Red Hat Product Life Cycle

Query the Red Hat Product Life Cycle API to check support status, EOL dates, and OpenShift compatibility for Red Hat products and layered operators.

CLI Tool

All queries go through product-lifecycle/scripts/plc_lookup.py — a standalone Python 3 script with no dependencies beyond stdlib. Run with -h for full usage:

python3 product-lifecycle/scripts/plc_lookup.py -h

Commands

products — Query products by name

# Look up a product
python3 product-lifecycle/scripts/plc_lookup.py products "logging for Red Hat OpenShift"

# With OCP compatibility check
python3 product-lifecycle/scripts/plc_lookup.py products "logging for Red Hat OpenShift" --ocp 4.21

# Look up OCP itself
python3 product-lifecycle/scripts/plc_lookup.py products "Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform"

Returns matching product versions with support status, OCP compatibility, and lifecycle phase dates. When --ocp is provided, adds ocp_target and ocp_compatible (true/false/null) to each version entry.

Be specific with product names to avoid overly broad results.

olm-check — Batch check OLM operators

python3 product-lifecycle/scripts/plc_lookup.py olm-check --ocp 4.21 \
  --operators '[{"package":"cluster-logging"},{"package":"web-terminal"}]'

Looks up each operator by its OLM package name. Reports lifecycle_unavailable for operators not tracked by package name. When olm-check reports lifecycle_unavailable, retry those operators with products using the operator's product name (e.g. "compliance operator") before concluding that lifecycle data is unavailable.

Output Format

All commands output JSON. Each product version entry includes:

When to Use

• Upgrade readiness: check if installed operators are compatible with the target OCP version before upgrading
• EOL planning: identify products approaching or past end of life
• Support status: determine current support phase for any Red Hat product
• Cross-reference with update-advisor: when olm_operator_lifecycle data is present in readiness JSON, use olm-check to verify lifecycle status

Important

• ocp_versions is only present on layered product versions, not on OCP itself.
• Not all operators have lifecycle entries — report "lifecycle data unavailable" rather than treating missing data as an error.
• An operator has lifecycle data only if the API returns an entry matching its installed version. If the API tracks the package but not the specific version installed, treat it as "lifecycle data unavailable" for that version.
• The package field in API responses maps to the OLM Subscription's spec.name — use this for exact matching, not product name.