Canonical has unveiled Ubuntu Core 26, derived from the recent Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, tailored for IoT devices and embedded systems. This release features precise Linux builds, optimized OTA updates, live kernel patching, and enhanced security for mission-critical deployments.
Offering up to 15 years of security maintenance, Ubuntu Core 26’s minimal, immutable OS ensures reduced installation times, 90% smaller OTA updates, and precision builds through Chisel. All components are containerized snaps, consistent with previous Ubuntu Core versions. Canonical claims it aids companies in complying with the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) via securely designed AI deployments based on hardware trust.
Ubuntu Core 26 highlights include:
– **Faster snap installation and updates**: The improved snap-delta format reduces update sizes by 50%-90% for most snaps, lowering data usage and increasing uptime.
– **Precision builds with Chisel**: The build system employs Canonical’s release-specific package slice definitions for explicit, traceable dependencies, enhancing file provenance and source integrity, contrasting with Yocto’s implicit methods.
– **CRA compliance through hardware-rooted security**: Canonical assumes Manufacturer responsibilities under CRA by providing core module security maintenance, CVE monitoring, coordinated disclosure, and compliance with IEC 62443-4-1 standards.
– **Livepatch rebootless kernel patching** now functions on both AMD64 and ARM64 targets.
– **Developer tools improvements**: New system snaps expedite device deployment, and enhancements in Snapcraft, Ubuntu Frame, Canonical Observability Stack, and Snapcraft components provide a more flexible development environment.
– **New API documentation**: The Snapd REST API is now OpenAPI compliant with refreshed Swagger-based documentation.
Ubuntu Core demands 512MB RAM, 1GB storage, and supports AMD64, ARM64, ARMHF, and RISCV64 architectures. Canonical provides testing images for Generic x86 systems and Raspberry Pi 4/5 SBCs. Further details are available in the documentation.