EL 8: A new toolchain

EL 7 served an exceptionally long tour (2014–2024), so EL 8’s generational gap is unusually wide: the kernel jumps from 3.10 to 4.18, GCC from 4.8 to 8, Python from 2.7 to 3.6, glibc from 2.17 to 2.28, and OpenSSL from 1.0.2 to 1.1.1. Even the yum command itself becomes a front end for DNF.

What changed

• Python 2 → 3: EL 8 no longer provides /usr/bin/python by default; system tooling moves fully to Python 3.6, with Python 2 kept only as the python2 package for legacy scripts. This is where the EL ecosystem starts saying goodbye to Python 2.
• yum → DNF: the yum command stays, but the backend becomes DNF (libsolv dependency solving, more reliable transactions, C++ implementation). Everyday syntax is unchanged; the yum plugin ecosystem must move to dnf plugins.
• GCC 8 / glibc 2.28: a higher default C++ standard and new warnings; glibc brings more complete C11 threads and thread-local storage support.
• OpenSSL 1.1.1: TLS 1.3 enters the default stack, laying the groundwork for the later crypto policies.
• Kernel 4.18: substantially stronger eBPF capabilities and a wider new-hardware support surface.

EL 7 vs EL 8

Component	EL 7	EL 8	Notes
kernel	3.10	4.18
GCC	4.8	8
glibc	2.17	2.28
Python (system)	2.7	3.6	/usr/bin/python absent by default
OpenSSL	1.0.2	1.1.1	TLS 1.3
Package manager front end	yum (yum3)	yum → DNF front end	command-compatible

For current versions per distribution, see the package version matrix.

What it means for you

• Python 2 scripts: scripts with a #!/usr/bin/python or #!/usr/bin/env python shebang find no interpreter on EL 8; switch the shebang to python3, or install python2 and name it explicitly.
• yum plugins and wrappers: anything relying on yum’s Python API stops working; move to dnf plugins or the dnf CLI.
• In-house C/C++: GCC 8’s new default warnings and glibc symbol changes may require rebuild validation.
• TLS peers: 1.1.1 disables some old cipher suites by default; handshakes with very old clients and devices need evaluation.

Checking and adapting

Print key versions and the interpreter situation

uname -r
gcc --version | head -1
python3 --version
ls -l /usr/bin/python 2>&1   # absent by default on EL 8

1. Scan repositories for #!/usr/bin/python shebangs and yum plugin dependencies;
2. Rebuild in-house components in an EL 8 environment;
3. Run a connectivity regression for TLS handshakes with legacy devices.

Further reading

• Package version matrix — full version tables
• DNF basics — DNF commands and repository management
• EL 8: BaseOS and AppStream — the repository-structure revolution in the same release
• EL 9: A new toolchain — the next generation’s refresh