: RHEL provides a common foundation for Java EE applications as well as containerized workloads using Podman.
Benefits
- Full control over operating system version and configuration
- Unmodified, current base images built directly from official Red Hat sources
- Complete GDPR compliance with German data centers for the infrastructure
- Flexible, contract-free use of the underlying compute resources
Integration with innFactory
As an official STACKIT partner, innFactory supports you with STACKIT Red Hat Enterprise Linux: architecture, license model guidance, migration, and operations.
Available Tiers & Options
RHEL 8 / RHEL 9
- Stable and proven
- Broad application compatibility
- Also available as an ARM64 image
- RHEL 8 is now in maintenance support only
RHEL 10
- Latest version with full support
- Also available as an ARM64 image
- May require adjustments for legacy applications
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is STACKIT Red Hat Enterprise Linux?
STACKIT provides Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a standard image for the STACKIT Compute Engine, in versions RHEL 8, 9, and 10 (each also as an ARM64 image). The VM and the RHEL license are billed together, pay-per-use through STACKIT, tiered by vCPU count. Per official STACKIT documentation, the license granted to the customer is additionally subject to the Cloud Software and Services Agreement, concluded automatically between the customer and Red Hat, Inc. upon subscribing to the service.
Is the Red Hat license included in the STACKIT price?
Yes, license costs are billed directly through the STACKIT invoice, tiered by vCPU count, since 1 December 2025 as a separate SKU apart from compute (previously a combined product). Per STACKIT documentation, the license granted to the customer is additionally subject to the terms of the Cloud Software and Services Agreement, concluded automatically between the customer and Red Hat, Inc. upon subscribing to the STACKIT Red Hat Enterprise Linux Service; no separate contract needs to be arranged by the customer.
Can I use RHEL for SAP applications?
RHEL is certified by Red Hat for numerous SAP environments, including SAP HANA and SAP NetWeaver. The exact certification for a given STACKIT instance size should be confirmed with Red Hat and STACKIT before production SAP use.
Which RHEL versions does STACKIT offer?
STACKIT currently offers standard images for RHEL 8, RHEL 9, and RHEL 10, each also available as an ARM64 variant. Support lifecycles follow the official Red Hat schedules. Since March 2026, the RHEL images are additionally available in the EU02 region, there for x86_64 only.
How current are the STACKIT RHEL images?
STACKIT builds its cloud images regularly directly from official Red Hat sources and provides unmodified base images with current security patches.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of STACKIT (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by STACKIT.
