This is a very simple question…
So I had HASSIO running for a while on an Ubuntu 16.04 Server (Docker), and everything was going perfectly.
I then started to investigate upgrading to Ubuntu 18.04, and started the process in moving my config.
I had a casual conversation concerning this with my IT guy at work, who immediately said “USE DEBIAN! It is much lighter and safer”. Got home, setup a new VM on Debian Stretch, installed necessary packages for the Docker script (packages actually did install on Debian way faster than Ubuntu), moved my config, created certificates, and HASSIO was up and running like nothing happened in no time.
Everyone in the forums talks Ubuntu, never Debian.
I am simply wondering why, and if in fact many of you were in a Debian environment (or not).
Nothing to fix here, just some curiosity of how the community feels about it!
Thanks
Because it’s the ‘GO-TO’ for most people. There are more packages available for Ubuntu than Debian, better hardware support, and generally better documentation because of the popularity of it. Packages are also NEWER on Ubuntu vs Debian’s repos.
Please ask your ‘IT Guy’ to define “safer”. This is just FUD.
I run Debian servers where needed, but for newer packages and ease of use, I tend to deploy more Ubuntu servers.
Debian (Stable) is generally considered more stable/secure because has fewer updates, and uses older software/applications that has been thoroughly tested.
The downsides of that is that you won’t be able to use all the latest releases of software and all the newest bleeding-edge technologies out of the box and they don’t use a specific release schedule.
ALSO, If you choose to update to newer software/applications, you lose the stable/secure aspects and are basically in the same boat as if you just choose to use Ubuntu…
Generally, if you’re in an enterprise environment, you should go with Debian (Stable) as it’s more stable and more secure if you don’t use much 3rd party software… Obviously, once you start adding 3rd party software, the stability/security may decrease…
If you use the server for personal use, and you want to use the latest software/applications/technologies, you’re generally better off going with Ubuntu.
Of course, if choosing Ubuntu for a server environment, I’d recommend sticking to the LTS release.
Ubuntu LTS is a good mix of Stability/Security and having access to the latest releases software/applications/technologies. It has a 2yr release cycle and has 5yrs of support.
That said, there really isn’t a wrong choice here, I like to tinker, so I chose Ubuntu LTS for my servers.
If you want to set it up once, and then forget it, and don’t care about using the latest software/applications/technologies, you might be better off with Debian.