Ubuntu

For the African philosophy, see Ubuntu philosophy. For other uses, see Ubuntu (disambiguation).

Ubuntu
Ubuntu 25.04 "Plucky Puffin"
DeveloperCanonical Ltd.
OS familyLinux (Unix-like), Debian-based
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen-source[1][2]
Initial releaseUbuntu 4.10 / 20 October 2004 (2004-10-20)
Latest releaseRegular: 25.04 / 17 April 2025[3] 
LTS: 24.04.3 LTS / 7 August 2025[4] 
Repository
Marketing targetCloud computing, personal computers, servers, supercomputers, IoT
Available inMore than 55 languages by LoCos
Update methodSoftware Updater, Ubuntu Software, apt
Package managerGNOME Software, dpkg (APT), Snap – graphical front-end: Snap Store
Supported platforms
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux kernel)
UserlandGNU
Default
user interface		GNOME
LicenseFree software + some proprietary device drivers,[8] excluding trademarks
Official websiteubuntu.com

Ubuntu (/ʊˈbʊntuː/ ⓘ uu-BUUN-too) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software.[9][10][11] Developed by the British company Canonical and a community of contributors under a meritocratic governance model,[9][12] Ubuntu is released in multiple official editions: Desktop,[13] Server,[14] and Core for IoT[15] and robotic devices.[16][17]

Ubuntu is published on a six-month release cycle, with long-term support (LTS) versions issued every two years.[18][19] 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.[20][21] As of June 2025, 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.[22] It is also one of the most popular Linux distributions for general desktop use,[23][24] supported by extensive online communities such as Ask Ubuntu, and has spawned numerous community-maintained variants.[25]

The name "Ubuntu" comes from the Nguni philosophy of ubuntu, which translates roughly as "humanity to others" or "I am what I am because of who we all are".[9]

  1. ^ "kernel.ubuntu.com". kernel.ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Index of /ubuntu". archive.ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  3. ^ Utkarsh Gupta (17 April 2025). "Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) released".
  4. ^ "Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS released". 7 August 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Installation". Ubuntu Server Documentation. Canonical Ltd. 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022. Ubuntu 20.04 Server Edition [...] supports four 64-bit architectures: amd64, arm64, ppc64el, s390x
  6. ^ "Ubuntu Core" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Supported platforms". Ubuntu Core Documentation. Canonical Ltd. 2020. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Explaining Why We Don't Endorse Other Systems". Free Software Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Canonical. "About the Ubuntu project". Ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  10. ^ Canonical. "Licensing". ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  11. ^ Canonical. "Debian". ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Governance". Ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Ubuntu PC operating system". Ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Ubuntu Server - for scale out workloads". Ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Ubuntu for the Internet of Things". Ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Your first robot: A beginner's guide to ROS and Ubuntu Core [1/5]". blog.ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  17. ^ Trenholm, Richard. "Open source Ubuntu Core connects robots, drones and smart homes". CNET. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  18. ^ "Releases – Ubuntu Wiki". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  19. ^ "LTS – Ubuntu Wiki". Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  20. ^ "Release end of life". ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  21. ^ "Plans and pricing". Ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  22. ^ "OpenStack on Ubuntu is your scalable private cloud, by Canonical". ubuntu.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  23. ^ "Top Five Reasons Why Ubuntu Is the Most Used Linux OS". 7 September 2015.
  24. ^ "Ubuntu Pulls Its Latest Desktop Release Over Hate Speech Concerns". PCMag Middle East. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  25. ^ Evangelho, Jason. "Linux For Beginners: Understanding The Many Versions Of Ubuntu". Forbes. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
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