Canonical has announced the general availability of Ubuntu Core 26, its latest long-term support release for embedded, IoT, edge, and industrial devices.
This release is based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and maintains the design model of previous versions, using sandboxed, cryptographically signed snaps, offering up to 15 years of security maintenance.
A key improvement in Ubuntu Core 26 is the significant reduction in over-the-air update sizes. Canonical reports that the improved snap-delta format reduces update downloads by 50% to 90% for most snaps, and Core base snap updates decrease from 16 MB to 1.5 MB. The release also uses initramfs-based installations to avoid redundant reboots and reduce installation time.
Ubuntu Core 26 also introduces a Chisel-based build system for Core base snaps. This system uses release-specific package slice definitions and explicit dependencies, enabling files to be traced back to their source package and slice, reducing the base image size by 7%.
On the security side, Ubuntu Core 26 adds native OP-TEE integration, providing ARM TrustZone-based key protection for embedded deployments. Disk encryption keys can now be sealed and unsealed through a Trusted Execution Environment, reducing exposure to the standard operating system. The release also stores TPM-sealed full-disk encryption keys directly in the LUKS2 header.
Another highlight is Livepatch support in Ubuntu Core 26. For the first time, Livepatch is available on ARM64 devices, enabling critical and high kernel vulnerabilities to be patched without rebooting. AMD64 support is now officially available for Ubuntu Core 20 and newer releases.
For graphical embedded systems, Ubuntu Frame now supports multiple applications on a single display, with configurable layouts, custom client placement, and a new accessibility launcher. Ubuntu Core 26 also introduces the gpu-2604 interface for graphics acceleration, supported by a new Snapcraft extension for graphics integration.
Fleet observability is improved through integration with the Canonical Observability Stack. Ubuntu Core 26 can stream logs and metrics from devices to centralized Grafana, Loki, and Prometheus infrastructure, either in the cloud or on-premises.
Finally, Snapcraft now offers broader support for components, a packaging feature first tested in Ubuntu Core 24 for NVIDIA drivers. Components enable snap maintainers to include large or optional resources, such as debug symbols, translations, or drivers, alongside the main snap without increasing the base installation size.
For additional details, see the changelog. Ubuntu Core 26 images and documentation are now available from Canonical.
