This topic describes the lifecycle of Ubuntu and provides solutions to mitigate risks that may arise after an Ubuntu version enters its extended support phase.
Overview of the Ubuntu lifecycle
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution supported and maintained by Canonical. It is known for being user-friendly and free of charge. Ubuntu is popular with desktop users, developers, and server administrators. Because of its high stability, Ubuntu is also well-suited for production environments.
Ubuntu releases a Long Term Support (LTS) version every two years on average. These LTS versions receive five years of security updates and technical support during the Mainstream Support (MS) phase. After the MS phase ends, support can be extended with Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM), which provides an additional five years of security updates. You can also purchase the Legacy Support add-on for even longer coverage. During these extended support periods, you continue to receive security updates and technical support. Once all support ends, the Ubuntu LTS version reaches its end of life (EOL).
The following table describes the lifecycle of each Ubuntu LTS version. For more information about the lifecycle schedule, see the Ubuntu releases page.
Version | Release date | End of Mainstream Support (Standard Support) | Extended Support phase | |
End of Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) | End of Ubuntu Pro with Legacy support add-on | |||
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | 2024-04-25 | 2029-06 | 2034-04 | 2036-04 |
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | 2022-04-21 | 2027-06 | 2032-04 | 2034-04 |
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | 2020-04-23 | 2025-05 | 2030-04 | 2032-04 |
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | 2018-04-26 | 2023-06 | 2028-04 | 2030-04 |
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | 2016-04-21 | 2021-04 | 2026-04 | 2028-04 |
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | 2014-04-17 | 2019-04 | 2024-04 | 2026-04 |
Impacts of Ubuntu end of service
The official Ubuntu lifecycle policy affects users of the operating system as follows:
After April 2019, users of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS no longer receive software maintenance or support, including bug fixes and feature updates.
After April 2021, users of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS no longer receive software maintenance or support, including bug fixes and feature updates.
After June 2023, users of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS no longer receive software maintenance or support, including bug fixes and feature updates.
After April 2025, users of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS will no longer receive software maintenance or support, including bug fixes and feature updates.
Alibaba Cloud public images and ECS services are also affected:
ECS instances that were created from Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04, 18.04, or 20.04 LTS images continue to run normally.
Service support for the Ubuntu operating system is synchronized with the official Ubuntu support lifecycle.
Based on these impacts and the lifecycle plan, you should take appropriate measures for your ECS instances that run Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04, 18.04, or 20.04 LTS. This ensures that you continue to receive software updates and security patches and can avoid issues caused by the end of OS maintenance.
Overview of recommended solutions for Ubuntu end of service
How you respond to an operating system end-of-life (EOL) event depends on your business needs. For example, if the corresponding service is about to be unpublished, you can ignore this event. For services visible only in a private network environment, the risk of OS end of service is relatively manageable and can be addressed as needed. For services that are exposed to the Internet or require high system stability and security, you should carefully assess the risks and create a response plan promptly.
For new services
Use newer versions of Ubuntu LTS or Ubuntu-compatible operating systems that are in the mainstream support phase to host your services. Do not use Ubuntu images that have reached EOL to create new ECS instances for your services.
For existing services
For the short term, you can subscribe to Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) to receive an additional five years of security updates for your Ubuntu LTS version. This helps avoid the increased risk of data leaks from unpatched vulnerabilities.
To maintain long-term business stability, upgrade to a newer version.
Upgrade to a newer version
Ubuntu supports sequential upgrades from one LTS version to the next. For example, you can upgrade Ubuntu 16.04 LTS to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, but you cannot directly upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. To upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, you must perform two upgrades: first to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, and then to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
You can use the do-release-upgrade command to upgrade your Ubuntu LTS version. For more information, see the Ubuntu Server upgrade guide and the Ubuntu Desktop upgrade guide.
Subscribe to Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM)
You can receive an additional five years of security updates for an Ubuntu LTS version through the Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) subscription from Ubuntu Pro. For example, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS will stop receiving support in April 2025. You can subscribe to Ubuntu Pro to extend support to April 2030. You can also purchase an additional two years of Legacy Support service to extend the total security maintenance period to April 2032. This helps ensure your system remains operational and compliant, with minimal impact on business continuity.
On the Ubuntu Subscription page, you can subscribe to the Enterprise or Personal edition of Ubuntu Pro to receive ESM. For more information, see Get started with Ubuntu Pro.
References
For more information about the operating system lifecycle, the characteristics of each phase, and standard solutions for EOL or extended support phases, see Overview of the operating system lifecycle.