EL 10: A new toolchain

A major release means a wholesale refresh of the base toolchain. EL 10 moves the kernel to 6.12 LTS, the compiler to GCC 14, the system Python to 3.12, and glibc to 2.39, with Podman 5 on the container side — while the package manager stays on the DNF 4 line (4.20), so day-to-day commands feel unchanged.

What changed

Every EL major release aligns with a set of upstream long-term-support versions, and EL 10 aligns with the 2024–2025 upstream mainlines. For users the changes cluster in three places:

• Build side: GCC 14 plus new binutils and glibc headers turn code that “used to compile” into build failures;
• Runtime side: the system Python jumps three minor versions, so old scripts need validation;
• Container side: Podman 5 makes pasta the default rootless network backend and recommends Quadlet for systemd integration.

Meanwhile the package manager is still DNF 4 (currently 4.20), not DNF 5: dnf install, dnf config-manager, and friends keep their EL 9 syntax.

EL 9 vs EL 10

Component	EL 9	EL 10	Notes
kernel	5.14	6.12	LTS; much better new-hardware support
GCC	11	14	stricter default diagnostics; C23
glibc	2.34	2.39
Python (system default)	3.9	3.12	distutils and other old modules removed
OpenSSL	3.0.x	3.5.x	adds post-quantum algorithm support
Podman	4.x	5.x	rootless networking defaults to pasta
Package manager	DNF 4	DNF 4.20	still DNF 4, not DNF 5

For exact current versions in each distribution’s official repositories, see the package version matrix (synced at build time).

Version baseline

The table above compares the versions shipped at each major release’s GA — the generational step between releases. Minor updates keep moving these components forward (EL 9’s OpenSSL, for instance, has since reached the 3.5 series through security fixes, and Podman 5.8). The version matrix shows current official repository versions; keep the two baselines apart when cross-checking.

What it means for you

• In-house software and kernel modules: GCC 14 promotes implicit function declarations, incompatible pointer types, and friends from warnings to default errors. Old C code and out-of-tree kernel modules may fail on the spot; fix the source, or downgrade with -Wno-error=… as a stopgap (not long term).
• Python workloads: 3.9 → 3.12 spans three minor versions; distutils is gone and some stdlib behavior changed. The EL 10 system Python is for system components only — keep application code in a venv.
• Container workflows: podman generate systemd is deprecated in favor of Quadlet; rootless networking defaults to pasta, so scripts that assumed slirp4netns behavior need a check.
• Binary compatibility: glibc remains backward compatible, so old binaries usually run; but anything linked against OpenSSL 1.x needs revalidation.

Checking and adapting

Print the key versions

uname -r
gcc --version | head -1
python3 --version
ldd --version | head -1
podman --version

1. Before upgrading, do a full build of your in-house components in an EL 10 container or VM;
2. Run Python regression suites under 3.12 in a venv;
3. Move container systemd integration to Quadlet.

Further reading

• Package version matrix — cross-distribution version tables (auto-updated)
• EL 10 changes overview — packaging, modularity, and the rest
• EL 10: Post-quantum cryptography — the security side of OpenSSL 3.5
• EL 9: A new toolchain — the previous generation’s refresh