Choosing a Linux distro for your VPS — Debian vs Ubuntu vs AlmaLinux

The "which distro?" question gets reopened every few years as the ecosystem shifts. LYLIX offers three Linux distros — Debian, Ubuntu Server, and AlmaLinux. This article covers what each is good at, what to avoid, and the rule of thumb when you can't decide.

Debian — the boring default

Use it when: you want a stable base for self-hosting, you don't need cutting-edge packages, you value predictability and long support cycles.

• Release cycle: every 2 years, supported for 3+ years after that.
• Package manager: apt.
• Init: systemd.
• Conservative defaults — fewer surprise changes between point releases.
• Debian 13 (trixie) is the current stable. Debian 12 (bookworm) is oldstable and still supported.

The reason this comes first: Debian is the substrate behind most "just install and forget" deployments. Not glamorous; seldom regretted.

Ubuntu LTS — Debian with newer packages

Use it when: you want a Debian-family system with more recent packages, you're targeting Docker / Kubernetes ecosystem, you want canonical-style commercial support optional.

• LTS release every 2 years, supported for 5 years standard.
• Package manager: apt (same syntax as Debian).
• Newer kernel and userland than Debian stable.
• Snap-based core tools (some love this, some don't).
• Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS is current; 24.04 LTS still supported.

Ubuntu and Debian are close enough that a script written for one usually works on the other. Pick Ubuntu when you specifically need a newer package; pick Debian otherwise.

AlmaLinux — RHEL-compatible

Use it when: you're deploying software that documents itself against "RHEL/CentOS", you want the enterprise-y package set (SELinux first-class, firewalld, NetworkManager), or your team's muscle memory is RPM-based.

• Free rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
• 10-year support cycle per major version.
• Package manager: dnf (yum on older).
• AlmaLinux 10 current; 9 still supported.

The RHEL family is heavier than Debian out of the box — SELinux confines processes more aggressively, firewalld and NetworkManager add operational surface. Worth it for "enterprise-shaped" workloads; overkill for a personal blog.

What we DON'T recommend

• CentOS Stream. Rolling-release-ish ahead of RHEL. Not what most "I want CentOS" customers wanted. Use AlmaLinux instead.
• Rocky Linux. Functionally similar to AlmaLinux, but LYLIX doesn't currently offer a Rocky template — pick AlmaLinux for the RHEL-compatible option.
• CentOS 7. End of life. Don't start a new VPS on it.
• Fedora. Six-month release cycle is too fast for a server you want to leave alone.
• Arch / Manjaro / Gentoo. Rolling release is great for desktops, brutal on servers. Updates can change ABI mid-cycle. Use only if you genuinely want the maintenance burden.
• Alpine. Lovely for containers; awkward as a full VPS host because the package ecosystem is smaller and musl-libc surprises some software.
• Slackware. Charming but the package management model isn't designed for "yum install nginx" workflows. Use only if you specifically want Slackware.

If you can't decide

The rule of thumb:

• Default to Debian 13. Pick another only when there's a specific reason.
• Pick Ubuntu Server 26.04 LTS if you need a newer kernel or your team is more familiar with Ubuntu's Snap/Canonical ecosystem.
• Pick AlmaLinux 10 if the software you're deploying documents itself as RHEL-compatible (many proprietary apps and enterprise stacks).

Choosing for specific workloads

• PBX (FreePBX®, FusionPBX®): pick the pre-built PBX option at order time rather than choosing a base distro. The base is opinionated and LYLIX-managed; you'd just be undoing that choice if you picked Debian or AlmaLinux directly and tried to install on top.
• Docker host: Ubuntu LTS or Debian. Both work well.
• Mail server: Debian. The combination of stable and minimal helps mail server maintainability.
• Web app server: Debian or Ubuntu LTS. Match your dev environment.
• Kubernetes node: Ubuntu LTS. Best kubeadm support.

Switching later

Migrating between distros is a clean OS reload — see OS reload. You keep the IP and hostname; everything else is rebuilt. So if you pick wrong, the cost of correcting is "a few hours to re-deploy your stack," not "a permanent commitment."