Debian vs Ubuntu Server

Debian is a free operating system created by the Debian Project, an association of individuals. Its systems use either the Linux or FreeBSD kernel and include more than 70,000 packages managed with APT, plus tools for managing packages across computers. Installation choices include a live system with the Calamares installer and an installer with options such as automated network installation. Debian supports architectures including amd64, i386, ARM variants, POWER, IBM System Z and RISC-V. Users can choose stable, testing or unstable releases, upgrade to a new release or update individual packages. Debian coordinates security advisories with other free software vendors, and many advisories are published the day a vulnerability becomes public. Its free Long Term Support extends stable releases to at least five years; commercial Extended LTS covers a limited set of packages beyond that. Official cloud images are available, and Debian can also run in virtual machines or containers. Help is available through documentation, mailing lists, IRC and consultants. Debian notes that hardware from companies that do not publish specifications may not work with GNU/Linux.

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.