Ubuntu Core 26 Now Available for Testing on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
Canonical has opened a public preview of its immutable, snap-based Linux for virtual appliances and managed services, with images in all three major cloud marketplaces.
Canonical has announced a public preview of Ubuntu Core 26 images for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. Ubuntu Core 26, built on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and first released in May 2026, was designed for embedded and IoT devices. The cloud images extend that immutable operating system to virtual machines in the public cloud. The announcement was first reported by Linuxiac on November 10, 2026.
- ✓Preview images are available through the AWS, Azure and Google Cloud marketplaces.
- ✓Targets virtual appliances, managed services and specialised workloads, not general-purpose servers.
- ✓Updates are transactional with rollback, and the kernel, base system and apps are separate snaps.
- ✓Canonical says Ubuntu Core does not replace Ubuntu Server.
- ✓This is a preview: test it, but do not treat it as production-ready until support terms are confirmed.
What Canonical announced
Ubuntu Core is a minimal, immutable version of Ubuntu in which the system is assembled from snaps. Canonical is now offering preview images of Ubuntu Core 26 on the three biggest public clouds. The company says the target is workloads where a predictable configuration and controlled updates matter more than being able to customise the host freely, such as virtual appliances and managed services.
Canonical also provides instructions for launching instances, installing extra snaps and building custom Ubuntu Core images. The preview images are listed in the cloud marketplaces, and Canonical’s documentation for Ubuntu Core on clouds covers the how-to steps.
How Ubuntu Core works in the cloud
- ✓Transactional updates: an upgrade that fails can be recovered from, instead of leaving the system half-updated.
- ✓Independent components: the kernel, the base system and each application are separate snaps that update on their own. Security updates are applied automatically.
- ✓Strict confinement: applications reach system resources only through interfaces they explicitly declare.
- ✓Immutable base: the operating system cannot be casually modified, which reduces unintended changes.
What had to change to run on public clouds
Cloud providers use their own optimised Linux kernels, which Canonical normally ships as DEB packages. Ubuntu Core is built from snaps, so those kernels are now packaged as cloud-specific snaps. The cloud guest agents, the helper software that integrates an instance with its provider, have also been converted to snaps. Each agent now has its own update lifecycle and security policy, and under strict confinement it must declare the resources and interfaces it needs.
Ubuntu Core vs Ubuntu Server
Canonical is clear that Ubuntu Core is not a replacement for Ubuntu Server. The comparison below summarises how the two are positioned.
| Ubuntu Core 26 (preview) | Ubuntu Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Systems built from a fixed set of components | General-purpose servers |
| Updates | Transactional, per-snap, with rollback | Traditional package management |
| Administration | Controlled, limited host changes | Interactive, extensive customisation |
| Applications | Snaps under strict confinement | Packages and other formats |
Who should test it
Our analysis: this is most relevant if you ship or operate a self-contained appliance, such as a gateway, a network function or a managed service where every customer gets the same image. The immutable base and per-component rollback fit that model well. It is a poor fit if your team logs in to tune packages, runs configuration management that assumes a mutable host, or needs software that is not available as a snap.
A short test plan
- ✓Launch an instance from the marketplace image on your cloud and follow Canonical’s guide to connect to it.
- ✓Install one of your applications as a snap and confirm it works under strict confinement.
- ✓Trigger an update and test a rollback.
- ✓Build a custom image with your own snaps.
- ✓Check how logging, monitoring and your provider’s agents behave on an immutable host.
On a running instance, these standard snap commands show what is installed and let you try a rollback. The way you reach the instance depends on your cloud and on Canonical’s documentation:
snap list
snap changes
snap revert <snap-name>Our take
Immutable, image-based operating systems have been spreading from edge devices to servers, and Canonical is bringing its version to the cloud. The interesting part is the engineering: moving cloud kernels and guest agents into snaps gives each piece its own update and security boundary. Whether it becomes a mainstream choice will depend on how smoothly it fits existing cloud tooling and how Canonical supports it once the preview ends. For now, it is worth a small test if appliance-style workloads are part of your roadmap.
Sources & Further Reading
Editorial note: this report is based on Linuxiac’s coverage of Canonical’s announcement, published November 10, 2026. I could not open Canonical’s original announcement page when preparing this article, so please check details against it. Analysis sections are marked as such.