Debian version numbers, codenames and software sources

Debian is one of the largest distributions of Linux systems, but its version naming has always troubled me.

So I sorted out the naming and relationships of various Debian versions.

Version number (number)

Debian version numbers are represented directly by numbers, such as Debian 8, 9, 10, 11, etc.

Starting with Debian 6, each major distribution will add 1 to the original number. For example, Debian 12 will be released in 2023.

Based on the current version, small updates are expressed by adding decimals. For example, after Debian 12.0 is released, subsequent update versions are 12.1, 12.2, etc.

The version number is relatively conventional and in line with general knowledge.

Version code (nickname)

In addition to the version number, Debian also has a release codename. For each generation version, there is a corresponding codename (nickname).

These codenames come from the character names in the movie "Toy Story". For example, Debian 12 is called bookworm, and Debian 11 is called bullseye.

Version status

In Debian, the stability version can be used to describe both the version of the Debian system and the version of the system software package. ❞

According to the current status of Debian’s official version, it can be divided into the following categories:

• unstable (unstable version): This is the version of Debian under active development and is usually used by developers and/or early adopters. Packages in unstable are the latest, but may not be tested.
• testing (testing version): The testing version refers to the software package that has undergone certain tests in unstable.
• stable (stable version): An officially recognized and officially released package. It is the most stable version with the fewest errors and security issues. Generally, a stable version will have long-term support (Long Term Support, LTS).
• oldstable (old stable version): This is the previous satble version, but LTS is still available.
• oldoldstable (older stable version): This is the previous stable version of Debian and is still providing LTS.
• archived (archived version): It is older than oldoldstable, but currently Debian officially provides Extended Long Term Support (ELTS), which increases the time limit of LTS.
• obsolete (obsolete version): Any updated and supported versions are no longer accepted.

At the current time (February 2024), the various versions, codenames and current status of Debian are as follows (early versions are omitted):

version	codename	branche
13	trixie	testing
12	bookworm	stable
11	bullseye	oldstable
10	buster	oldoldstable
9	stretch	archived
8	jessie	archived
7	wheezy	obsolete

Download version

The corresponding region can be found on the Debian mirror site. In mainland China, there are NetEase mirror stations and Lanzhou University mirror stations.

Take the NetEase mirror site as an example,

When downloading Debian, the following types of mirrors are common.

• live: The Live version is an incomplete image that contains some pre-installed packages so you can try Debian before installing it.
• cd (netinst): The image is minimal and contains only the installation system and the most popular packages.
• dvd: DVD images are larger than CD images and contain more software packages.
• bd: Refers to the image of Blu-ray disc (BD). The bd image is relatively more complete.
• dlbd: Refers to the image of dual-layer blu-ray (dlbd). dlbd is larger and more comprehensive, including almost all available software packages.

I personally choose the following format Debian download:

Software source difference

Debian divides its software repositories into the following categories:

• Unstable
• Testing
• Stable
• Experimental

According to the degree of freedom of the software in the Debian software repository, it is divided into the following three types:

• main: Free software that fully complies with the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG).
• contrib: Free software that conforms to the DFSG, but relies on software in non-free.
• non-free-firmware: Software that does not generally follow DFSG, but cannot be replaced or avoided in order for the system to function properly.
• non-free: Non-free software that does not comply with DFSG. Free to download, but no free license provided.

Debian software source files are usually located in /etc/apt/sources.list. You can edit this file directly or in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/Create a separate file in the directory to add sources.

The software source format is as follows:

deb [uri] distribution [component1] [component2] [component3]
deb-src [uri] distribution [component1] [component2] [component3

Explanation of the above parameters:

• deb: Contains binary packages that can be installed through apt.
• deb-src: Contains the source code package, which can be downloaded and compiled through the apt-get source $package command.
• distribution: refers to the release code name.
• component: The name of the component, such as main, contrib or non-free, etc.

distribution has the following types:

• bookworm: Stable version software source.
• bookworm-updates: Some minor updates to the stable version.
• bookworm-backports: Packages recompiled from beta and unstable versions to run on stable Debian.
• bookworm-security: Security updates to the stable version.

The following is the specific mirror source writing method of the bookworm version, using the Tsinghua mirror source:

deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb-src https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb-src https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm-backports main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb-src https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian/ bookworm-backports main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

deb https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
deb-src https://mirrors.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/debian-security bookworm-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

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