Do Son 
The Debian project team recently announced that Debian Linux 11 officially ended its long-term support on August 31, 2026. This milestone completes its official five-year lifecycle since its initial release on August 14, 2021. Starting in September 2026, Debian 11 will no longer receive new security updates. Users running this older version should upgrade to a subsequent release immediately.
Concluding Five Years of Official Support
The Debian stable release typically utilizes a distinct maintenance model. This model comprises three years of regular support followed by two years of long-term support (LTS). The core security and release teams maintained Debian 11 for the first three years. The dedicated LTS team assumed maintenance responsibilities starting August 15, 2024. This team continued providing essential security updates across various architectures until August 31, 2026.
Users must note that not all software packages receive comprehensive support during the LTS phase. For instance, the maintenance scope excludes game categories and packages explicitly marked as unsupported. However, the LTS team generally supports the vast majority of software required for standard production environments.
Extended Paid Support Reaches 2031
Enterprises still needing to run Debian 11 possess a viable paid alternative. The Freexian team has actively assumed control of Extended Long Term Support (ELTS) for this release. They plan to continue providing vital security maintenance from September 1, 2026, until June 30, 2031. Therefore, organizations with specific legacy requirements can continue utilizing Debian 11 through this paid commercial service.
Important Considerations for Regular Users
However, Extended Long Term Support operates as an independent commercial service rather than an official Debian project. The specific demands of paying customers dictate the exact coverage scope for this extended maintenance. Therefore, users should not mistake this service for the official Debian security repository continuing maintenance. Consequently, directly upgrading to Debian 12 or Debian 13 remains the absolute best choice for regular users.
Please note that Debian 12 will receive free official security support until June 30, 2028. Furthermore, Debian 13 will enjoy free official security support until 2030.
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