--- title: Still running SQL Server on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or 18.04 LTS ? description: Avoid compromising the security of your data by using SQL Server on maintained Ubuntu versions. Read this blog to evaluate your options. url: https://canonical.com/blog/sql-server-on-ubuntu?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Mohamed Wadie Nsiri](https://canonical.com/blog/author/mwnsiri "More about Mohamed Wadie Nsiri") 19 December 2023 # Still running SQL Server on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or 18.04 LTS ? [SQL Server](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/sql-server) [Ubuntu Pro](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ubuntu-pro) --- Share the article Running SQL Server on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or 18.04 LTS? If so, this blog is for you to evaluate options to avoid compromising the security of your data ## **Houston, we have a problem** **Ubuntu 16.04 LTS** and **18.04 LTS** reached the end of standard support on 31 May **2021** and 31 May **2023**, respectively. While SQL Server is famous for being [the least vulnerable database](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2022) for over a decade, running it on an unsupported operating system can leave your data vulnerable to cyber security threats. It is therefore important to upgrade your stack to a supported setup. Let’s go over your options. ## **Solving the problem** You have two main options to mitigate risks: * Expand your security coverage with Ubuntu Pro to extend your support until April **2026** for **Ubuntu 16.04** andApril **2028** for **Ubuntu 18.04**. * Upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Let’s explore these two options in more detail. ### **How Ubuntu Pro can help** [Ubuntu Pro](https://ubuntu.com/) provides you with [Expanded Security Maintenance](https://ubuntu.com/security/esm) for an additional 5 years (so 10 in total). Second, it widens your patch coverage to more than 30,000 packages that are part of [Ubuntu repositories](https://packages.ubuntu.com/) (up from 2,300 packages in Ubuntu LTS). Moreover, it offers [tools](https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/comply-with-cis-or-disa-stig-on-ubuntu#2-installing-the-ua-client) to harden your OS following the most stringent compliance regimes and security standards like ISO 27k, PCI-DSS, CIS, DISA-STIG and FedRAMP. With an Ubuntu Pro subscription, you can also opt in for 24/7 support. You can upgrade to Ubuntu Pro **in-place** without the need for complex migrations. Please follow [this tutorial](https://ubuntu.com/pro/tutorial) for a step-by-step guide. You can also deploy new Azure virtual machines running SQL Server on top of Ubuntu Pro using the following optimised images from Azure’s marketplace: * [SQL Server 2019 on top of Ubuntu 18.04](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/apps/microsoftsqlserver.sql2019-ubuntupro1804?tab=Overview) * [SQL Server 2019 on top of Ubuntu 20.04](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/apps/microsoftsqlserver.sql2019-ubuntupro2004?tab=Overview) * [SQL Server 2022 on top of Ubuntu 20.04](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/marketplace/apps/microsoftsqlserver.sql2022-ubuntupro2004?tab=Overview) Together, [Canonical and Microsoft](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/sql-server-blog/microsoft-sql-server-on-ubuntu-pro-the-preferred-choice-for/ba-p/3639818) provide 24/7 support for the above configurations. You can use the same flow when opening support tickets in Azure to get help. Behind the scenes, Microsoft and Canonical coordinate to help you resolve your issues promptly. Ubuntu Pro is available for free for personal and small-scale commercial users on up to 5 machines. It is also available for bigger enterprise deployments with transparent, per-machine [pricing](https://ubuntu.com/pricing/pro). ### **Upgrading to Ubuntu 20.04 or Ubuntu 22.04** Transitioning to the latest operating system, such as [Ubuntu 20.04 LTS](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/marketplace/apps/canonical.0001-com-ubuntu-server-focal?tab=Overview) or [Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/marketplace/apps/canonical.0001-com-ubuntu-pro-jammy?tab=Overview), is another option to keep your stack supported. Using a more recent version of Ubuntu provides additional benefits like performance improvements and hardware enablement. Depending on your environment, it may be complex to execute such upgrades. Therefore, we recommend performing proper testing with your workloads. Our [Ubuntu Server upgrade guide](https://ubuntu.com/server/docs/upgrade-introduction) can help you plan for your upgrades. You also need to check that your SQL Server version is supported on the target Ubuntu version: | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | SQL Server version | Supported Ubuntu versions | Releases notes and details | | SQL Server 2017 | 16.04 or 18.04 | [Release notes for SQL Server 2017](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-release-notes-2017?view=sql-server-ver16&viewFallbackFrom=sql-server-ver14&preserve-view=true) | | SQL Server 2019 | 16.04 or 18.04 or 20.04 | [Release notes for SQL Server 2019](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-release-notes-2019?view=sql-server-ver15&preserve-view=true) | | SQL Server 2022 | 20.04 or 22.04 | [Releases notes for SQL Server 2022](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-release-notes-2022?view=sql-server-ver16&tabs=rhel9) | Compatibility between Ubuntu versions and SQL Server versions When opting for an out-of-place migration (using new VMs), we also recommend upgrading to the latest version of SQL Server to benefit from all the new added features. ## **More Information** You can learn more about Ubuntu support policies and lifecycle using: * for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS * for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS * for general Ubuntu releases and cadences If you have any questions, please [contact](https://ubuntu.com/contact-us/form?product=pro) the Canonical team. [Get in touch Interested in running Ubuntu in your organization?](https://ubuntu.com/about/contact-us/form) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Arduino® VENTUNO™ Q is available for pre-order with Ubuntu pre-installed](https://canonical.com/blog/arduino-ventuno-q-is-available-for-pre-order-with-ubuntu-pre-installed) London, UK – August 25, 2026 – Following our initial collaboration announcement in March 2026, Canonical and Arduino (a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.) are excited... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 25 August 2026 [### Canonical announces the Enterprise Store as part of Ubuntu Pro](https://canonical.com/blog/canonical-announces-the-enterprise-store) Canonical introduces a new way to manage software behind firewalls and in air-gapped environments with the Enterprise Store. The Enterprise Store makes software distribution... [Holly Hall](https://canonical.com/blog/author/hollyhall) 21 July 2026 [### Tracing a memory leak bug in PID 1 and contributing an upstream fix: a Linux support story](https://canonical.com/blog/fixing-memory-bug) How Canonical Support helped a global retail organization trace the cause for an unusual memory leak originating in PID 1. By investigating the issue across three separate... [Lidia Luna Puerta](https://canonical.com/blog/author/lidia-luna) 17 July 2026 [### Ubuntu and Ubuntu Pro on Azure Cobalt 200 VMs](https://canonical.com/blog/ubuntu-azure-cobalt-200-vms) Microsoft has announced the preview of Azure Cobalt 200, its second-generation custom Arm silicon. Learn how Ubuntu and Ubuntu Pro support these new VMs from day one, offering... [Jehudi](https://canonical.com/blog/author/jota-ce) 2 June 2026