Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications (EX188)

What is the Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications?

The Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications is Red Hat’s certification for working with containers. According to Red Hat, a certified holder has demonstrated a basic understanding of containers and Podman and can use it to find, run and manage containerized services and to create custom containers.

You earn it by passing a single exam, EX188. Red Hat says the exam tests the fundamentals of containers, including the ability to find, customise, run and manage containerized services in stand-alone environments — that is, on a single host with Podman, not on an orchestration platform.

Red Hat designs it for anyone responsible for creating, managing or using containers: developers, administrators new to containers, architects and site reliability engineers.

Source: Red Hat — EX188 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.

Renamed in 2026: formerly Red Hat Certified Specialist in Containers

On 11 May 2026 Red Hat renamed several certifications to fit its new specialisation framework. Red Hat Certified Specialist in Containers became Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-Native Applications, and Red Hat Certified Specialist in OpenShift Application Development became Red Hat Certified Advanced Developer in Cloud-Native Applications.

Red Hat states that for these exams only the names are changing; content, descriptions and difficulty remain exactly the same. The exam code is still EX188. Existing certifications are grandfathered and mapped into the new framework, and since 11 May 2026 the new titles appear on Red Hat’s certification verification page.

If you passed EX188 under the old name, you do not need to retake anything. If you are studying now, material labelled “Specialist in Containers” covers the same exam — but check that it targets the current platform versions below.

Source: Red Hat Blog — Major updates to Red Hat Certification (11 May 2026). Checked 14 October 2026.

How much does the EX188 exam cost?

Red Hat’s certification program guide states that the standard list price for a Red Hat certification exam is $500 USD and that the price might vary by region. The binding figure is the one in your shopping cart when you buy the exam for your country. Red Hat’s FAQ confirms that the 2026 renaming did not change exam prices.

The price includes a second chance: Red Hat provides one free second attempt for every paid first attempt on the same exam, and you can schedule that free retake immediately, with no waiting period. After a second failed attempt a waiting period applies, and any further attempt needs a new paid registration.

If you buy a Standard or Premium Red Hat Learning Subscription, Red Hat’s FAQ says it includes exams with a maximum of one free retake per exam.

Source: Red Hat Certification program guide. Checked 14 October 2026.

EX188 exam format and passing score

EX188 is a hands-on, practical exam with a time limit of 2.5 hours. There are no multiple-choice questions: you complete real tasks on a live system. Relevant product documentation is provided during the test, but you must complete the tasks without outside assistance.

Red Hat offers its exams remotely — from your home or office using a bootable LiveUSB environment and a remote proctor — at authorised Red Hat testing facilities, and in classrooms at authorised training locations. Remote exams require a compatibility test beforehand.

Red Hat does not publish a passing score on the EX188 page. Results arrive by email from Red Hat Certification Central, usually within three US business days, with a pass/fail status and a breakdown by objective area; Red Hat does not report performance on individual tasks.

Source: Red Hat — EX188 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.

What is on the EX188 exam? Exam objectives

Red Hat lists five objective areas for EX188. The exam is based on RHEL 10, Podman v5 and OpenShift Container Platform 4.22, so make sure your practice environment uses those versions.

• Implement images using Podman and Containerfile — base images, adding content, runtime environment and user ID, exposing ports, environment variables and arguments, volumes, host and network permissions, image and container life cycles
• Manage images — private registry security, working with different registries, image tags, pushing and pulling, backing up an image versus a container state
• Run containers locally using Podman — container and application logs, container events, podman inspect, environment parameters, exposing public applications
• Run multi-container applications with Podman — application stacks, container dependencies, environment variables, secrets, volumes and configuration
• Troubleshoot containerized applications — describing application resources, logs, inspecting running applications, connecting to running containers

Source: Red Hat — EX188 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.

Prerequisites and recommended preparation

The EX188 exam page lists no prerequisite certification. Red Hat’s recommended preparation is experience using Podman v5 in a Linux environment to create and manage containers, and the course Red Hat OpenShift Developer I: Introduction to Containers with Podman (DO188).

Because the exam is hands-on, practice beats reading. Work through every objective on a RHEL 10 machine with Podman v5: write Containerfiles, push to and pull from a private registry, run a multi-container stack with secrets and volumes, then break it and fix it using logs and podman inspect. Get used to finding answers in the product documentation, since that is what you will have during the exam.

Source: Red Hat — EX188 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.

How long is the certification valid and how do you renew it?

All Red Hat certifications are current for three years from the date earned, and renewal must be completed before the expiration date; an expired certification cannot be renewed and has to be earned again.

Under the 2026 framework you renew by retaking the exam for your highest-level certification, by earning another certification at the same level, or by earning a higher-level one — which renews the lower-level certifications as well. For a Developer in Cloud-native Applications, passing the Advanced Developer exam is one way to renew.

Source: Red Hat Certification program guide. Checked 14 October 2026.

Developer vs Advanced Developer vs Engineer in Cloud-native Applications

The cloud-native track now has three levels. The Developer in Cloud-native Applications (EX188) covers containers on a single host with Podman. The Advanced Developer in Cloud-Native Applications, formerly the Specialist in OpenShift Application Development, is earned with EX288 and, as its former name says, focuses on OpenShift application development.

Red Hat’s page for the Red Hat Certified Engineer in Cloud-native Applications says that holders of the Developer credential must complete the Advanced Developer exam (EX288) to earn the engineer level, and recommends getting the Developer certification first to build fundamental container skills.

Source: Red Hat — Red Hat Certified Engineer in Cloud-native Applications. Checked 14 October 2026.

Brain dumps and Red Hat exam rules

Red Hat requires every candidate to accept a non-disclosure agreement at the start of the exam, prohibits sharing exam content and prohibits using brain dump websites or other unauthorised materials. Penalties include termination of the exam without refund, an invalidated score, revocation of some or all current Red Hat certifications and a temporary or permanent ban from the certification programme.

On a performance-based exam, dumps are also of little use: there are no answer letters to memorise, only tasks you either can or cannot complete on a live system.

Source: Red Hat Certification program guide. Checked 14 October 2026.

Red Hat Cloud-native Developer practice questions

Certsqill’s practice questions for the Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications are expert-developed and mapped to the five EX188 objective areas. Every question explains each answer option, so you understand which Podman command, Containerfile instruction or troubleshooting step is right and why the others are wrong.

Your readiness score is shown per domain, which helps you decide whether images, registries, multi-container stacks or troubleshooting need more lab time before your attempt. Certsqill comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Red Hat Cloud-native Developer questions people ask

What exam do I need for the Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications?

EX188, the Red Hat Certified Developer in Cloud-native Applications exam. Source: Red Hat certification page, checked 14 October 2026.

Is EX188 the same as the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Containers exam?

Yes. Red Hat renamed the certification on 11 May 2026; only the name changed, not the content or difficulty. Source: Red Hat Blog, checked 14 October 2026.

How long is the EX188 exam?

2.5 hours. Source: Red Hat EX188 exam page, checked 14 October 2026.

How much does EX188 cost?

Red Hat’s standard list price for a certification exam is $500 USD; it may vary by region. Source: Red Hat Certification program guide, checked 14 October 2026.

What is the EX188 passing score?

Red Hat does not publish it on the EX188 page. Results show pass/fail and a breakdown by objective area. Checked 14 October 2026.

Is EX188 multiple choice?

No. It is a hands-on, practical exam on a live system, with product documentation available. Source: Red Hat EX188 exam page, checked 14 October 2026.

Can I take EX188 from home?

Red Hat offers remote exams using a bootable LiveUSB environment and a remote proctor, as well as testing centres and classrooms. Source: Red Hat program guide, checked 14 October 2026.

Is there a free retake for EX188?

Yes. Red Hat gives one free second attempt for every paid first attempt, with no waiting period. Source: Red Hat Certification program guide, checked 14 October 2026.

Which versions is EX188 based on?

RHEL 10, Podman v5 and OpenShift Container Platform 4.22. Source: Red Hat EX188 exam page, checked 14 October 2026.

How long is the certification valid?

Three years from the date earned; renew before it expires. Source: Red Hat Certification program guide, checked 14 October 2026.