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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Support by Clearscale
A high-performance, production-ready Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 base image. Pre-hardened to CIS Level 1 benchmarks for immediate compliance, stripped of unnecessary packages to reduce the attack surface, and fully supported by Clearscale premier cloud engineers.
Ratings and reviews
5
2 ratings
2 AWS reviews
Reviews (2)
reviewer2856162
Hardened, fast-launching base image that streamlined our Kubernetes node deployments
Reviewed on Jun 14, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is running containerized Kubernetes workloads on EC2. We use the image as the base for our Kubernetes worker and control-plane nodes, hosting backend microservices, internal APIs, and CI/CD build agents that require a stable, secure, and consistently configured Linux platform.
How has it helped my organization?
It has reduced the time spent on node hardening and patching before workloads can be deployed. Because the image ships CIS Level 1 hardened with the SSM agent pre-installed and IMDSv2 enforced, our Kubernetes nodes come up audit-ready without a manual hardening pass, which has improved deployment consistency and reduced configuration drift across our clusters.
Predictable, repeatable EC2 launches have lowered our operational overhead and increased our confidence when scaling node groups.
What is most valuable?
The CIS Level 1 hardening applied by default is the most valuable feature. Root SSH is disabled, password authentication is off, UFW with default-deny is implemented, and MaxAuthTries is reduced to give us a secure baseline out of the box.
The pre-installed AWS Systems Manager (SSM) agent is also valuable because it lets us manage nodes through Session Manager without a bastion host or SSH keys. Removing snapd and stripping unnecessary packages reduces the attack surface and keeps the image lean, which matters for Kubernetes nodes where we want a minimal host footprint.
What needs improvement?
More published documentation around the exact CIS controls applied and how to layer additional Kubernetes-specific hardening, such as kubelet and CIS Kubernetes benchmark, on top would be helpful.
A minimal or slim variant tuned specifically for container hosts and clearer release notes per version would also be welcome. Out-of-the-box monitoring and observability integration could be expanded.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used the ClearScale-hardened image for around 1 year and Red Hat Enterprise Linux overall for over 5 years.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used the stock Red Hat Enterprise Linux AMI and applied our own hardening with configuration management. We switched to the ClearScale image to get a pre-hardened, CIS-aligned baseline maintained by the vendor, which removed the burden of writing and maintaining our own hardening playbooks for every node.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The per-hour software charge is modest and should be weighed against the engineering time saved on hardening, patching, and compliance work. For teams running Kubernetes at scale, evaluating the total cost of ownership rather than the hourly rate alone is important.
The time saved on audit preparation and node maintenance generally justifies it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated the stock Red Hat Enterprise Linux AMI with in-house hardening, and rebuilding our own golden image internally before selecting the ClearScale-hardened image.
What other advice do I have?
I advise validating your application and Kubernetes component compatibility against the hardened defaults early. It is important to confirm firewall rules allow your cluster's required ports since UFW ships with default-deny. Once that is configured, the image is a solid, low-maintenance foundation for production Kubernetes nodes.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
reviewer2855640
Robust security and consistent operations have supported reliable enterprise workloads
Reviewed on Jun 11, 2026
Review from a verified AWS customer
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is hosting enterprise web applications, backend services, containerized workloads, and cloud-based infrastructure that require a stable, secure, and supported Linux platform.
How has it helped my organization?
The platform has improved system reliability, security, and operational consistency across our infrastructure. The enterprise-grade support and predictable release cycle have helped reduce maintenance overhead and improve confidence when deploying critical workloads.
What is most valuable?
There are strong security features, including SELinux and timely security updates. It offers excellent stability for production workloads and compatibility with enterprise software and cloud platforms. Podman and container tooling are beneficial for modern application deployment. The long-term support lifecycle simplifies infrastructure planning.
What needs improvement?
The initial setup and configuration process can be complex for teams without prior Red Hat experience. Some administrative tools could be more intuitive, and documentation for newer features could be expanded. There is room for enhanced automation and provisioning tools, more built-in cloud cost optimization capabilities, improved monitoring and observability integrations out of the box, and additional AI-assisted system administration features.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using ClearScale Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 for approximately 6 months in both development and production environments.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Ubuntu Server. We switched to Red Hat Enterprise Linux because we required a more standardized enterprise platform with commercial support, longer support lifecycles, and stronger compliance capabilities.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
While the subscription cost is higher than community Linux distributions, organizations should evaluate the total cost of ownership rather than the license price alone. The support, security updates, and enterprise ecosystem can justify the investment for business-critical workloads.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Ubuntu Server, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server before selecting Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
What other advice do I have?
ClearScale Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 is a solid choice for organizations that prioritize stability, security, and enterprise support. I recommend planning the migration carefully, validating application compatibility early, and taking advantage of automation tools to maximize operational efficiency.