Red Hat Enterprise Linux runner images now in public preview for GitHub Actions

Red Hat and GitHub have published Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) runner images for both RHEL 9 and RHEL 10 for GitHub Actions. They are available today as GitHub-hosted larger runners in public preview.

Public preview means this feature is real, fully documented, and ready for technical testing. During this phase, the runner images do not include formal GitHub SLAs or technical support obligations. You should treat this preview as a technical evaluation environment instead of a strict compliance baseline. As a member of the Red Hat Developer Program, or a supported Red Hat customer, you can provide feedback on the RHEL runner images to Red Hat through the Red Hat support portal.

Stop chasing differences and start shipping code

Today, most GitHub-hosted runners run on Linux, but not a RHEL distribution. This environment mismatch introduces different package versions, different defaults, different performance characteristics, and different security behaviors.

These differences cause real problems for central IT developers and ISV developers. This friction mirrors the classic DevOps problem of 2009. A build that passes cleanly on another distribution can break on RHEL. A dependency that resolves perfectly in your CI pipeline might fail the moment it hits a production server. You usually find out when it is too late.

The long-term goal is simple: Test on the same OS you ship on. These preview images are the first step toward that reality as a user of GitHub Actions.

Secure your build environment from the host up

When CI/CD pipelines get compromised, it is often through an unaudited build environment. GitHub-hosted RHEL runner images help secure this foundation because the host OS environment is built and signed directly by Red Hat. Red Hat tracks, audits, and scans packages inside the runner host for vulnerabilities before they're available on GitHub.. Using a RHEL runner gives you and your security team something concrete and trustworthy to point to.

Once you establish your secure host baseline, you can safely build your application workloads without inheriting a hidden "vulnerability tax". Standard application container images frequently force you to inherit hundreds of unnecessary packages. This clutter triggers a mountain of security scanner alerts, trapping development teams in a constant cycle of CVE toil that slows down deployments and invites endless triage sessions with security engineers.

To reduce security scanner noise, build your workloads in Red Hat Hardened Images running on your trusted RHEL-based runners. This free, vendor-agnostic container catalog provides micro-sized, distroless components that contain only what your code needs to run. Removing non-essential packages delivers a near-zero known vulnerability state right at release. This strategy pre-applies strict security profiles like DISA STIG or CIS benchmarks on day one, stopping the compliance bottleneck before it starts.

How to try it

These are base operating system images running on Linux x64. You layer your own tools, configurations, and application dependencies on top.

To try it inside your GitHub instance:

1. Create a larger runner in your GitHub organization: Navigate to Settings → Actions → Runners → New larger runner. This is an organization-level feature. Individual accounts are not supported during the preview phase.
2. Select your RHEL image: Under Linux x64 runner options, choose Linux x64 partner images. Pick either RHEL 9 or RHEL 10.
3. Point a workflow at your runner: Update your workflow YAML file to target your specific runner group label:

jobs: 
    build:
        runs-on: [self-hosted, your-runner-group-label]

This configuration is enough to get a RHEL build running so you can see exactly how your application code behaves on it.

Take RHEL beyond your CI pipeline

To get the most out of your new RHEL workflow, you need a local development environment that matches your CI pipeline. The Red Hat Developer program makes this easy. Your free membership unlocks:

• No-cost subscriptions: Get full self-service access to Red Hat Enterprise Linux for individual or business development use.
• Local development tools: Download the Red Hat build of Podman Desktop to build and manage containerized workloads locally before pushing them to GitHub.
• Full supply chain bits: Access to Red Hat Trusted Libraries.

Stop wrestling with environment differences on your local machine. Join the Red Hat Developer program today to bridge the gap between your laptop and your automation.