Ubuntu LTS vs Non-LTS Versions

Ubuntu LTS vs Non-LTS Versions

Ubuntu releases a new version every six months, but not all releases are equal. Long Term Support (LTS) releases are made every two years in April and receive five years of security updates. Non-LTS releases receive only nine months of support. For production servers, this distinction determines whether you can keep a system patched and secure for years or whether you will be forced to upgrade every nine months.

What LTS means

LTS stands for Long Term Support. For an LTS release, Canonical commits to:

• Security patches for packages in the main repository for 5 years
• Critical bug fixes for the first 2 years
• Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernel stacks that bring newer driver support to the existing LTS base
• Upgrade path to the next LTS release with do-release-upgrade

With Ubuntu Pro added, the universe repository also gets security patches for 10 years total.

The Ubuntu release schedule

Ubuntu releases follow a predictable pattern. The version number is the year and month: Ubuntu 24.04 was released in April 2024.

Support lifecycle compared

What changes between LTS and non-LTS

Non-LTS releases often include newer versions of software that are too new to include in the stable LTS branch. For example:

• Newer kernel with support for very recent hardware
• Newer versions of Python, PHP, Node.js, Go
• Updated GNOME desktop and Wayland improvements
• New systemd features

The trade-off is the 9-month support window. If you need cutting-edge software on a server, the better approach is usually to use the LTS release and install the specific newer package via a PPA, backport, or container.

Ubuntu Pro and extended support

Ubuntu Pro extends the security patch window significantly:

• Main repository: 5 years standard → up to 10 years with Pro
• Universe repository: no patches by default → security patches included with Pro
• Livepatch: apply kernel patches without rebooting

Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use on up to 5 machines. For organisations with large fleets running older LTS releases, Pro is often the most cost-effective way to avoid a forced upgrade.

# Check if Ubuntu Pro is enabled
pro status

# See which packages have ESM patches available
pro security-status

Checking your EOL date

# Check Ubuntu version
lsb_release -a

# Check end-of-life date
ubuntu-support-status

# Or use the hwe-support-status command
hwe-support-status --verbose

Example output

Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
Release:        22.04
Codename:       jammy

You can also check ubuntu.com/about/release-cycle for the full support matrix including Ubuntu Pro end dates.

Which should you use?

Conclusion

Always run LTS releases on production servers. The 5-year support window means you can deploy a server in 2024, keep it patched until 2029 without a forced upgrade, and optionally extend to 2034 with Ubuntu Pro. Non-LTS releases are useful for staying close to the latest software versions on developer machines or in ephemeral environments, but the 9-month support window makes them unsuitable for servers you plan to maintain long-term.