Version
You can check which version of Debian you are using by running the following command in a terminal window:
cat /etc/debian_version
About Debian
Debian is also known as Debian GNU/Linux is a Linux distribution composed of free and open-source software,
developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993.
There are many operating systems that branch off of Unix, that use Linux as their main core to establish their
general projects. These operating systems can be maintained and developed by individuals, teams, communities,
or corporations, and they can release them at any pricing structure or entirely for free for any user to be able
to download.
Linux Debian fits the classification of entirely free material. Debian is an organization composed of different
collaborators and programmers around the world, and their most developed operating system is Debian GNU/Linux,
which is what we are discussing here. Debian is an organization that boasts only free software,
with organizations like the Free Software Foundation (FSF) representing and backing them up.
Linux Debian as a system is extremely powerful and even beloved within the community.
Many praise its ease of use and how extremely stable it is. Debian was famously hard to install in its
beginning,
but in reality, it could not be simpler nowadays with their great thorough and comprehensive installer.
Debian also comes with (literally) tens of thousands of packages. Any package you would like that is not
extremely
recent is likely already within Debian for you to freely use. Intermediate to advanced Linux users loves
this particular operating system because it is extremely secure and stable, as we have mentioned before.
There are some very interesting facts about Linux Debian, maybe it can even convince you to check it out and
try it on your computer. First, it is important to know that Debian is slightly more complicated than other
Unix operating systems, and you might want to consider looking into something a little bit more friendly,
but it compensates with its incredible capabilities. Debian is light on the resource usage department,
making it very good to use with older computers which still look to have a very functional and stable operating
system.
You should consider that Debian comes with only free software and packages. Adding new paid ones can be worth
it,
but it does take effort to add it to the repository, and other operating systems can do it better and
faster.
Releases
Debian is currently on the codenamed “trixie” stable release (Debian 13), published on 9th August 2025; the latest point release, 13.7, came out on 12th September 2026. The next release is already codenamed “forky” (Debian 14); it is in testing, has no freeze or release date yet and is expected in 2027.