Why you Should Consider Using Debian Linux in 2025

I’ve recently returned as a regular Debian Linux user! This post discusses my experiences with one of the oldest Linux distributions here in 2025. In the last several weeks I’ve kicked the tires on KVM (Kernel Virtual Machine), Ollama and LLM hosting alongside Open Web UI, KDE, Mate, and even some gaming. This post will serve as part 1 in a multi-part series around how to use Debian Linux for various workloads.

Note: If you prefer video content, I’ve embedded a YouTube video below we’re I discuss my experiences with Debian Linux in 2025

How Did I End Up Here?

Most people know me from my time in the Microsoft MVP Program, public speaking, or from one of the many tech conferences I’ve attended over the years. What many people don’t know (and are often surprised to hear) is that I was a Linux admin in a previous life. Open-source is certainly a large part of the tech community today. MUCH moreso than it used to be, and as such I’ve often continued to run linux instances for personal projects and the odd day-job task. Additionally since I’ve gotten more into security over the last couple years, I find myself using Kali Linux quite often as well. That’s all to say I’ve managed to keep my thumb on the pulse of the open-source community over the years, but I recently came back as what I would call a “regular and repeat user” recently.

I’ve had several project needs that have ultimately led to this:

• The need for a virtualization platform that I could use for lab work and testing
• A system that I could run AI and custom LLM workloads on with native support and active communities
• A thriving security toolkit ecosystem
• Varying methods of running containers (Docker, Containerd, Podman, Kubernetes…etc)

As a side note, another contributing factor was the fact that I used to regularly contribute to the open source community, and I would like to start that again. The Debian community is a good place for those efforts in my opinion.

I initially planned on a small Windows Server or Azure Local 2-node cluster, but I instead opted for a VERY beefy single-custom system build (more on this in a future post!). This would instead allow me to run fully virtualized clusters and containerized labs on while not having to get bogged down with management of physical hardware when I’m just trying to build out a lab. All of these requirements led me back to Linux, and my long beloved Debian.

Why Should You Use Debian Linux in 2025?

Many people brush off Debian as “old” in favor of newer distributions like Ubuntu or Mint, despite Debian Repos still being used by many of these newer distributions.

Here are some reasons why you may want to consider Debian Linux in 2025

• Stability: The Debian stable branch is known for its rock-solid stability and reliability, making it an excellent choice. It has a reputation for being virtually bug-free, which means less downtime when it’s used in production situations.

• Customizability: Debian offers unparalleled customizability through its vast repository of packages. It’s also quite easy to install other popular software outside of Debian’s repos as many vendors make use of the popular .deb package file-type. This allows you to tailor Debian to meet your specific needs and workloads.

• Free and Open-Source: As an open-source operating system, Debian is free from licensing costs and restrictions, giving you complete control over your infrastructure without worrying about vendor lock-in or proprietary software.

• Security: Debian has a strong focus on security, with regular updates to the kernel, user-space applications, and dependencies within the stable branch. It also provides robust tools for vulnerability management, making it an excellent choice for environments that require strict security standards.

• Community Support: The Debian community is vast, active, and helpful, providing extensive documentation, forums, and community support options (such as the Debian IRC Channels). Many people are wary of using a non-company-backed Linux Distro as they fear they won’t be to get effective and timely support. While the community options have no specific support SLA, you’ll find that the community is more than willing help you overcome any challenges or questions you may have.

• Server-Side Performance: Debian has excellent server-side performance due to its optimized kernel, which can significantly improve system responsiveness, memory usage, and overall efficiency in resource-constrained environments.

• Wide Hardware Compatibility: Debian supports a vast range of hardware platforms, from old to new, ensuring that your workload can be easily deployed on any hardware configuration you require.

• Long-Term Support (LTS): The Debian community offers regular releases with a focus on Long-Term Support (LTS), providing stability and security for at least five years after the initial release date. This makes it an excellent choice for environments requiring predictable, long-term support.

The Reasons Why I Chose Debian Sid in 2025

Due to my need to run bleeding edge software and test cases, along with the fact that Debian testing lags a bit in security patches (more on that below), led me to choose Debian Unstable (or Sid) for the immediate future.

Yes, why Debian Andy? Why not Ubuntu or Mint? Maybe even Fedora or OpenSUSE? While those distributions are all well and good, I’ve LONG been a Debian user. Debian and I go all the way back to version 3 (woody) and 3.1 (sarge), not to mention that (Debian 13 (trixie) is coming soon!).

Those that have used Debian know that the Stable release can move at a snails pace, but that’s part of it’s strength for production workloads as well. Debian is often seen to be the “Solid as a tank” distribution, and the stable branch rarely breaks, if ever. The Debian codebase is so solid, in fact, that many other distributions, like Ubuntu, use it as a base. Debian has a powerful package management solution, tried and true developers, and a rich community. These are many of the reasons I choose it for production workloads, as well as personal projects like this.

Now, because much of the project work I’m planning on doing depends on bleeding edge software, the Debian stable branch wasn’t a fit for my use case. The new Trixie release would likely be fine for some time, but eventually I would require newer packages for my lab work. That all said, Debian has three main branches: Stable, Testing, and Unstable

• Stable is your slow moving, long-release-cycle, gets security updates, and never-falls-over branch.
• Testing is the middle ground between Stable and Unstable.
• Unstable (or Sid) is where the active development for Debian occurs.

NOTE: Debian releases are based off of Toy Story characters if you didn’t notice. Unstable is named after the neighbor boy in Toy Story 1 who broke his toys with regularity, hence where the unstable branch gets its name.

Knowing I was going to need a newer code base than stable, I initially considered the testing branch. However, there is an important consideration when it comes to security patches in Debian. As Stable is production, and Sid is where active development happens, both of those branches get frequent and quick security updates. Security updates for the testing branch can be delayed, however. The below is straight from the Debian Security group:

Q: How is security handled for testing?

A: Security for testing benefits from the security efforts of the entire project for unstable. However, there is a minimum two-day migration delay, and sometimes security fixes can be held up by transitions. The Security Team helps to move along those transitions holding back important security uploads, but this is not always possible and delays may occur. Especially in the months after a new stable release, when many new versions are uploaded to unstable, security fixes for testing may lag behind. If you want to have a secure (and stable) server you are strongly encouraged to stay with stable.

On the same page they go on to explain that security patches in unstable are largely driven by the package maintainers for each individual package, with the exception of extreme cases. Hence, why I ultimately chose Sid over testing.

Finally, I’ve also had a desire to return and make active contributions to the open source community in some way. It’s something I feel strongly about. What that looks like yet, is TBD. But I suspect at some point I’ll assist with documentation, blog posts like this one, and maybe act as a maintainer for a small package or 2 in the future.

Wrap Up

So that’s my reasoning. What about you? What projects do you see yourself using Debian for?

I’ll continue to provide updates here and will no doubt be talking about several open source projects here in the coming months!

Thanks for reading!