Did you hear real-time Ubuntu is now generally available?
The operating system optimised for IoT and Edge
Ubuntu Core is a secure, application-centric IoT OS for embedded devices
Why choose Ubuntu Core?
Security First
Imagine a world where every device is trustworthy. We designed every aspect of Ubuntu Core to create the most secure embedded Linux ever, with a 10y LTS commitment.
Reduce the cost of Linux
Low-level devices development is complex and resource-intensive. With Ubuntu Core and Canonical services, you can accelerate the time-to-market and reduce your costs.
Loved by developers
Core is Ubuntu; open source, binary-compatible and backed by a strong developer community. Improve productivity with a unified and application-centric developer experience.
Low-touch
Reliable, self-healing, remotely accessible and recoverable devices which are always up-to-date with mission-critical over-the-air (OTA) updates.
A strong ecosystem of certified hardware
Ubuntu Core has been enabled and is continuously tested on leading IoT and edge devices and hardware.
Get to market fast with our strong ecosystem
For smart use cases
Get Core. Get snaps. Get going.
Check the full list of industries and success cases ›
Key Features
Security first
Strict confinement
Keep a bad app in its box
You trust your developers, but anybody can make a mistake. We created and integrated a whole new armoury of Linux security capabilities to ensure applications stay confined to their own data.
10 year security update commitment
That's a decade of sleeping soundly
Ubuntu Core gets 10 years of Canonical maintenance. Your smallest devices are now as secure as your servers. No other embedded Linux comes close.
Minimal core, minimal risk, minimal bugs
We stripped Ubuntu Core down to bare essentials
Fewer packages to attack, fewer bugs to fix, fewer forced changes. We reduced the OS to reduce the attack surface. That leaves more disk for your applications and data.
Vulnerability scanning
We check for known weaknesses or risks
Automatic scanning of all snaps for vulnerable libraries and problematic code keeps the Ubuntu Core ecosystem clean and healthy.
Full disk encryption
Protect sensitive customer data
Lock data to devices with hardware keys in TPM or TEE, and unlock disks for your system software only, to block a physical attack on sensitive information.
Secure boot
System integrity with hardware trust
Guarantee your entire fleet of devices runs the system software you select and resist low-level boot attacks on X86 and ARM.
Real-time kernel
Time-bound for mission-critical latency requirements
The real-time kernel integrates the PREEMPT_RT patchset to reduce the kernel latencies as required by the most demanding workloads, guaranteeing a time-predictable task execution.
OTA update control
Decide which updates go to your devices
Over the air updates guarantee secure software in any location. As a device manufacturer or a snap publisher, you decide which updates are signed, certified and delivered to your devices.
IoT app store
Software curation made easy
Every device built with Ubuntu Core has a secure app store. Use the global store for access to thousands of free applications. Curate your own software collection with a private, enterprise app store.
Low-touch device recovery
Remote device recovery in the field.
Dramatically reduce the cost of field maintenance.
Snapshots for application data
Standard mechanisms for application data management.
Every device has apps which keep track of critical data. We make sure you can manage the data which matters to you, consistently, across all your Ubuntu Core devices. Backup and restore anything, anywhere.
Transactional updates
Preserve data, and rollback on error automatically
Your power supply may not be reliable. Your devices will be. Resilience to adversity saves money and reputations. Rely on Ubuntu Core to deliver your software updates safely.
Backup boot paths
Low-level updates preserve the prior boot path.
When you have to update the kernel or the operating system you want to know you can go back if needed. Ubuntu Core keeps the last working boot so you always have a safety net.
Check the full list of features ›
Learn more about Ubuntu Core
Tamper-resistant and hardened
Every aspect of the system is checked and verified.
You need to know your software is pristine; not just for installation, but for the lifetime of the device.
Immutable packages and persistent digital signatures mean Ubuntu Core can verify any software component at any time, to guard against corruption and attack.
Built for business
Bring your applications, we take care of the rest.
Enterprise management
Absolute control over every device in the building.
Enterprises gain complete control over every app on every device on the network, regardless of manufacturer. Know exactly which kernel version and which apps are running.
Mission critical support
Canonical supports Ubuntu Core devices
World class support - for product teams and enterprise customers. Get to the heart of a problem faster, get fixes straight from the source.
Developers love Ubuntu
Your business is software defined.
Keep developers happy and productive.
- Happy developers create amazing products
- Amazing products attract more great developers
- 8/10 Linux developers choose Ubuntu
One platform from cloud to device
Bring apps from Ubuntu Server to Ubuntu Core
Snaps run on Ubuntu Server, Desktop and Core. One platform, one process. Your developer workstation, your build farm, your cloud and servers all use snaps. Your appliances can too, with extra security.
Embedded Linux is easy on Ubuntu
We handle the board, you handle the apps
No bad BSPs. No maintenance nightmares. No integration delays. Just develop on Ubuntu. Embedded, but not as you knew it.
Deploy to devices as fast as the cloud
Continuous deployment on devices
Put your devices on rails for rapid iteration with continuous deployment pipelines, beta testing and canary updates. Featuring Travis integration and a multi-arch build service.
Harness all things open source
From GitHub to Ubuntu Core in minutes.
Ride the open source wave, or build your own community. Open source projects default to Ubuntu, so building is easy.
Get to market fast with the strong ecosystem of our device partners and certified hardware
Download Ubuntu Core
Try Ubuntu Core 22 on a popular development board
Make your own Ubuntu Core device
Walk through the steps to build an image for a device.