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Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software. Developed by the British company Canonical and a community of contributors under a Meritocracy governance model, Ubuntu is released in multiple official editions: Desktop computer, Server, and Core for IoT and robotic devices.
Ubuntu is published on a six-month release cycle, with long-term support (LTS) versions issued every two years. Canonical provides security updates and support until each release reaches its designated end-of-life (EOL), with optional extended support available through the Ubuntu Pro and Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) services. , the latest stable release is 25.04 ("Plucky Puffin"), and the current LTS release is 24.04 ("Noble Numbat").
Ubuntu can be installed directly on hardware or run within a virtual machine. It is widely used for cloud computing, with integration support for platforms such as OpenStack. It is also one of the most popular Linux distributions for general desktop use, supported by extensive online communities such as Ask Ubuntu, and has spawned numerous community-maintained variants.
The name "Ubuntu" comes from the Nguni languages philosophy of ubuntu, which translates roughly as "humanity to others" or "I am what I am because of who we all are".
On 8 July 2005, Shuttleworth and Canonical launched the newly-created Ubuntu Foundation and provided initial funding of US$10 million. The purpose of the foundation is to ensure the support and development for all future versions of Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth describes the foundation's goal to ensure the continuity of the Ubuntu project.
On 12 March 2009, Ubuntu announced developer support for third-party Cloud computing management platforms, such as those used at Amazon EC2.
In 2011, Ubuntu's default desktop was changed from GNOME 2 to the in-house Unity instead of GNOME 3. After nearly 6.5 years, the default desktop was changed back to GNOME 3 in 2017, upon the release of version 17.10.
Ubuntu, since version 16.04.5, requires a 2 GB or larger installation medium. The last release of Ubuntu available on a minimal CD was 18.04.
32-bit x86 processors were supported up to Ubuntu 18.04. It was decided to support "legacy software", i.e. select 32-bit i386 packages, for Ubuntu 19.10 (since out of support) and 20.04 LTS.
In 2014, Canonical announced Ubuntu Core, an immutable OS designed for use in . In June 2023, Canonical announced Ubuntu Core Desktop, an immutable desktop OS, completely made of snap packages like Ubuntu Core and slated for release along Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Its release was indefinitely delayed, as the vision for major advantages had not yet been fully realized.
On 9 August 2024, Ubuntu announced a change in policy to always use the latest upstream version of the Linux kernel at the time of each Ubuntu release, even if the kernel code has not seen a stable release and is still in release candidate status.
All of the application software installed by default is free software. In addition, Ubuntu redistributes some hardware drivers that are available only in binary format, but such packages are clearly marked in the restricted component.
Current long-term support (LTS) releases are supported for five years, and are released every two years. Since the release of Ubuntu 6.06, every fourth release receives long-term support. Long-term support includes updates for new hardware, security patches, and updates to the 'Ubuntu stack' (cloud computing infrastructure). The first LTS releases were supported for three years on the desktop and five years on the server; since Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, desktop support for LTS releases was increased to five years as well. LTS releases get regular point releases with support for new hardware and integration of all the updates published in that series to date.
Ubuntu packages are based on Debian's unstable branch, which are synchronized every six months. Debian and Ubuntu packages are not necessarily binary compatible with each other, however, some packages may need to be rebuilt from Source code to be used in Ubuntu. Many Ubuntu developers are also maintainers of key packages within Debian. Ubuntu cooperates with Debian by pushing changes back to Debian, although there has been criticism that this does not happen often enough. Ian Murdock, the founder of Debian, had expressed concern about Ubuntu packages potentially diverging too far from Debian to remain compatible. Before release, packages are imported from Debian unstable continuously and merged with Ubuntu-specific modifications. At some point during the release process, the Debian Import Freeze is implemented. This prevents the automatic import of packages from Debian without an explicit request from a developer. In combination with other freezes, this helps packagers ensure that frozen features interoperate well together.
All official Ubuntu packages are available from hundreds of Web mirror worldwide. As of March 30, 2025, there were a total of 617 Ubuntu mirrors operating.
Most network ports are closed by default to prevent hacking. A built-in firewall, Uncomplicated Firewall, allows end-users who install network servers to control access. A GUI is available to configure it. Ubuntu compiles its packages using GCC features such as PIE and buffer overflow protection to harden its software. These extra features greatly increase security at the performance expense of 0.01% in 64-bit.
Ubuntu also supports full disk encryption, as well as encryption of the home and private directories.
are the typical way for users to assess and subsequently install Ubuntu. These can be downloaded as a disk image (ISO image) and subsequently burnt to a DVD or USB flash drive and then booted. Other methods include running the live version via Ventoy, UNetbootin, Universal USB Installer, or Startup Disk Creator (a pre-installed tool on Ubuntu, available on machines already running the OS) directly from a USB drive (making, respectively, a live DVD or live USB medium). Running Ubuntu in this way is slower than running it from a hard drive, but does not alter the computer unless specifically instructed by the user. If the user chooses to boot the live image rather than execute an installer at boot time, there is still the option to then use the Ubuntu Desktop Installer once booted into the live environment. The Ubuntu Desktop Installer replaced the former Ubiquity installer since Ubuntu 23.04. of all current and past versions are available for download at the Ubuntu web site.
Additionally, USB flash drive installations can be used to boot Ubuntu and Kubuntu in a way that allows permanent saving of user settings and portability of the USB-installed system between physical machines (however, the computers' BIOS must support booting from USB). In newer versions of Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Live USB creator can be used to install Ubuntu on a USB drive (with or without a live CD or DVD). Creating a bootable USB drive with persistence is as simple as dragging a slider to determine how much space to reserve for persistence; for this, Ubuntu employs casper.
Free software includes software that has met the Ubuntu licensing requirements, which roughly correspond to the Debian Free Software Guidelines. Exceptions, however, include firmware, in the Main category, because although Binary blob, its distribution is still permitted.
Non-free software is usually unsupported (Multiverse), but some exceptions (Restricted) are made for important non-free software. Supported non-free software includes device drivers that can be used to run Ubuntu on some current hardware, such as binary-only graphics card device driver. The level of support in the Restricted category is more limited than that of Main, because the developers may not have access to the source code. It is intended that Main and Restricted should contain all software needed for a complete desktop environment.
In addition to the above, in which the software does not receive new features after an initial release, Ubuntu Backports is an officially recognised repository for backporting newer software from later versions of Ubuntu.
The -updates repository provides stable release updates (SRU) of Ubuntu and are generally installed through update-manager. Each release is given its own -updates repository (e.g. intrepid-updates). The repository is supported by Canonical Ltd. for packages in main and restricted, and by the community for packages in universe and multiverse. All updates to the repository must meet certain requirements and go through the -proposed repository before being made available to the public. Updates are scheduled to be available until the end of life for the release.
In addition to the -updates repository, the unstable -proposed repository contains uploads that must be confirmed before being copied into -updates. All updates must go through this process to ensure that the patch does truly fix the bug and there is no risk of regression. Updates in -proposed are confirmed by either Canonical or members of the community.
Canonical previously hosted a partner repository that let vendors of proprietary software deliver their products to Ubuntu users at no cost through the same familiar tools for installing and upgrading software. The software in the partner repository was officially supported with security and other important updates by its respective vendors. Canonical supported the packaging of the software for Ubuntu and provided guidance to vendors. However, in anticipation for the release of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Canonical closed the partner repository, as the only package still hosted in it was Adobe Flash, which would not be released with 22.04. Ubuntu developer Steve Langasek said in a development mailing list that he felt the "Snap Store has matured to the point that I believe it supersedes the partner archive".
Additionally, third-party application suites are available for download via Ubuntu Software and the Snap store, including many games such as Braid, Minecraft and Oil Rush, software for DVD playback and media codecs.
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Ubuntu follows a time-based release cycle, issuing new versions every six months. Each standard release receives nine months of free support, including security updates and high-impact bug fixes.
Every fourth release, occurring in the second quarter of even-numbered years, is designated a long-term support (LTS) release. LTS releases receive five years of free support, with the option to extend support up to ten years through the Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) program, available through the Ubuntu Pro subscriptions which is free for personal use.
Ubuntu version numbers reflect the year and month of release. For example, Ubuntu 4.10 was released in October 2004.
Each release also has an alliterative code name, typically consisting of an adjective and an animal (e.g., "Bionic Beaver"). Releases are often referred to by the adjective alone.
Ubuntu releases are typically scheduled about one month after corresponding GNOME releases.
| Edubuntu | Edubuntu, formerly Ubuntu Education Edition, is a flavour of Ubuntu that has been modified for education. It is designed for preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary educations through the installation of different packages. | |
| Kubuntu | An Ubuntu flavour using the KDE interface instead of the GNOME (and Unity) interface used by Ubuntu Desktop. | |
| Lubuntu | Lubuntu is an Ubuntu flavour that is "lighter, less resource hungry and more energy-efficient", using the LXQt desktop environment (used LXDE before 18.10). | |
| Ubuntu Core | An Ubuntu edition focused on IoT and embedded systems. It has no graphical interface, and only allows access over SSH. Unlike other variants, it does not use the traditional apt package manager but relies entirely on Snap packages. It is designed to be configured via model assertions which are text documents defining which Snap packages and configurations apply to the OS image. | |
| Ubuntu Budgie | An Ubuntu flavour using Budgie. | |
| Ubuntu Cinnamon | An Ubuntu flavour using Linux Mint Cinnamon desktop. Formerly known as Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix. | |
| Ubuntu Kylin | An Ubuntu flavour aimed at the Chinese market. | |
| Ubuntu MATE | An Ubuntu flavour using MATE, a desktop environment forked from the now-defunct GNOME 2 code base, with an emphasis on the desktop metaphor. | |
| Ubuntu Server | Ubuntu has a server edition that uses the same APT repositories as the Ubuntu Desktop Edition. The differences between them are the absence of an X Window environment in a default installation of the server edition (although one can easily be installed, including GNOME, KDE, Unity or Xfce), and some alterations to the installation process. The server edition uses a screen-mode, character-based interface for the installation, instead of a graphical installation process. This enables installation on machines with a serial or "dumb terminal" interface without graphics support.
The server edition (like the desktop version) supports hardware virtualization and can be run in a virtual machine, either inside a host operating system or in a hypervisor, such as VMware ESXi, Oracle, Citrix Systems XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, QEMU, a Kernel-based Virtual Machine, or any other IBM PC compatible emulator or virtualiser. AppArmor security module for the Linux kernel is used by default on key software packages, and the firewall is extended to common services used by the operating system.
It has versions of key server software pre-installed, including Tomcat, PostgreSQL (v12.2), Docker, Puppet, Python (v3.9), PHP (v8.0), NGINX (v1.17), and MySQL (v8.0). | |
| Ubuntu Studio | Based on Ubuntu, providing open-source applications for multimedia creation aimed at the audio, video and graphic editors. This release uses the KDE Plasma 5 desktop environment; previous releases used Xfce. | |
| Ubuntu Unity | An Ubuntu flavour using Unity 7. | |
| Xubuntu | An Ubuntu flavour using Xfce. Xubuntu is intended for use on less-powerful computers or those who seek a highly efficient desktop environment on faster systems, and uses mostly GTK applications. |
Ubuntu had some official distributions that have been discontinued, such as Gobuntu; including some previously supported by Canonical, like Ubuntu Touch, that is now maintained by volunteers (UBports Community).
| UbuntuDDE | An unofficial Ubuntu flavour using Deepin Desktop Environment. | |
| Ubuntu Sway | An unofficial Ubuntu flavour using Sway Window Manager. | |
| Ubuntu Web | An unofficial Ubuntu flavour using GNOME, with the focus on web applications. | |
Ubuntu has support for OpenStack, with Eucalyptus to OpenStack migration tools added by Canonical. Ubuntu 11.10 added focus on OpenStack as the Ubuntu's preferred IaaS offering, though Eucalyptus is also supported. Another major focus is Canonical Juju for provisioning, deploying, hosting, managing, and orchestrating enterprise data centre infrastructure services, by, with, and for the Ubuntu Server.
W3Techs Web Technology Surveys estimated in November 2020 that:
W3Techs analyses the top 10 million websites only.
Wikimedia Foundation data (based on user agent) for September 2013 shows that Ubuntu generated the most page requests to Wikimedia sites, including Wikipedia, among recognizable Linux distributions.
, Ubuntu 22.04 is used in Microsoft NDv5, a Microsoft Azure, its fastest one (of 7 Azure supercomputers, all running on Ubuntu), currently 3rd fastest supercomputer on the TOP500 list (only beaten by the only two exaflop computers; is itself half an exaflop, only the top 3 are that powerful). Other supercomputers running Ubuntu also rank high on the list e.g. NVIDIA's Selene supercomputer still ranks highly, and was fifth-fastest one in the world in November 2022 after an upgrade from seventh place, where it entered the list in June. Another Nvidia-based supercomputer using Ubuntu previously topped the Green500 list (it and the next one was also Ubuntu-based), a list which is a reordering of former list, ordered by power-efficiency. On the TOP500 list, that supercomputer was ranked 170nd (and many Ubuntu-based rank higher than that).
In 2004, the city of Munich, Germany, started the LiMux project, and later forked Kubuntu 10.04 LTS for use on the city's computers. After originally planning to migrate 12,000 desktop computers to LiMux, it was announced in December 2013 that the project had completed successfully with the migration of 14,800 out of 15,500 desktop computers, but still keeping about 5,000 Windows clients for unported applications. In February 2017 the majority coalition decided, against heavy protest from the opposition, to evaluate the migration back to Windows, after Microsoft had decided to move its company headquarters to Munich. Governing Mayor Dieter Reiter cited lack of compatibility with systems outside of the administrative sector, such as requiring a governmental mail server to send e-mails to his personal smartphone, as reasons for the return, but has been criticised for evaluating administrative IT based on private and business standards. In May 2020, the recently elected Alliance 90/The Greens party and the Social Democrat party negotiated a new coalition agreement, stating: "Where it is technologically and financially possible, the city will emphasize open standards and free open-source licensed software".
In March 2012, the government of Iceland launched a project to get all public institutions using free and open-source software. Already, several government agencies and schools have adopted Ubuntu. The government cited cost savings as a big factor for the decision, and also stated that open-source software avoids vendor lock-in. A 12-month project was launched to migrate the biggest public institutions in Iceland to using open-source software, and help ease the migration for others. US president Barack Obama's successful campaign for re-election in 2012 used Ubuntu in its IT department. In August 2014, the city of Turin, Italy, announced its migration from Windows XP to Ubuntu for the 8,300 desktop computers used by the municipality, becoming the first city in Italy to adopt Ubuntu.
Starting in 2008, the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Wikipedia, switched from multiple different Linux operating systems to Ubuntu (in 2019, it switched again, from Ubuntu to Debian).
In 2008, Jamie Hyneman, co-host of the American television series MythBusters, advocated Linux (giving the example of Ubuntu) as a solution to software bloat. Other celebrity users of Ubuntu include science fiction writer Cory Doctorow (2025). 9781430219996, Apress. ISBN 9781430219996 and actor Stephen Fry.
In January 2014, the UK's authority for computer security, CESG, reported that Ubuntu 12.04 LTS was "the only operating system that passes as many as 9 out of 12 requirements without any significant risks", though it was unclear if any other Linux distributions were tested.
Because Steam's Linux client depends on these 32-bit libraries, Valve announced that they would no longer be supporting Ubuntu. After uproar from the Linux gaming community, Canonical backtracked on this decision and decided to support select 32-bit libraries. As a result, Valve decided that Steam would support Ubuntu 19.10 again.
Wine needs most of the same 32-bit library packages that the Steam package depends on, and more, to enable its version of WoW64 to run 32-bit Windows applications. The parts of Wine that would continue to function without 32-bit libraries would be limited to the subset of Windows applications that have a 64-bit version, removing decades of Windows compatibility. In Canonical's statement on bringing back the libraries, they mentioned using "container technology" in the future to make sure that Wine continues to function.
In 2013, a formal complaint on the shopping lens was filed with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK data privacy office. Almost one year later, the ICO ruled in favour of Canonical, considering the various improvements introduced to the feature conformed with the Data Protection Directive. According to European rules, this ruling is automatically effective in the entirety of the European Union. However, the ruling also made clear that at the time of introduction the feature was not legal, among other things, since it was missing a privacy policy statement.
In 2017, Canonical placed a message regarding HBO's Silicon Valley in the MOTD file, causing the message to be shown whenever a terminal session started. Over the following years, more messages would be placed into the MOTD.
In 2022, ads for Ubuntu's premium service, Ubuntu Advantage, were introduced into the apt system update utility. This move caused controversy in the user community, with some users considering advertising a fair business model to support development, while other users found the inclusion inappropriate and annoying.
Major OEMs such as Dell, Lenovo, and HP have offered laptops and desktops with Ubuntu as an alternative to Windows, often through online configuration options or regional sales channels. Ubuntu is also offered on the IBM Z series of mainframes.
Smaller vendors such as System76 and OnLogic also ship systems with Ubuntu pre-installed, sometimes offering firmware customization or support options through Canonical.
Multiple Windows virtual machines can also be installed by KVM/QEMU and Virt-Manager. Graphics settings are easiest in QXL/SPICE mode. For 3D accelerated graphics performance, there is a third-party VirGL driver or GPU Full Passthrough mode.
In a networked environment, file sharing between Ubuntu Linux and Windows is possible by Samba client/server software. Host Ubuntu Linux and the guest Windows virtual machines are also virtually networked in KVM, so file sharing between the host and virtual guest machines can also be done by the Samba in the KVM environment.
RDP server of GNOME Remote Desktop and Remmina client software is used for remote desktop connection between Ubuntu Linux and the other OSs.
In March 2016, Microsoft announced that it would support the Ubuntu user space on top of the Windows 10 kernel by implementing the Linux as a subsystem. At the time, it was focused on command-line tools like Bash and was aimed at software developers. WSL was made available with Windows 10, version 1709. As of 2019, other Linux distributions are also supported.
In 2019, Microsoft announced the new subsystem that includes a Linux kernel, that Canonical announced will have "full support for Ubuntu". By this time, it was possible to run graphical Linux apps on Windows. In 2021, Microsoft went on to add out-of-the-box support for graphical Linux apps, through the project.
In May 2021, Microsoft extended its Threat and Vulnerability Management solution, which was a Windows-only solution thus far, to support Ubuntu, RHEL, and CentOS. Starting with version 6, PowerShell runs on Ubuntu and can manage both Windows and Ubuntu computers remotely from either platforms.
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