Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a special kind of computer operating system made from a collection of free and open-source software. It is based on another system called Debian and is developed by a British company named Canonical, along with help from many people around the world. Ubuntu comes in different versions for different uses, like for regular computers, for servers, and for devices used in the internet of things and robotics.

The system is released every six months, but every two years, a special long-term support version is made that gets updates for a longer time. People can install Ubuntu directly on their computers or run it inside another system called a virtual machine. Many people use Ubuntu for cloud computing and it works well with platforms like OpenStack. It is also very popular for everyday computer use and has many helpful online communities.

The name Ubuntu comes from an idea in Nguni cultures that means "humanity to others" or "I am what I am because of who we all are."

History

See also: Ubuntu version history

In April 2004, Mark Shuttleworth brought together some Debian developers to plan what would become Ubuntu. They chose the name "Ubuntu" to honor its roots in South Africa and to highlight the importance of community. Shuttleworth started Canonical Ltd. to support the project using money from selling Thawte to Verisign. For the first year, the team worked online without a physical office, which helped keep everything open for everyone to see. The first version, called "Warty Warthog," was released in October 2004.

Ubuntu grows and changes over time. In 2005, Shuttleworth and Canonical created the Ubuntu Foundation with $10 million to keep supporting Ubuntu. In 2009, Ubuntu began supporting cloud platforms like Amazon EC2. The desktop changed from GNOME 2 to Unity in 2011, then back to GNOME 3 in 2017. In 2014, Canonical introduced Snappy Ubuntu Core for embedded systems, later renamed "Snap." In 2022, Ubuntu added Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, including a feature called LivePatch that lets computers update safety fixes without restarting. In 2023, Canonical planned a new version called Ubuntu Core Desktop but delayed it. In 2024, the Snap Store started requiring approval for new apps after some bad cryptocurrency scam packages appeared. Ubuntu now uses the newest Linux kernel for each release and switched from X11 to Wayland in 2025.

Features

Ubuntu is built using parts from another system called Debian. It comes in different versions for computers, servers, and internet-connected devices. When you first start using Ubuntu, you get a few basic tools, like a web browser called Firefox, and some simple ways to organize your computer.

You can add more tools and programs later using special menus or commands. Some programs from other companies, like Microsoft, can also be used with Ubuntu through special packages. All the basic tools that come with Ubuntu are free to use. Ubuntu gets updates regularly, especially for important things like security. These updates happen every six months, and every two years there is a special update that lasts longer and gets help for five years.

Security

Ubuntu is designed to keep your computer safe by default. Programs you use run with limited powers so they can't mess up your operating system or other people's files. When you need to do something important, like change settings, you can use a special tool called sudo. This helps protect your computer from mistakes and keeps it secure.

Ubuntu also keeps most network doors closed to stop hackers. There is a built-in tool to help control who can connect to your computer if you set up special services. It also uses special tricks to make its software safer, even if it makes the computer work a tiny bit slower. You can also lock your whole computer or important folders to keep them private.

Installation

Different versions of Ubuntu need different amounts of computer power. For example, to use Ubuntu desktop version 22.04 LTS or 24.04.3, you’ll need a computer with a 2 GHz dual-core processor, 4 GB of memory (RAM), and 25 GB of free space on the hard drive. If your computer is older or less powerful, you can try other versions like Lubuntu or Xubuntu.

You can try Ubuntu before installing it using a special version called a "live image." You can download this image and put it on a DVD or a USB flash drive. When you start your computer using this DVD or USB, you can test Ubuntu without changing anything on your computer. If you decide to install it, you can do so from this live version. There are tools to help create these live DVDs or USB drives, such as Ventoy, UNetbootin, Universal USB Installer, or the Startup Disk Creator that comes with Ubuntu.

You can also install Ubuntu on a USB drive so you can use it on different computers. This lets you keep your settings and files with you. Newer versions of Ubuntu have a tool called the Ubuntu Live USB creator to make this easy.

Package classification and support

Ubuntu groups software into four main areas based on licensing and support. Some software without official support gets updates from community members. Before January 2023, this community-supported software didn’t receive updates from Canonical, but now users with an Ubuntu Pro subscription can get these updates.

Free software follows Ubuntu’s licensing rules, similar to Debian’s guidelines. Some exceptions, like firmware, are allowed even if they can’t be changed. Non-free software, often unsupported, includes special cases like drivers that help Ubuntu run on certain computers. These have limited support because developers might not see the source code. Ubuntu also offers updates through special repositories to fix problems and improve software.

Package Archives

A Personal Package Archive (PPA) lets users share software packages through Canonical’s Launchpad service.

Third-party software

Ubuntu includes some third-party software that can be freely shared. There is also a package that adds support for things like DVD playback and common audio/video formats. Extra applications, including games like Braid, Minecraft and Oil Rush, can be downloaded from Ubuntu Software and the Snap store.

Releases

For further information on all Ubuntu releases, including older ones not covered here, see Ubuntu version history.

Ubuntu has a special way of releasing new versions. New versions come out every six months. Each of these regular versions gets help and fixes for nine months.

Every fourth release, which happens in the second quarter of even-numbered years, is called a long-term support (LTS) release. LTS releases get help and fixes for five years. If you want even more help, you can join the Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, which are free for personal use.

Ubuntu versions have numbers that show the year and month they were released. For example, Ubuntu 4.10 came out in October 2004.

Each release also has a fun name that includes an adjective and an animal (like "Bionic Beaver"). People often just use the adjective when talking about the release.

Ubuntu releases are planned to come out about one month after GNOME releases.

Variants

See also: List of Linux distributions § Ubuntu-based

Ubuntu Desktop is the version most people use. It works well on regular computers and laptops. Different versions of Ubuntu look different on the screen, depending on what you prefer. Some versions are better for older computers that don’t have a lot of memory.

Ubuntu used to have some versions that are no longer made, like Ubuntu Touch, which is now kept up to date by volunteers.

Cloud computing

Ubuntu has special versions that work well on online services, such as Amazon EC2, OpenStack, Microsoft Azure, and LXC. Ubuntu is also used on online platforms like DigitalOcean.

Official Ubuntu distributions

Distribution	Logo	Description
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's 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 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. Runs on all major (64-bit) architectures – x86-64, ARM v7, ARM64, POWER8 and later, IBM System z mainframes via LinuxONE, and has initial support for RISC-V. SPARC is no longer commercially supported nor are Ubuntu (Server) versions for 32-bit x86. Supports ZFS, a file system with snapshot capabilities, since Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Has LXD, a hypervisor to manage LXC Linux containers. Includes the first production release of DPDK for line-speed kernel networking. Uses the latest long-term release Linux kernel and systemd service manager. Is certified as a guest on AWS, Microsoft Azure, Joyent, IBM and HP Cloud. Netplan support (available since Ubuntu 16.04 LTS) snap package manager LVM encryption support Ubuntu pre-installs software such as Tomcat, PostgreSQL, Docker, Puppet, Python, PHP, LXD, NGINX, and MySQL.
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.

Unofficial Ubuntu distributions

Distribution	Logo	Description
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 Desktop Environment, with the focus on web applications.

Adoption and reception

Ubuntu has been recognized for its quality and popularity. In 2005, it won an award for the best Linux distribution at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in London. It has also received positive reviews and awards, including InfoWorld’s 2007 Bossie Award for Best Open Source Client OS.

Many well-known people and organizations use Ubuntu. In 2008, a co-host of the TV show MythBusters recommended Linux, specifically Ubuntu, as a solution to software bloat. Science fiction writer Cory Doctorow and actor Stephen Fry are also users of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is widely used around the world. In 2015, it was reported that Ubuntu had over 40 million desktop users. It is also the most popular Linux distribution for running web servers, powering more websites than Microsoft Windows. Many large organizations, including parts of the French police and the city of Munich in Germany, have switched to using Ubuntu to save money and avoid depending on a single software company.

Local communities (LoCos)

Local Communities, known as "LoCos", help bring together people who use Ubuntu. They aim to help users who are new to Ubuntu and build a friendly group around it. At first, each country had one LoCo Team. Now, in places like the United States and Canada, each state or province can have its own team. A LoCo Council chooses teams based on how well they support Ubuntu.

Main article: Linux User Group

Hardware vendor support

Many computer companies support Ubuntu by selling computers with it already installed. Big names like Dell, Lenovo, and HP sell laptops and desktops that can come with Ubuntu instead of Windows. You can often choose this option when ordering online or in certain stores.

Ubuntu is also available on special IBM Z computers used by big businesses. Smaller companies such as System76 and OnLogic also sell Ubuntu pre-installed, sometimes with extra custom settings.

Windows interoperability

Ubuntu can run many Windows programs using special tools. One tool is called Wine, which helps Windows programs work on Ubuntu. There is also a tool called Proton that helps play Windows games.

You can also run Windows inside Ubuntu using special software, making it easy to share files between the two systems. This is done using tools like Samba and KVM.

In 2016, Microsoft began letting Ubuntu work better with Windows 10. This lets developers use Ubuntu tools directly on Windows. By 2019, Microsoft added full support for Ubuntu and other Linux systems, allowing graphics programs to run on Windows too. Later updates made this even easier to use.