Debian End of Life - Dates and Lifecycle

Debian releases are known by codename as much as by number, Bullseye, Bookworm, Trixie, rather than just a version number, and each one goes through a longer, more layered support process than most Linux distributions. A release doesn't simply flip from supported to unsupported on one date, it moves through several distinct phases, each with a different scope of coverage, which makes "is Debian X end of life" a more nuanced question than it looks.

Debian Lifecycle Explained

Each Debian release gets three years of regular security support from the Debian Security Team, covering the full package archive, starting from its initial release date. Once that closes, the release doesn't go dark, it moves into Debian Long Term Support (LTS) for another two years, bringing official coverage to five years total. LTS is narrower than regular support though: not every package gets maintained during this phase, only ones with an active sponsor, and the set of supported architectures shrinks too. For internet-facing or dependency-heavy systems, it's worth checking the Debian LTS tracker for your specific packages rather than assuming full coverage carries over.

Beyond the five-year official window, a commercial Extended LTS (ELTS) offering from Freexian, not an official Debian project, can stretch coverage to ten years total for organizations that need it. New Debian releases arrive roughly every two years, so there are typically two or three versions somewhere in the regular support, LTS, or ELTS pipeline at once, with older codenames rotating out of coverage as new ones ship.