Backporting and package versions on Ubuntu

Like all enterprise Linux distributions, Ubuntu backports patches so updates do not break applications due to version incompatibilities. Backporting means software is patched to fix bugs and security issues but software version numbers are not changed.

Ubuntu only packages the latest versions of software when there is a new Ubuntu release. For the life of each Ubuntu release, Ubuntu keeps software patched without changing version numbers. By not constantly upgrading versions of all libraries and packages, Ubuntu ensures long-term security without introducing breaking changes.