The Red Hat OpenShift certification path in 2026
What each OpenShift exam tests, which ones stack toward RHCA, and the one retirement that catches people out when they plan a route through them.
Tag
OpenShift
Every post tagged OpenShift — practitioner notes from running Kubernetes, OpenShift and DevOps tooling in production for clients across the EU and the Gulf.
9 posts
EX480 is retired — EX432 is what you sit instead
The multicluster OpenShift exam changed. What happens to an EX480 you already hold, what EX432 adds, and how to re-plan a training budget around it.
Security Context Constraints — why your Helm chart won't start
How OpenShift SCCs assign arbitrary UIDs, why that breaks images built for root, how to read the admission error, and how to fix it without granting anyuid.
OpenShift vs Kubernetes: what the extra layer buys you
The concrete differences between OpenShift and upstream Kubernetes — security defaults, routes, operators, builds — and when plain Kubernetes is the better call.
EX280 — what the OpenShift administrator exam actually tests
The exam objectives, the audience Red Hat has in mind, the version it targets, and the parts candidates consistently underestimate on the day.
EX380 — the OpenShift exam where you start owning the platform
Backup and restore, cluster partitioning, GitOps, monitoring and logging. What the advanced administrator exam covers and why one objective sinks people.
OpenShift AI — what it is, and when it earns its licence
Red Hat OpenShift AI in plain terms, the platform problems it solves, and a straightforward test for whether your organisation needs it yet.
Why OpenShift upgrades stall, and how to clear them
Upgrade channels, MachineConfigPools and the four things that block a cluster upgrade, plus how to tell a slow upgrade from a stuck one before you intervene.
Routes or Ingress on OpenShift, and the three TLS modes
Edge, passthrough and re-encrypt termination compared, what each does to client certificates and HTTP headers, and when an Ingress object is the better choice.