What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages is managing Linux-based servers for application deployment and production support. I use it for installing, configuring, packaging, managing services, troubleshooting system issues, writing shell scripts, checking logs, and supporting CI/CD pipelines. I have also worked with Ubuntu-based Docker images for containerizing applications.
In my project, we use Ubuntu-based Docker images as a base image for containerizing the application. For example, when deploying a Python-based application, I use Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages base image in the Dockerfile. I install the required dependencies, Python packages, and application configuration, and then build the Docker image. After building the image, we test it locally and push it into the container registry. Then we integrate it in the Jenkins CI/CD pipelines to automate the build and deployment process. The containerized application is deployed to Kubernetes where we manage pods, services, deployments, scaling, and application health. Using Docker helps us maintain consistency across the deployment, testing, and production environment and makes the deployment more reliable.
Apart from Docker and application deployment, I also use Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages for day-to-day DevOps activities including shell scripting, log monitoring, troubleshooting, package management, and managing system services. Overall, it plays a very important role in our application deployment and production support activities.
How has it helped my organization?
Using Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages with Docker and CI/CD pipelines has improved the consistency and efficiency of our deployment process. We use containerized environments, reducing environment-related issues between development, testing, and production, and automation through Jenkins reduces manual efforts and human errors. Ubuntu's lightweight nature and open-source availability help reduce infrastructure and licensing costs. Overall, it has helped us achieve more consistent deployments, faster troubleshooting, and better operational efficiency.
Before automation, some deployments and environment setup activities would take a few hours because of manual configurations. After implementing automation, we were able to streamline most steps, bringing the deployment process down to around fifteen to thirty minutes, depending on the application. This time estimation is much less than before.
What is most valuable?
Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages offers long-term stability, security updates, and a reliable environment for running production workloads. It supports Docker containerization, automation tools, and various DevOps utilities. It also provides good package management through APT and maintains a consistent environment across deployment, testing, and production.
Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages stability helps me maintain a consistent server environment and reduce unexpected issues during application deployment. APT package manager makes my work easier because I install, update, and manage dependencies using simple commands such as APT update, APT install, and APT upgrade.
For example, when setting up a new server or a Docker image, I use APT to install the required packages and dependencies. This helps maintain consistency across the board. From a production support perspective, stability helps reduce unexpected downtime while regular security updates help keep the environment secure. Overall, it makes server maintenance and troubleshooting much more efficient.
One feature I find particularly helpful with Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages is its strong command line support and automation capability. It integrates well into tools including Docker, Jenkins, Kubernetes, and Terraform. I also find its open-source ecosystem, package management, and extensive community support very useful. From a DevOps perspective, it makes server administration, scripting, troubleshooting, and application deployment easier. Overall, Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages provides a reliable and flexible environment for our day-to-day activities.
What needs improvement?
One area for improvement would be longer security support and more frequent updates. Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages is stable, but as technology evolves, compatibility with newer versions of Docker, Kubernetes, and other DevOps tools can become a challenge. I would also want to see more lightweight and optimized official Docker images to reduce image size, improve build times, and minimize security vulnerabilities. Better documentation and smoother dependency management could also be more helpful.
I would like Canonical to focus more on security updates, vulnerability scanning, and compatibility with modern DevOps tools. For example, smaller or more optimized Docker images would help reduce build time and improve container startup performance. It would also be helpful to have regular updates for commonly used packages and better compatibility with newer Docker and Kubernetes versions. Another important area is clear documentation for upgrading older Ubuntu versions to newer LTS releases without disrupting existing applications. These improvements would make Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages more secure, efficient, and easier to maintain in production.
The main areas of improvement that kept my rating at eight instead of a nine or ten would be that there are some newer technologies and dependencies that might have compatibility issues with older packages. Additionally, security maintenance and upgrading to newer LTS versions require additional effort. Overall, it is a good platform, but there is room for improvement in modern tool compatibility, security, and container optimization.
A small improvement would be better built-in monitoring and diagnostic tools, making it easier to identify performance issues, memory usage, and resource bottlenecks. It would also be helpful to have similar security patch management, clear upgrade notifications, and more detailed documentation for Docker and Kubernetes compatibility. These small improvements could significantly ease day-to-day system administration and reduce troubleshooting efforts.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working around five years, and for Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages, I have been working in the server and application environment mainly for deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting for the past four and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have experienced stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages has handled our infrastructure growth reasonably well. It supports scaling through cloud-based virtual machines and Docker containers. When application demands increase, we can provision additional servers, deploy more containers, and use Kubernetes to manage workloads. Overall, it has supported our scaling requirements, although performance ultimately depends on the underlying infrastructure and resource allocation.
How are customer service and support?
Regarding support, we have not needed to contact Canonical support directly because Ubuntu has extensive documentation and community support. Having an enterprise support option available is valuable for organizations running critical production workloads.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we worked with different Linux environments depending on project requirements. We moved towards Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages because it offers a user-friendly package management system. The main reason was the ease of administration, compatibility, stability, and cost-effectiveness.
What was our ROI?
I cannot share specific details about reducing headcount, but we have improved team productivity and made better use of existing resources.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages is open source, so there is no traditional operating system license fee for the standard Ubuntu image. The setup is also straightforward because we can download the image or select Ubuntu AMI from AWS when launching an EC2 instance. The main costs come from the underlying cloud infrastructure including EC2 compute, storage, and networking. Overall, I find Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages to be cost-effective because it reduces licensing expenses, and it is relatively easy to set up and maintain.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I considered other Linux distributions, mainly CentOS, Red Hat, and Debian. I looked at factors including stability, security, package management, Docker compatibility, community support, and licensing costs. Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages was a suitable option because of straightforward APT package management, strong community support, and compatibility with our DevOps tools. It is also cost-effective for our server and containerization requirements.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages at eight out of ten, considering its stability, reliability, package management, Docker compatibility, and ease of administration. The main area of improvement would be long-term security support and compatibility with new technologies.
From my perspective, Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages has a good security foundation. It provides features including user permission, SSH access control, firewall configuration, package security updates, and AppArmor for application security. Regarding governance, I appreciate Canonical's structured release management, security advisors, and long-term support approach. However, the organization needs to maintain regular patching, access control, vulnerability scanning, and compliance checks. One important thing is that Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages has reached the end of its standard support period, so organizations should ensure they have appropriate extended security maintenance or a plan for upgrading to a newer LTS. Overall, it provides a strong foundation, but proper configuration and ongoing maintenance are essential for security in production.
I use Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages on all public, private, and hybrid cloud environments, as well as on-premises.
I primarily use AWS, Amazon Web Services. I have worked with cloud infrastructure, including EC2 instances, IAM, networking, and deployment automation. I also have exposure to Azure, particularly in infrastructure management and CI/CD workflows. My actual project experience is mainly on AWS.
My advice would be to evaluate Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages based on your application and infrastructure requirements. It is a stable Linux distribution with good Docker compatibility, straightforward package management, and strong community support. For DevOps teams, it works well with tools including Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform. However, since Ubuntu 18.04 (Ubuntu 18.04 LTS) | Support by SupportedImages has reached the end of standard support, I recommend considering a newer LTS for new production deployments. If you are already using version eighteen point zero four, plan your upgrade carefully and ensure security maintenance is covered. Overall, test compatibility, automate deployments, and follow security best practices before adopting at scale.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
