Debian 5 End of Life
Support dates and upgrade guidance — rebuilt from live data.
End of Life
Debian 5 reached end of life on 6 Feb 2012. It no longer receives security fixes.
5,298 days without security patches
Recommended action: upgrade to Debian 13. Check your versioncat /etc/os-release
Support timeline
Official dates from the Debian release process.
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial release | 14 Feb 2009 | — |
| End of life | 6 Feb 2012 | 14.5 years ago |
| Extended support ends | 6 Feb 2012 | over |
| Latest release | 5.0.10 · 10 Mar 2012 | final |
Where to go from 5
Recommended target: Debian 13 (supported until 9 Aug 2028).
The newest actively supported branch is Debian 13 (latest release 13.6).
Frequently asked questions
Is Debian 5 still safe to use?
Debian 5 reached end of life on 6 Feb 2012, 5,298 days ago, and is no longer covered by standard support. Running it means no guaranteed security fixes.
Can I still download Debian 5?
Yes — the final release (5.0.10) generally remains available from vendor archives and OS package mirrors, but installing it means running software with known, unpatched vulnerabilities.
What should I upgrade Debian 5 to?
Upgrade to Debian 13, the newest actively supported branch (supported until 9 Aug 2028).