Debian is one of the oldest and most influential Linux distributions. It was first announced on August 16, 1993, by Ian Murdock. The project aimed to create a free operating system that would be developed openly and collaboratively by volunteers from around the world.
- 1993: Debian project announced by Ian Murdock on August 16.
- 1994: The first release, Debian 0.91, is made available.
- 1996: Debian 1.1 “Buzz” is released, named after Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.
- 1999: The Advanced Package Tool (APT) is introduced, revolutionizing package management.
- 2000: Debian 2.2 “Potato” is released, marking significant improvements in stability and usability.
- 2002: Debian 3.0 “Woody” is released with 2,000+ packages and cryptographic package verification.
- 2004: Debian 3.1 “Sarge” introduces the Debian Installer, making installation easier.
- 2007: Debian 4.0 “Etch” adds graphical installer and support for multiple architectures.
- 2011: Debian 6.0 “Squeeze” introduces dependency-based boot scripts and multi-arch support.
- 2013: Debian 7.0 “Wheezy” includes multiarch support, allowing installation of packages from multiple architectures.
- 2015: Debian 8.0 “Jessie” introduces systemd as the default init system.
- 2017: Debian 9.0 “Stretch” adds Wayland support and AppArmor profiles.
- 2019: Debian 10 “Buster” is released, featuring AppArmor enabled by default for enhanced security.
- 2021: Debian 11 “Bullseye” is released, continuing the tradition of stability and robustness.
- 2023: Debian 12 “Bookworm” is released, starting the Debian 12 series with improved hardware support.
- 2024: Debian 12 “Bookworm” continues as stable with multiple point releases (12.5-12.8). Debian 11 “Bullseye” enters LTS-only support.
- 2025: Debian 13 “Trixie” is released (August 9, 2025), becoming the new stable series with enhanced security features and updated toolchain.
- 2026: Debian 13.4 (March 2026) and Debian 12.13 (January 2026) ship important updates. Debian 11 “Bullseye” LTS support ends in August 2026. Debian 14 “Forky” in development for ~2027 release.
Debian continues as one of the most respected and widely-used Linux distributions:
- Stable Release: Debian 13 “Trixie” (latest point release: 13.4, March 14, 2026)
- Full support until: August 9, 2028
- LTS support until: June 30, 2030
- Oldstable: Debian 12 “Bookworm” (latest point release: 12.13, January 10, 2026)
- Full support until: June 10, 2026
- LTS support until: June 30, 2028
- Next point release: 12.14 planned for May 16, 2026
- LTS Release: Debian 11 “Bullseye” (LTS support ends August 31, 2026)
- Testing: “Forky” (rolling development for next stable, expected ~2027)
- Unstable: “Sid” (continuous development branch)
- Release Cycle: Approximately 2 years between major releases; point releases every 1-2 months
- Support Model: ~3 years full support + ~2 years LTS = ~5 years total support per release
- Package Count: Over 59,000 packages in stable repository
- Architecture Support: amd64, i386, arm64, armel, armhf, mips64el, ppc64el, s390x, and more
- 2024-2026: Debian 13 “Trixie” released as new stable (Aug 2025); Debian 12 transitions to oldstable
- 2026: Debian 13.4 (March 2026) brings latest security updates and bug fixes; Debian 12.13 (Jan 2026) continues LTS support
- Security: Continued security updates through Debian Security Team and LTS program; security updates delivered via point releases
- Hardware Support: Improved support for modern hardware, ARM architectures, cloud platforms, and RISC-V
- Free Software: Maintained strict adherence to Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG)
- Community Growth: Over 1,000 active Debian Developers and thousands of contributors worldwide
- Debian 14 “Forky”: In development through testing branch; expected release ~2027
- Extended LTS (ELTS): Third-party paid support available for releases beyond standard LTS period
¶ Philosophy and Community
Debian is known for its strict adherence to the principles of free software. The Debian Social Contract and the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) are foundational documents that guide the project’s development and ensure that all software included in Debian is free to use, modify, and distribute.
The Social Contract defines Debian’s commitments to the free software community:
- Debian will remain 100% free software
- Debian will give back to the free software community
- Debian will not hide problems
- Debian’s priority is users and free software
- Debian will include non-free software if it helps users, but will clearly distinguish it
The DFSG defines what constitutes “free software” for Debian:
- Free redistribution
- Source code must be included
- Modifications must be allowed
- Integrity of author’s source code must be preserved
- No discrimination against persons or groups
- No discrimination against fields of endeavor
- Distribution of license must not depend on product distribution
- License must not be specific to Debian
- License must not restrict other software
The Debian community is composed of thousands of developers and contributors from around the globe. The project is managed by the Debian Project Leader (DPL), who is elected annually by the Debian developers through a democratic voting process.
Key organizational structures:
- Debian Project Leader (DPL): Elected annually, represents Debian and makes final decisions
- Debian Developers (DD): Full voting members with upload rights to the archive
- Debian Maintainers (DM): Limited upload rights for specific packages
- Project Bazaar: Non-developers who contribute in various ways
Debian releases follow a time-based model with quality gates:
- Development starts immediately after previous release
- Transitions from unstable to testing when packages meet criteria
- Freeze periods ensure stability before release
- Transition freeze: No major transitions
- Full freeze: No new packages, only bug fixes
- Point releases: Critical fixes only
Debian 13 “Trixie” represents the latest stable release with significant improvements:
- GCC 14 - Latest GNU Compiler Collection with improved optimizations
- Glibc 2.39 - Enhanced C library with performance improvements
- Binutils 2.42 - Updated binary utilities
- Linux kernel 6.12 LTS - Long-term support kernel with modern hardware enablement
- Python 3.13 - Latest Python with performance improvements and new features
- Perl 5.40 - Updated Perl interpreter
- Ruby 3.3 - Modern Ruby with YJIT improvements
- Node.js 20 LTS - Long-term support JavaScript runtime
- Go 1.22 - Updated Go toolchain
- Rust 1.78 - Memory-safe systems programming
- GNOME 48 - Latest GNOME with improved Wayland support
- KDE Plasma 6 - Modern Plasma desktop with Qt6
- Xfce 4.20 - Lightweight desktop with modern features
- MATE 1.28 - Classic desktop experience
- Cinnamon 6.0 - Modern desktop environment
- AppArmor - Mandatory Access Control enabled by default
- Secure Boot - Improved UEFI Secure Boot support
- TPM 2.0 - Hardware security module support
- Encrypted home directories - Simplified setup during installation
- Hardened toolchain - Stack protector, PIE, RELRO by default
- amd64 - Primary 64-bit x86 architecture
- arm64 - 64-bit ARM servers and devices
- armel/armhf - 32-bit ARM embedded systems
- i386 - 32-bit x86 (limited support)
- mips64el - MIPS 64-bit little-endian
- ppc64el - POWER8/POWER9 little-endian
- s390x - IBM Z mainframes
- riscv64 - RISC-V 64-bit (emerging support)
- Debian Installer - Updated installer with better hardware detection
- Live images - Test Debian before installing
- Netboot - Network installation for all architectures
- Cloud images - Pre-built images for major cloud providers
- Container images - Official Docker and OCI images
¶ Impact and Legacy
Debian has had a profound impact on the Linux ecosystem. Many popular distributions, including Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Raspbian, are based on Debian. Its package management system and policies have set standards for other distributions to follow.
Debian serves as the foundation for numerous popular distributions:
| Distribution |
Based on |
Focus |
| Ubuntu |
Debian |
User-friendliness, regular releases |
| Linux Mint |
Ubuntu/Debian |
Desktop ease of use |
| Kali Linux |
Debian |
Security testing and penetration testing |
| Tails |
Debian |
Privacy and anonymity |
| MX Linux |
Debian |
Lightweight desktop |
| Pop!_OS |
Ubuntu/Debian |
Developers and creators |
| Raspberry Pi OS |
Debian |
ARM devices, Raspberry Pi |
| Proxmox VE |
Debian |
Virtualization platform |
| Proxmox Backup Server |
Debian |
Backup and disaster recovery |
| Devuan |
Debian |
systemd-free Debian fork |
| PureOS |
Debian |
Privacy and security focused |
| Deepin |
Debian |
Chinese desktop distribution |
| BunsenLabs |
Debian |
Lightweight Openbox desktop |
| antiX |
Debian |
Very old hardware support |
Debian introduced several innovations adopted by other distributions:
- APT package management: Now used by Ubuntu and derivatives
- .deb package format: Widely adopted standard
- Multiarch support: Run multiple architectures on one system
- Dependency-based boot: Improved boot sequence management
- Live installer: Test before installing
- Package signing: Cryptographic verification of packages
- Backports: Newer software for stable releases
- Stable release model: Focus on tested, stable software over bleeding edge
Debian provides extended support through the LTS team:
- Each release receives security updates for approximately 5 years
- Community-driven LTS program extends support beyond official security team
- Critical for enterprise and production environments
- Debian 11 “Bullseye” LTS ends August 31, 2026
- Debian 10 “Buster” LTS ended June 30, 2024
- Extended LTS (ELTS) available via third-party providers for older releases
Debian is widely used in enterprise and production environments:
- Web servers: Powering millions of websites worldwide
- Cloud infrastructure: Base image for major cloud providers
- Container base: Official Docker and OCI images
- Network appliances: Firewalls, routers, load balancers
- Development environments: Preferred base for developers
- Scientific computing: Research institutions and universities
- Embedded systems: IoT devices and embedded platforms
Debian continues to be a popular choice for servers, desktops, and embedded systems due to its stability, security, and extensive software repository.
For more information, here is an overview about Debian.
Browse Debian history by year: