Canonical Introduces Minimal Ubuntu Pro: Smaller Images and Secure Cloud Workloads at Scale

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TL;DR

Canonical has launched Minimal Ubuntu Pro, enhancing cloud security with lightweight images and robust features. Available on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, it offers minimized attack surfaces and long-term support.

Key Points

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Canonical has released Minimal Ubuntu Pro, combining Minimal Ubuntu images with Ubuntu Pro security coverage for use on public cloud platforms.

The images are available on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud and are designed to reduce the default attack surface by shipping only the components required to boot and connect.

Minimal Ubuntu Pro images are approximately 50% smaller than standard Ubuntu Server images and boot up to 40% faster, improving provisioning speed for ephemeral and autoscaled workloads.

Ubuntu Pro adds extended security maintenance of up to 15 years for critical and high-severity CVEs across both Main and Universe repositories, including kernel live patching and compliance tooling.

The distribution remains compatible with the full Ubuntu package ecosystem, allowing teams to explicitly control installed dependencies while integrating with DevSecOps, CI/CD, and infrastructure-as-code workflows.

Canonical has introduced Minimal Ubuntu Pro, a service now available on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. This service combines the lightweight characteristics of Minimal Ubuntu with the security features of Canonical's Ubuntu Pro subscription. It is designed to reduce attack surfaces and improve security for cloud operations. The service offers a smaller image size and faster boot times while maintaining compatibility with existing Ubuntu applications.

Minimal Ubuntu Pro improves the capabilities of Minimal Ubuntu by reducing image size by 50% and increasing boot speed by 40%, optimized for leading cloud hypervisors. It allows precise control over installed software, maintaining compatibility with the entire Ubuntu package ecosystem. This control is important for DevSecOps practices and automated CI/CD pipelines. By including only necessary components, the service reduces the attack surface, limiting exposure to potential vulnerabilities.

Additionally, Minimal Ubuntu Pro features enterprise-grade hardening and compliance options, including up to 15 years of CVE patching and optional FIPS 140-3 certified cryptographic modules for government compliance. It supports compliance frameworks such as FedRAMP, NIST, and HIPAA. Available on the 3 major clouds, it provides consistency and strength across platforms with optimized kernels and deep cloud integration.

Key Numbers

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50 %

Reduction in image size compared to standard Ubuntu Server images

40 %

Improvement in boot time compared to standard Ubuntu images

15 years

Maximum duration of security maintenance provided by Ubuntu Pro (with legacy add-on)

3 versions

Supported Ubuntu LTS versions for Minimal Ubuntu Pro

20.04, 22.04, 24.04 LTS releases

Ubuntu LTS versions supported by Minimal Ubuntu Pro

3 cloud providers

Major public cloud providers where Minimal Ubuntu Pro is available

Stakeholder Relationships

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Organizations

Key entities and stakeholders, categorized for clarity: people, organizations, tools, events, regulatory bodies, and industries.

Canonical Technology company

Canonical is a technology company that develops and maintains Ubuntu and provides enterprise support, security services, and cloud-focused operating system solutions.

Amazon Web Services Cloud service provider

Amazon Web Services is a public cloud platform offering compute, storage, networking, and managed services for running applications at scale.

Microsoft Azure Cloud service provider

Microsoft Azure is a public cloud platform providing infrastructure, platform, and software services for enterprise and cloud-native workloads.

Google Cloud Cloud service provider

Google Cloud is a public cloud platform offering compute, storage, networking, and data services built on Google’s infrastructure.

Tools

Key entities and stakeholders, categorized for clarity: people, organizations, tools, events, regulatory bodies, and industries.

Ubuntu Operating system

Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system widely used in servers, cloud environments, and developer workflows.

Ubuntu Pro Security and support subscription

Ubuntu Pro is Canonical’s enterprise subscription providing extended security maintenance, compliance tooling, and kernel live patching for Ubuntu LTS releases.

Minimal Ubuntu Pro Cloud operating system image

Minimal Ubuntu Pro is a lightweight Ubuntu-based cloud image combining a reduced package footprint with enterprise security and compliance features.

Linux Operating system kernel

Linux is an open-source operating system kernel that forms the foundation of Ubuntu and many other operating systems.

KVM Virtualization technology

KVM is a Linux-based virtualization technology used by cloud platforms and on-premise infrastructure.

LXD Container and virtual machine manager

LXD is a system container and virtual machine manager commonly used for Linux-based workloads.

Timeline of Events

Timeline of key events and milestones.

Dec 2, 2025 Ubuntu Pro for WSL announced

Canonical announced Ubuntu Pro for WSL, extending security maintenance and enterprise support to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS instances running under Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Dec 9, 2025 Expanded collaboration with AMD

Canonical announced an expanded partnership with AMD to package and maintain AMD ROCm AI/ML and HPC libraries directly in Ubuntu distributions.

Jan 12, 2026 Minimal Ubuntu Pro launched

Canonical launched Minimal Ubuntu Pro, a cloud-focused Ubuntu image combining a reduced footprint with Ubuntu Pro security features, available on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Jan 15, 2026 Canonical joins AWS European Sovereign Cloud launch

Canonical announced it is a launch partner for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, making Ubuntu and Ubuntu Pro available for organizations requiring EU data residency and operational autonomy.