Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) on Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Out of standard support. Upgrade to Ubuntu Pro
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) was released on 23 April 2018, introducing improved UEFI Secure Boot and broader Kernel Livepatch coverage for enhanced security on Amazon Web Services.
Reaching end of standard support on 31 May 2023
Transitioning to the latest Ubuntu release, such as Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, is important for performance, hardware enablement and new technology benefits and is recommended for new instances. But it might be a more complex process for existing deployments.
What are your options?
You can either migrate to the next LTS or upgrade to Ubuntu Pro to expand your security maintenance.
With Ubuntu Pro, the 18.04 LTS will be fully supported until 2028. Ubuntu Pro is free for personal and small-scale commercial use on up to 5 machines. Paid plans with transparent, per-machine pricing are available for large-scale deployments.
Watch the 18.04 End of Standard Support webinar ›
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS 'Bionic Beaver', one of the most popular Ubuntu releases, reaches the end of the standard, five-year maintenance window for Long-Term Support (LTS) releases on 31 May 2023. Learn more about your options in this webinar.
Security updates for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, with Ubuntu Pro
The Ubuntu Security Team is dedicated to providing timely security updates for all packages on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS for x86-64 and arm64 architectures.
Upgrading to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS fresh install
Where it makes sense, you should transition workloads to later Ubuntu releases. You can either upgrade existing Ubuntu 18.04 LTS instances to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or redeploy your workload onto a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 LTS instance available on the AWS EC2 Quick Launch menu or via AWS Marketplace. There is no direct upgrade path from Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, so you can either move to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and then to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, or redeploy onto Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
Watch the 20.04 migration webinar ›
This webinar explores all the factors that should be taken into account to deliver successful migration at the right pace, covering the most popular infrastructure components such as OpenStack, Kubernetes and Ceph.
Upgrading to Ubuntu Pro
If your workload is ephemeral or easy to redeploy, for example, if it is regularly rebuilt in a CI/CD, you can launch fresh instances of Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS from the AWS Marketplace or using AWS CLI
When a redeploy is not viable, you can upgrade your Ubuntu LTS instances to Ubuntu Pro using AWS License Manager and benefit from a PAYG subscription model with optional savings plans from AWS. Learn more about the process with this step-by-step guide.
Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) for 18.04 LTS
Expanded Security Maintenance(ESM) peovides extended Linux kernel and open source security updates for Ubuntu.
ESM is free on up to five machines and for broader enterprise use through an Ubuntu Pro susbcription or an Ubuntu Pro upgrade on AWS. The subscription also includes additional services such as FIPS-compliant modules and the Ubuntu Livepatch Service to apply critical kernel patches without unplanned downtime.
What do you get with Ubuntu Pro for 18.04 LTS?
Standard Security Maintenance of an Ubuntu LTS release covers binary packages that reside in the Main Ubuntu repository for a period of five years. For continued security beyond the standard five-year maintenance period, Ubuntu Pro delivers security maintenance to a wide range of binary packages that are commonly used in cloud and server workloads on 64-bit x86 AMD/Intel architectures for a period of five years beyond the end of standard support.
Additionally, Ubuntu Pro can also cover all packages in the Ubuntu Universe repository, until April 2028.
Support kernels
For continued Linux kernel security, Ubuntu Pro for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS includes support for the below versions:
| Ubuntu release | Architecture | Kernel version |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | arm64, x86-64 (AMD/Intel), and s390x | 5.4 (HWE) |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | arm64, x86-64 (AMD/Intel), and s390x | 4.15 (GA) |
Infrastructure packages
For Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, where technically feasible, Canonical provides extended security maintenance to all binary packages that reside in the Ubuntu Main Repository.
Application packages
Canonical provides application extended security maintenance to the binary packages that reside in Main and Universe. A few commonly-used packages include:
- MySQL – 5.7
- Python – 2.7
- PostgreSQL – 10
- Ruby – 2.5
- Nodejs – 8.10
- PHP – 7.2
- ROS – Melodic
What customers say about ESM
ESM literally saved our lives. It's allowing us to upgrade from 14.04 LTS at our own pace. It's taken the pressure off, and it also means we can tackle the Ubuntu upgrades at the same time as we roll out the new version of our platform.
Zivago Lee, Director of DevOps Engineering, Interana Read the case study ›
ESM has given us the space to plan what comes next. It's helping us get into a position where we can have a more sustainable infrastructure.
Andy Parker, Engineering Manager, TIM Read the case study ›
Get in touch if you need advice on the best path for your company.
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