Ubuntu release cycle
Ubuntu is the world’s most popular operating system for cloud servers.
Ubuntu provides five years of updates for each Ubuntu LTS (Long Term
Support) release.
There is a new Ubuntu LTS release every two years.
Ubuntu release numbers have the format YY.MM where the first two
numbers are the year (“24” means 2024) and the second two numbers are
the month (“04” means April).
| Ubuntu release | Name | Date released | End of life |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24.04 LTS | Noble Numbat | April 2024 | April 2029 |
| 22.04 LTS | Jammy Jellyfish | April 2022 | April 2027 |
| 20.04 LTS | Focal Fossa | April 2020 | April 2025 |
| 18.04 LTS | Bionic Beaver | April 2018 | April 2023 |
| 16.04 LTS | Xenial Xerus | April 2016 | April 2021 |
| 14.04 LTS | Trusty Tahr | April 2014 | April 2019 |
| 14.04 LTS | Trusty Tahr | April 2014 | April 2019 |
After an Ubuntu LTS release has reached its end of life (EOL), Ubuntu stops providing security updates for the release.
Learn how to upgrade Ubuntu.
Ubuntu Pro
Ubuntu Pro is Ubuntu’s paid version which offers five additional years of updates beyond the standard five years of updates for Ubuntu LTS. For example, Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS will receive security updates from Ubuntu through April 2034.
The simplest and most cost-effective way to use Ubuntu Pro is to create your server using the Ubuntu Pro images through Google Cloud Platform (GCP) which includes the cost of the license in the hourly price of the server.
The following Ubuntu Pro images are available at GCP:
Interim (non-LTS) releases
In the 24 months between LTS releases, there are Ubuntu interim releases every six months. Ubuntu interim releases only receive security updates for nine months and should not be used in production environments. ServerPilot does not support Ubuntu interim releases.