Canonical releases a long-term support (LTS) version of Ubuntu every two years, in April. Each LTS gets five years of standard security maintenance, extendable to ten or more through Ubuntu Pro. For servers, LTS releases are the only sensible choice.
Where each release stands
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS: standard support ended in May 2025. Security updates now require Ubuntu Pro.
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS: supported until 2027.
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: supported until 2029.
- Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: released in April 2026, supported until 2031.
Which one to choose
For a new production server today, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the safe default. It has been out long enough for its first point releases to land, for software vendors to certify against it, and for edge-case bugs to be fixed.
Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is the right choice when you need its newer kernel and packages, or when you want the longest possible runway. Many teams wait for the first point release, usually a few months after launch, before using a new LTS for critical workloads.
Servers on 22.04 can stay there for now but should have an upgrade plan before 2027. Servers on 20.04 should be upgraded or covered by Ubuntu Pro as a priority.
How to upgrade
- Prefer building a new server and moving the workload over upgrading in place. It gives you a tested fallback.
- Upgrade one LTS at a time if you must upgrade in place: 22.04 to 24.04, then 24.04 to 26.04.
- Check that your applications, PHP or Python versions and database versions are supported on the target release.
- Take a full backup or snapshot before you start.
How IDX helps
Current Ubuntu LTS releases are available when you order an IDX dedicated server or Egypt Server, and our managed servers service keeps them patched. If an old server is still running 20.04, our team can plan and carry out the move to a supported release.
IDX on digital infrastructure
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