Debian 13 ‘Trixie’ release is done as planned this weekend

‘Trixie’ should be one thing in particular: A milestone for open source computing with revolutionary innovations

Debian 13 ‘Trixie’ is finally here, after the project had already entered the hard freeze phase. Since 9 August 2025 The final version is live.

Some of the innovations However, you should know in advance. For example, that an remote upgrade via SSH that is aborted This may mean that it is no longer possible to log in again! Also helpful is to know that the /boot partition At least 768MB in size at 300 free It's supposed to be. Users who already use the Trixie testing version, however, generally reported an otherwise exceptionally stable performance with minimal problems.

Also Proxmox had already this week in the run-up to a release of the new versions of the VE and the PBS decided with Trixie as substructure.

Revolutionary architecture support: RISC-V conquers the mainstream

Official RISC-V 64-bit support

One of the most groundbreaking innovations in Debian 13 is the first official support for the riscv64 architecture. This marks a historic moment as Debian is one of the first major Linux distributions to offer full support for 64-bit RISC-V hardware. This development underscores Debian's commitment to emerging technologies and open hardware standards.

RISC-V, as an open command-set architecture (ISA), promises a more democratic future of processor development, free of proprietary license restrictions. With Debian 13, users can use all features and packages of the distribution on RISC-V hardware for the first time.

At the same time, an era ends: 32-bit support is discontinued

Parallel to the introduction of advanced architectures, Debian 13 also marks the end of the 32-bit era:

Complete Setting up i386 support:

• No more official kernels: As of Debian 13, there is no longer an official Linux kernel for i386 systems
• No Debian installer: A new installation on 32-bit systems is no longer possible
• Reduced package availability: Many projects are discontinuing support for 32-bit, significantly reducing the number of packages available
• Legacy Support Restricted: The remaining purpose of the i386 architecture is limited to supporting legacy applications on 64-bit systems.

Other set architectures:

• MIPS64EL: MIPS architecture deleted as release architecture for Debian 13
• armel: Also the ARM EABI architecture no longer receives an installer, although packages are still available in the archive

Security innovations: Protection from modern attacks

Hardening against ROP and COP/JOP attacks

Debian 13 introduces groundbreaking security features for amd64 and arm64 architectures:

On amd64 systems:

• Intel Control-flow Enforcement Technology (CET): Provides protection against both Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) and Call/Jump-Oriented Programming (COP/JOP) attacks
• This hardware-based security technology prevents attackers from redirecting existing code for malicious purposes

On arm64 systems:

• Pointer Authentication (PAC): Protection against ROP attacks by cryptographic signatures for return addresses

For amd64 read the Linux kernel documentation and the Intel documentation; for arm64 look into the Wiki and into the Arm documentation. There you will find information on how to check if your processor supports CET and PAC/BTI, and how they work.

These measures represent a significant advance in system security and demonstrate Debian's proactive approach to protecting against modern cyber threats.

Software updates and desktop environments

Plasma 6: The new KDE generation

One of the most spectacular innovations is the integration of KDE Plasma 6, the latest generation of the popular desktop environment. Plasma 6 brings:

• Modernized user interface with improved performance
• Better Wayland support
• Extended customization options
• Optimized use of resources

Updated applications

The new version brings the latest versions of important software with it:

• LibreOffice: Latest version of the Office Suite
• GIMP: Current version of the image editing program
• Inkscape: Latest version of the vector graphics editor
• Perl and Python: Updated versions of programming languages
• Geany: Modern version of the lightweight editor
• APT: Improved package manager

Possible problems with upgrades and measures against them are summarized here.

Technical innovations under the hood

HTTP boot support

Debian 13 adds boot options HTTP boot support, which greatly simplifies modern network installations and cloud deployments. This feature makes it possible to boot systems directly via HTTP protocols, which is particularly advantageous in enterprise environments and cloud infrastructures. On systems that TianoCore-Firmware, go into the Device Manager-menu, then on Network device list, select the appropriate network interface, then go to HTTP Boot Configuration, and provide the full URL to the Debian ISO file to boot from.

64-bit time_t ABI-Transition

An important technical advance is the 64-bit time_t ABI-Transition, which solves the notorious ‘year-2038 problem’. This change ensures that Debian systems can handle timestamps correctly beyond 2038.

wcurl and HTTP/3 support

The curl package will receive significant improvements:

• wcurl: A new wrapper tool for curl with improved usability
• HTTP/3 support: Support for the latest HTTP protocol based on QUIC, providing improved performance and security

HTTP/3 requests can be made with the flags --http3 or --http3-only be placed.
The curl package now includes wcurl, a wget alternative that uses curl for downloads. Downloading files is as easy as typing a wcurl URL.

Reproducible builds progress

Debian 13 continues to make significant progress towards Reproducible builds, a project that ensures that packets produce identical results bit-for-bit under identical conditions. This increases the transparency and security of the entire software supply chain.

System improvements and optimizations

Tmpfs for /tmp directory

An important change concerns the temporary directory: The /tmp directory is now stored in a tmpfs by default. This brings several advantages:

• Significantly faster access to temporary files
• Automatic cleanup on system restarts
• Reduced wear and tear of SSDs
• Improved security through volatile storage of sensitive temporary data

Improved manual pages translations

Debian 13 Expands Internationalization improved Translations of Manual Pages. This makes the extensive Debian documentation more accessible to non-English-speaking users.

Qt WebEngine spell checker

Web browsers based on Qt WebEngine now receive Integrated spell checker, which greatly improves the user experience when writing texts in web applications.

BDIC Binary Hunspell Dictionary Support

The introduction of BDIC Binary Hunspell Dictionary Support Improves the performance and functionality of spellcheckers system-wide.

Important changes for administrators

OpenSSH security improvements

Debian 13 brings important security improvements for SSH:

• No more DSA key support: OpenSSH no longer supports outdated and insecure DSA keys
• ~/.pam_environment is no longer read: The openssh-server no longer reads this file automatically for security reasons

New commands for system logging

The traditional commands last, lastb and lastlog have been replaced by modern alternatives, which offer better performance and enhanced functionality.

Ping permissions

For safety reasons the ping command no longer runs with increased privileges, which improves the security profile of the system.

Encrypted file systems

Systems with encrypted file systems now require the systemd-cryptsetup package for proper functionality.

Several outdated packages are no longer supported, However, alternatives are available.

Also one List of known release errors It does exist, of course, and it should not be missed here either.

Database and server changes

MariaDB Upgrade Improvements

MariaDB Receives Major Upgrade Process Improvements, with Major Version Upgrades Now Available Only work reliably after a complete shutdown.

RabbitMQ Modernization

Message broker RabbitMQ undergoes significant changes:

• No more HA cue support: Outdated high-availability features removed
• Direct upgrade of Bookworm not possible: Upgrades require special migration paths

Dovecot and Samba adjustments

Receive both the email server Dovecot and the file server Samba Significant configuration changes, which may require customization of existing setups.

Linux Kernel 6.12 LTS

Debian 13 is based on the Linux Kernel 6.12 LTS, the long-term support version that:

• Improved hardware support for modern devices
• Optimized performance and energy efficiency
• Advanced security features
• Better container and virtualization support

Installer innovations

The Debian Installer gets a complete overhaul:

• New standard theme: Modernized user interface
• RISC-V 64-bit Support: Full support for the new architecture
• Elimination of 32-bit installers: No more installation options for i386 and armel
• Improved hardware detection: Better support for modern hardware

Migration and upgrade notes

For existing 32-bit systems

Users of 32-bit Debian systems should prepare for the end of support:

• No upgrade path: Direct upgrades from 32-bit Bookworm to Trixie are not possible
• Hardware evaluation: Check if the hardware supports 64-bit
• Migration strategy: Planning a new installation or hardware upgrade

Upgrade from Debian 12 ‘Bookworm’

For 64-bit systems, Debian offers proven upgrade paths:

• Full compatibility for supported architectures
• Detailed upgrade instructions in the release notes
• Recommendation for pre-upgrade backups
• Pitfalls and possible problems It has also been documented

The package sources get a new format

In Trixie, there is an important change in package sources: The old format in /etc/apt/sources.list was completely replaced by the new DEB822 format. This new format, which is based on the RFC822 standard, uses Key value pairs, which greatly simplifies machine processing.

What does this mean for admins?

Existing package sources must be converted to the new DEB822 format. This offers some advantages, such as improved management of GPG keys. With these keys, the package manager verifies apt the authenticity of the package sources.

Package sources in DEB822 format: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources

Types: deb URIs: https://deb.debian.org/debian Suites: trixie trixie-updates Components: main non-free-firmware Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg Types: deb URIs: https://security.debian.org/debian-security Suites: trixie-security Components: main non-free-firmware Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

Future Outlook and Significance

Debian 13 ‘Trixie’ represents an important turning point in the history of distribution. With the introduction of RISC-V Support, Debian is positioning itself at the forefront of the open hardware movement, while the discontinuation of 32-bit support marks the necessary step into the modern computing era.

The extensive security improvements, from hardware-based protections to modernized authentication procedures, demonstrate Debian's commitment to a secure and future-proof operating system.

For businesses and home users alike, Trixie provides a solid foundation for years to come, with long-term support and proven Debian stability.

availability

The final version of Debian 13 ‘Trixie’ will Actively rolled out since Saturday.