Amazon Linux vs Ubuntu Server

Amazon Linux is AWS’s portfolio of Linux-based operating systems for EC2 instances and Docker container workloads. Amazon Linux 2023 is an RPM-based general-purpose distribution designed for AWS integration and cloud scale. It is optimized for EC2 and works with Systems Manager and the AWS CLI. Versioned repositories lock machine images and container images to a package state while letting customers choose when to update. AWS provides an EC2 image launchable from the console, SDK or CLI, plus container images usable outside AWS, including local development. The distribution supports x86-64 and 64-bit ARM architectures, including Graviton2 or later on EC2, and uses DNF. AL2023 offers configurable SELinux and cryptographic policies, kernel live patching, and five years of support through June 2029. Amazon Linux 2027 is available as a public preview for non-production testing, with separate support limits.

Ubuntu Server is a Linux operating system for enterprise data centers, public or private clouds, Kubernetes clusters and render farms. It can be deployed on physical servers, virtual machines, cloud instances and IoT or edge devices. The server page describes a lean initial deployment, integrated deployment and application modeling tools, and hardware OEM certification.

LTS releases receive five years of standard security updates for thousands of open-source packages in the Ubuntu Main repository. Ubuntu Pro extends LTS security maintenance to ten years, with a Legacy add-on extending it to 15 years. Pro also includes kernel live patching, security hardening features for named compliance frameworks, and Landscape fleet management. Ubuntu Server is available for Intel or AMD 64-bit systems, ARM, IBM POWER, IBM Z and RISC-V. Listed installation requirements are 1.5 GB of system memory, 5 GB of free disk space and a USB port or DVD drive for installer media. The server itself is free; Ubuntu Pro Workstation costs $25 a year per machine.