Linux is a powerful open-source kernel that powers servers and desktop operating systems.

What Is a Linux Distro?

In strict terms, Linux is just the kernel.

linux distro types

A more accurate term, however, is GNU/Linux.

There are multipleLinux distros introduced year after year.

To get an overview of the number of distros in circulation, head over toDistroWatch.

ubuntu lts distro

In addition, they usually offer support services in case you have trouble with your system.

Features have to be properly tested before they make it to enterprises grade distros.

Consumer-Grade Distros

Consumer-grade distros are geared towards casual users and technical people that fancy new features and updates.

Gentoo desktop interface

For example, non-LTS versions of Ubuntu get updates for only nine months from the release date.

Ubuntu LTS, on the contrary, gets updates for a minimum of five years.

you’re free to evenextend this up to ten years using Ubuntu Pro.

Similar to consumer-grade distros,experimental distros get bleeding-edge updatesall the time.

In experimental distros, it is new features that matter and not stability.

Depending on what you expect from your operating system, there’s a Linux distro for everyone.

To find the perfect distro for you, you could use these broad categories to narrow down your search.