Debian 11 “Bullseye” has officially reached the end of its Long Term Support (LTS) lifecycle on August 31, 2026. Debian 11 was originally released on August 14, 2021, and received regular support for three years followed by two years of LTS.
With Debian 11 now EOL, users should plan to upgrade their servers to a supported release. Debian 12 “Bookworm” continues to receive LTS support until June 30, 2028.
Lifecycle Timeline
- Initial Release: August 14, 2021
- Regular Support Ended: August 14, 2024
- LTS Support Ended: August 31, 2026
- Debian 11 Status: End of Life (EOL)
Why Upgrade?
Running an EOL operating system can leave your server without official security fixes for newly discovered vulnerabilities. Upgrading to Debian 12 provides:
- Continued security updates
- Newer software packages
- Updated system libraries and tools
- Better compatibility with modern applications
- A supported platform for future maintenance
Before You Upgrade
Before starting the upgrade, we recommend:
- Taking a full backup or VPS snapshot.
- Ensuring you have SSH or console access.
- Checking available disk space.
- Updating all existing Debian 11 packages.
- Reviewing third-party repositories and applications.
- Scheduling the upgrade during a suitable maintenance window.
Upgrade Guide
For the complete step-by-step procedure, follow our CrownCloud guide:
How to Upgrade Debian 11 to Debian 12
The guide covers preparing the server, updating the repository sources, upgrading the packages, rebooting the server, and verifying the Debian version after the upgrade.