Red Hat Ceph Storage 7 End of Life: December 12, 2026, ELS to August 31, 2029
Red Hat Ceph Storage 7 reaches End of Life on December 12, 2026. In Red Hat's Ceph Storage life cycle, that date ends the 36 months of Production Support that began with general availability on December 13, 2023. After it, support continues only for customers who buy the Extended Life Cycle Support (ELS) add-on, which for version 7 runs to August 31, 2029. This is Red Hat's product, with its own version numbers; the upstream Ceph project's releases and dates are separate (see the Ceph Squid guide for the upstream line). Live status and EOL Risk Score are on the Red Hat Ceph Storage 7 page; every version is on the Red Hat Ceph Storage page.
Key Dates at a Glance
- Red Hat Ceph Storage 9: End of Life (end of Production Support) 2029-01-28; ELS add-on ends 2031-01-28
- Red Hat Ceph Storage 8: End of Life (end of Production Support) 2027-11-24; ELS add-on ends 2029-11-24
- Red Hat Ceph Storage 7: End of Life (end of Production Support) 2026-12-12; ELS add-on ends 2029-08-31
- Red Hat Ceph Storage 6: End of Life (end of Production Support) 2026-03-20; ELS add-on ends 2028-03-20
The dates, as Red Hat prints them
Red Hat's life cycle data names the phase that ends the standard life cycle "End of Life", and the ELS phase after it an add-on.
| Version | General availability | End of Life (end of Production Support) | ELS add-on ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | January 29, 2026 | January 28, 2029 | January 28, 2031 |
| 8 | November 25, 2024 | November 24, 2027 | November 24, 2029 |
| 7 | December 13, 2023 | December 12, 2026 | August 31, 2029 |
| 6 | March 21, 2023 | March 20, 2026 | March 20, 2028 |
Red Hat's policy page says version 7 is offered with 36 months of Production Support and 24 months of optional ELS, extended to 33 months.
What each phase covers
From Red Hat's Ceph Storage life cycle policy:
- Production Support, Full Support (1 year): qualified Critical and Important security advisories and urgent and selected high-priority bug fix advisories are released as they become available; select enhanced functionality may be provided.
- Production Support, Maintenance Support (2 years): qualified Critical and Important security advisories and urgent and selected high-priority bug fix advisories, as they become available.
- Extended Life Support (add-on, purchased separately): the same as Maintenance Support but limited, with bug fix errata and security advisories available on customer request. It is valid for existing environments only, and cannot be applied to new installations.
So on December 12, 2026 a version 7 cluster without ELS stops receiving security and bug fix advisories from Red Hat. With ELS, fixes are on request rather than routine, and only for the existing environment.
What to do
- Decide before December 12, 2026 whether each version 7 cluster upgrades or runs under the ELS add-on, which has to be purchased.
- Upgrade target: Red Hat Ceph Storage 8 (Production Support to November 24, 2027) or 9 (to January 28, 2029). Check Red Hat's upgrade documentation for the supported path from your release.
- Do not plan by upstream Ceph dates: they are the Ceph project's estimates for its own releases, not Red Hat's support commitments.
- Check other versions: the Red Hat Ceph Storage page re-reads Red Hat's data, and the EOL Checker answers for a single version.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Red Hat Ceph Storage 7 end of life?
Red Hat's product life cycle data gives Red Hat Ceph Storage 7 an End of Life date of December 12, 2026. That is the end of its 36 months of Production Support; an optional Extended Life Cycle Support add-on runs to August 31, 2029.
What does Red Hat Ceph Storage ELS cover?
Red Hat's Ceph Storage life cycle policy describes ELS as an add-on purchased separately: the same as Maintenance Support but limited, with bug fix errata and security advisories available on customer request, for existing environments only, not new installations.
Is Red Hat Ceph Storage 7 the same as upstream Ceph?
No. Red Hat Ceph Storage is Red Hat's supported product with its own version numbers and life cycle. The upstream Ceph project numbers its releases differently and publishes its own, estimated, end-of-life dates; see the Ceph Squid guide.
Related
- Red Hat Ceph Storage — every version and its dates
- Ceph Squid (19) end of life — the upstream Ceph line and its estimated dates
- Red Hat support explained — life cycle phases and subscriptions