RHCSA for DevOps : Why It's Still Relevant in 2025

Published On: 13 June 2025

Objective

In a world where technology grows by the second, the term "relevance" often feels fleeting—especially in IT. New tools, frameworks, and job roles constantly reshape the landscape. Among all this change, you might wonder: Is RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Administrator) still worth it for DevOps professionals in 2025? The answer is a confident yes. While cloud-native architectures and automation tools like Kubernetes, Terraform, and Ansible are on the rise, RHCSA remains a solid foundational certification. For DevOps professionals, mastering the Linux ecosystem is not optional—it’s essential.

This blog aims to:

  • Highlight the enduring value of the RHCSA certification for DevOps professionals in a rapidly growing tech landscape.

  • Demonstrate how RHCSA aligns with core DevOps skills, including Linux administration, automation, security, and troubleshooting.

  • Encourage DevOps aspirants and professionals to pursue RHCSA as a foundational step toward mastering modern infrastructure and workflows.

We’ll explore why RHCSA still matters in 2025, how it fits modern DevOps practices, and why aspiring engineers should consider making it part of their learning path.

1. DevOps Still Runs on Linux

Linux is the beating heart of DevOps. Whether deploying containers, configuring CI/CD pipelines, or managing infrastructure as code, Linux is at the core of it all.
Most major tools in the DevOps ecosystem—Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, GitLab CI, and Ansible—run on Linux servers. Understanding how to navigate, secure, and manage these systems from the command line is a must. RHCSA teaches you to be confident and competent in a Linux environment, which translates into fewer errors, faster troubleshooting, and smarter automation.

2. The RHCSA Curriculum Aligns with DevOps Foundations

RHCSA is not just about memorizing commands. Its curriculum covers practical, real-world system administration tasks that DevOps engineers handle daily:

  • Managing users and groups: Creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts and groups to ensure proper access control and collaboration.

  • Configuring storage and LVMs: Managing disk partitions and using Logical Volume Manager (LVM) for flexible, scalable storage.

  • Setting file permissions and ACLs: Securing files and directories with standard permissions and Access Control Lists for fine-grained control.

  • Working with systemd services and journaling logs: Starting, stopping, managing services with systemd, and diagnosing issues via journal logs.

  • Configuring networking and firewall rules: Setting up network interfaces and applying firewall rules to secure communication.

  • Scripting and automation with Bash: Automating repetitive tasks by writing shell scripts to enhance productivity.

  • Managing software packages and repositories: Installing, updating, and managing software using package managers like dnf and configuring repositories.

  • Troubleshooting boot processes: Diagnosing and fixing startup issues related to GRUB bootloader and runlevels for reliable recovery.

In 2025, these tasks remain the building blocks of modern DevOps operations. A good DevOps engineer doesn’t just write Terraform scripts; they can log into a Linux server and know exactly what’s going on.

3. Containers and Cloud? You Still Need a Strong Linux Base

Docker and Kubernetes abstract much OS complexity, but when a container crashes or a Kubernetes pod goes into CrashLoopBackOff, you often need to SSH into the node, inspect logs, analyze resource usage, and diagnose the file system—all requiring deep Linux skills.
Similarly, cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud provide Linux-based compute services. Being RHCSA-certified gives you the confidence to manage these systems securely and efficiently.

4. RHCSA and Automation: A Perfect Pair

DevOps is all about automation, but automating systems you don’t fully understand can lead to disasters. RHCSA lays the groundwork that makes automation tools like Ansible more effective.
For example:

  • Before writing Ansible playbooks, you must know how to manually configure services.

  • Before automating user creation, you need to understand users and groups.

  • Before templating systemd files, you need to know how services are managed.

Red Hat builds on RHCSA with certifications like EX294 (Red Hat Certified Engineer - Automation with Ansible), showing the natural progression.

5. Hiring Managers Still Value RHCSA

Certifications matter, especially when they validate hands-on skills. RHCSA is a respected Linux certification because it’s performance-based. Instead of multiple-choice questions, you perform real-world tasks in a terminal.
For hiring managers, RHCSA signals that:

  • You’re comfortable with the command line.

  • You understand core system administration.

  • You have the discipline to prepare and pass a practical exam.

In a competitive job market, that can set you apart.

6. Security and Compliance Knowledge

DevOps teams are increasingly responsible for infrastructure security. RHCSA equips you with essential skills like managing SELinux, configuring firewalls, and securing user access—core capabilities for building secure pipelines and meeting compliance standards.
You’ll learn how to set SELinux policies that restrict unauthorized actions and reduce attack surfaces. Firewall configuration becomes second nature, allowing you to define zone-based rules that isolate services. These foundational practices are essential for passing security audits and meeting industry compliance such as PCI-DSS or HIPAA.

7. Real-World Troubleshooting Skills

DevOps is not just about building—it’s about fixing. RHCSA teaches practical troubleshooting techniques, such as analyzing logs, recovering broken systems, and debugging service failures—skills critical during outages or failed deployments.
Understanding system logs with journalctl, troubleshooting boot issues using GRUB, or restoring services with systemctl can mean the difference between extended downtime and quick recovery. These hands-on problem-solving skills build your resilience under pressure, a trait highly valued in incident response teams.

8. Enhances Cross-Team Collaboration

A strong RHCSA background helps DevOps engineers communicate effectively with sysadmins, network engineers, and security teams. This bridges knowledge gaps and improves teamwork across the IT ecosystem.
When you speak the same language as traditional infrastructure teams, you can troubleshoot faster, align on shared responsibilities, and avoid friction. Whether it’s understanding firewall rules or debugging DNS issues, RHCSA provides a well-rounded Linux vocabulary that smooths cross-functional workflows.

9. Supports Hybrid and On-Prem Deployments

Not all companies are fully cloud-native. Many enterprises still use hybrid or on-prem environments. RHCSA prepares you to manage these traditional infrastructures, which remain a key part of many DevOps workflows in 2025.
From mounting NFS shares to managing local services or configuring static IPs, RHCSA provides practical experience that’s directly transferable. Legacy systems still power critical workloads, and your ability to maintain and migrate them safely makes you invaluable in transitional IT environments.

10. Builds Confidence in Terminal-Centric Tools

DevOps professionals often work with terminal-based tools like kubectl, helm, ansible, and git. RHCSA builds comfort and confidence in the Linux command line, boosting efficiency across all DevOps tasks.
Mastering commands like grep, awk, sed, or vim can drastically cut down your response time during deployments or debugging. Once you’re fluent at the terminal, you’ll find it easier to automate tasks, parse logs, edit config files, and manage infrastructure without relying on GUIs or IDEs.

RHCSA as a Launchpad for Career Growth

For many DevOps engineers, RHCSA is a gateway certification. Once confident in Linux, you can advance to:

Like learning the fundamentals of math before data science, skipping RHCSA can cause confusion down the road.

Staying Relevant Means Staying Grounded

In 2025, the DevOps world is full of shiny tools and frameworks, but seasoned professionals know reliability beats novelty. Linux system administration may not be trendy, but it’s timeless. As long as DevOps relies on Linux-based systems, certifications like RHCSA remain relevant, respected, and rewarding.
The core principles of file systems, permissions, service management, and system recovery don’t change—only the layers on top evolve. By staying grounded in these fundamentals, you gain the adaptability to handle emerging technologies with confidence. Trends will come and go, but the foundational skills RHCSA imparts remain constant pillars of modern infrastructure management.

Modern Learning for RHCSA

Learning today goes beyond PDFs and dense textbooks. RHCSA.GURU offers a modern, streamlined platform featuring hands-on labs, video walkthroughs, practical tips, and real-world projects designed to help you not just pass the RHCSA exam, but truly succeed in DevOps roles. Simulated environments on RHCSA.GURU let you break and fix systems safely, developing the instincts needed in real production settings. Interactive tutorials and community-driven discussions accelerate comprehension, especially for complex topics like SELinux, systemd, or LVM. The modern learner benefits from targeted guidance that mirrors real-world DevOps responsibilities—not just theoretical knowledge. With RHCSA.GURU, you're not only exam-ready but job-ready, equipped to troubleshoot, automate, and manage systems with confidence from Day One.

Conclusion

RHCSA might not have the buzz of Kubernetes or the glamour of cloud certifications, but don’t underestimate its value. For DevOps professionals, it is the bedrock of all other skills. It teaches you how systems really work, how to configure them, secure them, and recover them when things go wrong. Whether you’re just starting your DevOps journey or looking to sharpen your core competencies, investing in RHCSA is a wise move in 2025.