Since the release of Fedora 21 in December 2014, three editions have been made available:personal computer,server andcloud computing. This was expanded to five editions forcontainerization andInternet of Things (IoT) as of the release of Fedora 37 in November 2022.[13][14] A new version of Fedora Linux is released every six months.[15]
Fedora has a reputation for focusing on innovation, integrating new technologies early on and working closely withupstream Linux communities.[10][20] Making changes upstream instead of specifically for Fedora Linux ensures that the changes are available to allLinux distributions.
Fedora Linux has a relatively short life cycle: Each version is usually supported for at least 13 months, where versionX is supported only until 1 month after versionX+2 is released and with approximately 6 months between most versions.[21] Fedora users can upgrade from version to version without reinstalling.[22][23]
Alive media drive can be created usingFedora Media Writer or thedd command,[26] allowing users to try Fedora Linux without writing any changes to their hard drives.
Most Fedora Linux editions use theRPMpackage management system andDNF as a tool to manage installed software.[27] DNF uses libsolv, an external dependency resolver.[27]Flatpak is also included by default.
The CoreOS and Silverblue editions are designed foroperating system-level virtualization. These editions userpm-ostree (a hybrid transactional image/package system),[28] and traditional RPM (or other package management systems) can be used in containers.
Fedora Workstation comes preinstalled with a wide range of software such asLibreOffice andFirefox. Additional software is available from thesoftware repositories and can be installed using theDNF package manager orGNOME Software.
Additionally, extra repositories can be added to the system, so that software not available in Fedora Linux can be installed easily.[31] Software that is not available via official Fedora repositories, either because it does not meet Fedora's definition offree software or because its distribution may violateUS law, can be installed using third-party repositories. Popular third-party repositories includeRPM Fusion free and non-free repositories. Fedora also provides users with an easy-to-use build system for creating their own repositories called Copr.[32]
Since the release of Fedora 25, the operating system defaults to theWayland display server protocol, which replaced theX Window System.[33] As of Fedora 41, both the GNOME and KDE editions do not ship withX.Org Server session support by default.[34]
Fedora Workstation 41 with its default applications
The Fedora Workstation editions target users who want a reliable, user-friendly, and powerful operating system for their laptop or desktop computer while still being on the cutting edge of new technologies.[36] They come withGNOME by default but other desktops can be installed, includingKDE Plasma, which was promoted to a regular edition on the same level as Fedora Workstation with GNOME starting with Fedora 42.[37][38]
Fedora with the KDE Plasma Desktop, one of the several official Fedora Spins. As of Fedora 42, it became an official Fedora edition alongside Fedora Workstation with GNOME.
In addition to Spins, which are official variants of the Fedora system, the project allows unofficial variants to use the term "Fedora Remix" without asking for further permission, although a different logo (provided) is required.[51]
Fedora offers immutable editions known as "Atomic Desktops".[52][53] Separate editions are offered per desktop environment, currently there are editions forBudgie,COSMIC,GNOME (Silverblue),KDE Plasma (Kinoite) andSway.[54] Every atomic desktop installation is identical to every other installation of the same version, and it never changes as it is used. The immutable design is intended to make the operating system more stable, less prone tobugs, easier to test and develop, and create a platform for containerized applications as well as container-based software development. Applications and containers are kept separate from the host system. OS updates are fast and there is no installation stage. It is possible to roll back to the previous version of the operating system, if something goes wrong.[55]
The long-term goal for this effort is to transform Fedora Workstation into an image-based system where applications are separate from the OS, and updates are atomic. Fedora developers, Red Hat engineers, along with independent contributors have been developing and/or contributing to software used in the atomic desktops. Such as:OSTree,Wayland,Flatpak, andrpm-ostree support inGNOME Software, etc. Project Atomic added new features like package layering to rpm-ostree and added rpm-ostree support toAnaconda.[56]
Its target usage is forservers. It includes the latestdata center technologies. This edition does not come with adesktop environment, but one can be installed. From Fedora 28, Server Edition will deliver Fedora Modularity,[57] adding support for alternative update streams for popular software such asNode.js andGo.
The successor ofFedora Atomic Host (Project Atomic) andContainer Linux after Fedora 29,[59] it provides a minimal image of Fedora Linux which includes just the bare essentials. This is not to be confused with Fedora Core. It is meant for deployment incloud computing. It provides Fedora CoreOS images which are optimized minimal images for deploying containers.[60] CoreOS replaced the established Container Linux when it was merged with Project Atomic[61] after its acquisition by Red Hat in January 2018.[62]
Similar toDebian blends, the Fedora Project also distributes custom variations of Fedora Linux called Fedora Labs.[63] These are built with specific sets of software packages, targeting specific interests such as gaming, security, design,[64] robotics,[65][66] and scientific computing[67] (that includesSciPy,Octave,Kile,Xfig andInkscape).
The Fedora AOS (Appliance Operating System) was a specialized spin of Fedora Linux with reduced memory footprint for use insoftware appliances. Appliances are pre-installed, pre-configured, system images. This spin was intended to make it easier for anyone (developers,independent software vendors (ISV),original equipment manufacturers (OEM), etc.) to create and deployvirtual appliances.
Fedora 28 was the last release that supportedppc64 and users are advised to move to the little endianppc64le variant.[68] Fedora 36 was the last release with support forARM-hfp.[69]
The Fedora Project also distributes several other versions[70] with fewer use cases than mentioned above, like network installers and minimal installation images. They are intended for special cases or expert users that want to have custom installations or configuring Fedora from scratch.
In addition, all acceptable licenses for Fedora Linux (including copyright, trademark, and patent licenses) must be applicable not only to Red Hat or Fedora, but also to all recipients downstream. This means that any "Fedora-only" licenses, or licenses with specific terms that Red Hat or Fedora meets but that other recipients would not are not acceptable (and almost certainly non-free, as a result).
The name of Fedora derives from the original "Fedora Linux", avolunteer project that provided extra software for theRed Hat Linux distribution, and from the characteristicfedora hat used in Red Hat's "Shadowman" logo. Warren Togami began Fedora Linux in 2002 as an undergraduate project at theUniversity of Hawaii,[71] intended to provide a singlerepository for well-tested third-party software packages so that non-Red Hat software would be easier to find, develop, and use. The key difference between Fedora Linux and Red Hat Linux was that Fedora's repository development would be collaborative with the global volunteer community.[72] The original Fedora Linux was eventually absorbed into the Fedora Project, carrying with it this collaborative approach.[73] The Fedora Project is sponsored primarily byRed Hat with additional support and sponsors from other companies and organizations.[74]
Fedora Linux, then known as "Fedora Core", was a fork ofRed Hat Linux launched in 2003, when Red Hat Linux was discontinued so the team could focus on their paid version for servers:Red Hat Enterprise Linux.[75]Red Hat Enterprise Linux was to be Red Hat's only officially supported Linux distribution, while Fedora was to be a community distribution.[75] Red Hat Enterprise Linux branches its releases from versions of Fedora.[76]
Before Fedora 7, Fedora Linux was called Fedora Core after the name of one of the two main software repositories - Core and Extras. Fedora Core contained all the base packages that were required by the operating system, as well as other packages that were distributed along with the installationCD/DVDs, and was maintained only by Red Hat developers. Fedora Extras, the secondary repository that had been included since Fedora Core 3, was community-maintained and not distributed along with the installation CD/DVDs. Upon the release of Fedora 7, the distinction between Fedora Core and Fedora Extras was eliminated.[77]
Since the release of Fedora 21, as an effort to bring modularization to the Fedora distribution and make development more agile,[78][79] three different versions are available:Workstation, focused on thepersonal computer,Server andAtomic forservers,Atomic being the version meant forcloud computing.[13]
Fedora is atrademark of Red Hat, Inc. Red Hat's application for trademark status for the name "Fedora" was disputed byCornell University and theUniversity of Virginia Library, creators of the unrelatedFedora Commons digital repository management software.[80] The issue was resolved and the parties settled on a co-existence agreement that stated that the Cornell-UVA project could use the name when clearly associated with open source software for digital object repository systems and that Red Hat could use the name when it was clearly associated with open source computer operating systems.[81]
In April 2020, project leader Matthew Miller announced that Fedora Workstation would be shipping on select newThinkPad laptops, thanks to a new partnership withLenovo.[82]
Framework officially supports Fedora Workstation on their laptops.[83]
Development of the operating system and supporting programs is headed by the Fedora Project, which is composed of a community of developers and volunteers, and alsoRed Hat employees.[84] The council is the top-level community leadership and governance body. Other bodies include the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee, responsible for the technical decisions behind the development of Fedora, and Fedora Mindshare Committee which coordinates outreach and non-technical activities, including representation of Fedora Worldwide e.g.: Ambassadors Program, CommOps team and Marketing, Design and Websites Team.[85]
Fedora Core 1.0, a continuation ofRed Hat Linux withGNOME 2.4 (November 2003)Fedora 15 (Lovelock), the first release withGNOME 3 andGNOME Shell (May 2011)Fedora 21, a version that brought experimentalWayland and HiDPI support (December 2014)
Fedora has a relatively short life cycle: versionX is supported only until 1 month after versionX+2 is released and with approximately 6 months between most versions, meaning a version of Fedora is usually supported for at least 13 months, possibly longer.[21] Fedora users can upgrade from version to version without reinstalling.[22][23]
The current release is Fedora 42, which was released on 15 April 2025.[86]
Rawhide is thedevelopment tree for Fedora.[98] This is a copy of a complete Fedora distribution where newsoftware is added and tested, before inclusion in a later stable release. As such, Rawhide is often more feature rich than the current stable release. In many cases, the software is made ofCVS,Subversion orGit source code snapshots which are often actively developed by programmers. Although Rawhide is targeted at advanced users, testers, and package maintainers, it is capable of being a primary operating system. Users interested in the Rawhide branch often update on a daily basis and help troubleshoot problems.[98] Rawhide users do not have to upgrade between different versions as it follows arolling release update model.
^"Changes/Fedora Linux in os-release - Fedora Project Wiki".fedoraproject.org.Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved28 September 2021.When used by itself, the term "Fedora" refers to the Fedora Project. When referring to our work, please use either a specific name like Fedora Workstation, Fedora CoreOS, or Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop; or use Fedora Linux to refer to the OS distribution as a whole.
^"Getting Started".Fedora Docs.Archived from the original on 19 July 2024. Retrieved18 February 2023.Fedora is provided in several distribution items tailored for special Purposes. We call it Editions and spins.
^"Fedora Silverblue User Guide".Fedora Docs.Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved18 February 2023.Fedora Silverblue is a variant of Fedora Workstation.
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