Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Is Here — Now Available on Dedimax Cloud and VPS

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon" was released yesterday, April 23, 2026. Starting today, you can deploy it on all Dedimax Cloud and VPS servers. Dedicated server support will follow progressively over the coming weeks.

This is a major LTS release — supported until April 2031 (or April 2036 with Ubuntu Pro ESM). If you run servers, this is the version you'll likely stick with for the next two to five years.

Here's what's new, what matters for server workloads, and how to upgrade your existing servers.

What's new in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Linux kernel 7.0

The biggest change under the hood. Kernel 7.0 ships with stable Rust driver support, a new Time-Slice Priority (TIP) scheduler that reduces latency under heavy workloads, and XFS self-healing capabilities. If you run databases or high-I/O workloads, you should see measurable improvements.

Memory-safe core utilities

Ubuntu 26.04 replaces several core system utilities with Rust-based alternatives. The most notable: sudo-rs is now the default sudo provider. Same interface, same commands, but written in Rust for memory safety. You won't notice the difference in daily use, but it closes an entire class of potential security vulnerabilities.

systemd 259 with cgroup v2 only

This is the one to watch. systemd 259 removes cgroup v1 support entirely. If you run Docker, LXC, or any containers, they must use cgroup v2. Docker 20.10 and newer supports this natively, but if you're running an older Docker version, you'll need to upgrade before moving to Ubuntu 26.04.

Check your current cgroup version:

bash

stat -fc %T /sys/fs/cgroup/

If it says cgroup2fs, you're already on v2. If it says tmpfs, you're on v1 and need to migrate first.

Native AI/ML toolkit support

Ubuntu 26.04 includes native support for NVIDIA CUDA and AMD ROCm toolkits. If you're running AI workloads — Ollama, vLLM, Stable Diffusion — the driver and library setup is significantly smoother than on 24.04.

Other notable changes

• OpenSSL with post-quantum encryption readiness — future-proofing TLS connections
• Python 3.14, OpenJDK 25, .NET 10, Rust 1.93, Go 1.24
• PostgreSQL 18, MySQL 9.2 — latest database versions
• apt history — new commands to list, inspect, undo, and rollback package changes
• Dracut replaces initramfs-tools as the default initramfs generator
• TPM-backed full disk encryption — hardware-backed encryption out of the box

Deploy Ubuntu 26.04 on Dedimax

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is available right now for new deployments on Cloud and VPS servers. Just select "Ubuntu 26.04 LTS" when creating or reinstalling a server from the panel.

For dedicated servers, we're rolling out Ubuntu 26.04 progressively across our 120+ locations. If you need it on a dedicated server before the general rollout, contact support and we'll enable it for your machine.

How to upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

If you're running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and want to upgrade in place, here's the process. Budget about 30-60 minutes depending on your connection speed and the number of installed packages.

Before you start:

• Take a full backup or snapshot of your server
• If you're running Docker, verify you're on cgroup v2 (see the check above)
• If you use NVIDIA drivers, make sure you're on driver 535+ (driver 470 is incompatible with kernel 7.0)
• Test on a non-production server first

Step 1 — Update your current system

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt dist-upgrade -y
sudo reboot

Reconnect after reboot and verify everything is clean:

bash

sudo apt --fix-broken install

Step 2 — Install the upgrade tool

bash

sudo apt install update-manager-core -y

Verify the release upgrade policy is set to LTS:

bash

cat /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades

Make sure it says Prompt=lts. If not, edit the file and set it.

Step 3 — Start the upgrade

bash

sudo do-release-upgrade

Note: the automatic LTS-to-LTS prompt won't be enabled until Ubuntu 26.04.1 (scheduled August 2026). Until then, use the -d flag:

bash

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

Follow the prompts. The upgrade tool will show you what's changing — new packages, removed packages, config file conflicts. For config files, the safe choice is usually to keep your current version unless you know the new defaults are better.

If you're upgrading over SSH, the tool will set up a backup SSH listener on port 1022 in case your main connection drops.

Step 4 — Reboot and verify

bash

sudo reboot

After reconnecting:

bash

# Verify Ubuntu version
lsb_release -a

# Verify kernel
uname -r

# Check for any broken packages
sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt autoremove -y

You should see Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and kernel 7.0.x.

Step 5 — Post-upgrade checks

A few things to verify after the upgrade:

• Docker: run docker ps and check that your containers start correctly. The cgroup v2 migration should be transparent if you're on Docker 20.10+.
• Databases: check PostgreSQL/MySQL logs for any startup issues. Kernel 7.0 changes I/O scheduling, so your database tuning parameters may need adjustment.
• SSH: check /etc/ssh/sshd_config if you see authentication failures from legacy systems. The default crypto policies are stricter in 26.04.
• Web servers: restart Nginx/Apache and verify your sites load correctly.
• Cron jobs: verify scheduled tasks are still running with systemctl list-timers.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

If you're still on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, you cannot skip directly to 26.04. You must upgrade in two stages:

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS → Ubuntu 24.04 LTS → Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Each upgrade takes about 15-30 minutes. Budget about an hour total including reboots.

Alternatively, if you're doing a major version jump like this, a fresh install of Ubuntu 26.04 on a new server followed by migrating your data and configuration might be cleaner and faster.

Upgrading from Ubuntu 20.04 or older

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS reached end of standard support in April 2025. If you're still running it, a fresh install is strongly recommended over attempting a three-stage upgrade (20.04 → 22.04 → 24.04 → 26.04).

Deploy a new Dedimax Cloud or VPS server with Ubuntu 26.04, migrate your applications and data, then decommission the old server. It's faster, cleaner, and avoids the risk of cascading upgrade issues.

Should you upgrade now or wait?

For development and testing servers: upgrade now. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is a stable release and the new toolchain versions (Python 3.14, kernel 7.0) are worth testing against your applications early.

For production servers: consider waiting for Ubuntu 26.04.1 (August 2026). The first point release includes fixes for issues discovered in the initial weeks after launch. This is standard practice and what Canonical recommends for production environments.

For new deployments: there's no reason to start a new project on 24.04 anymore. Deploy on 26.04 and benefit from five years of support from day one.

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is a significant release — kernel 7.0, Rust-based system utilities, cgroup v2 only, native AI toolkit support. It's the foundation most of us will run on for the next several years. Deploy it today on Dedimax Cloud and VPS, or wait for the dedicated server rollout in the coming weeks.