Operating System

Fedora Releases

Track Fedora releases, RHEL upstream relationship, version feature comparison, Silverblue/CoreOS/IoT variants, and upgrade guidance between versions.

Official Site Documentation

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Total Versions

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Supported

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Latest

Version Timeline

All tracked releases with lifecycle status and EOL dates.

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Lifecycle Timeline

Visual overview of active support and maintenance windows.

F37

F38

F39

F40

F41

F42

F43

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

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Active / LTS

Maintenance

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Upgrade Paths

Migration guidance between major versions — breaking changes, effort estimates, and tips.

F39/F40 F41 Low Difficulty

Est. 30-60 minutes

Breaking Changes

Python 3.13 replaces 3.12
Kernel 6.11+ (from 6.8)
GNOME 47 (desktop)
Updated compiler toolchain (GCC 14)
Package renames and splits

Migration Notes

Fedora upgrades are generally smooth. Run dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=41, reboot. Most issues come from third-party repos (RPM Fusion, COPR) that may not have packages ready for the new release. Disable problematic repos before upgrading, re-enable after.

Version Risk Assessment

Evaluate risk factors before choosing a version for production.

Version	EOL Risk	CVE Risk	Ecosystem	Cloud Support	Overall	Recommended Action
Fedora F38 and older	Critical	High	Dead	None	Critical	Past EOL — upgrade to F41+
Fedora F39	Critical	Medium	EOL	None	Critical	EOL Dec 2024 — upgrade
Fedora F40	High	Low	Maintenance	Partial	High	Nearing EOL — upgrade to F41
Fedora F41	Low	Low	Active	Full	Low	Current — recommended
Fedora F42	None	Low	Active	Full	Low	Latest — bleeding edge

Fedora supports each release for ~13 months. The fast cadence means falling behind is easy but catching up is also easy (dnf system-upgrade). Assessed March 2026.

Fedora Version Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature differences across major versions.

Feature	F39	F40	F41	F42
Kernel	6.5	6.8	6.11	6.13
Python	3.12	3.12	3.13	3.13
GCC	13	14	14	15
GNOME (Workstation)	45	46	47	48
systemd	254	255	256	257
Podman	4.x	5.0	5.x	5.x
DNF	4	4	5	5
OpenSSL	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.4
Wayland default	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
RHEL basis for	RHEL 10	RHEL 10	-	-

Embed Badges

Add live Fedora status badges to your README, docs, or dashboard.

Health Status

Overall support health

![Fedora Health Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/health/fedora.svg)

EOL Countdown

Next end-of-life date

![Fedora EOL Countdown](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/eol/fedora.svg)

Latest Version

Current stable release

![Fedora Latest Version](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/v/fedora.svg)

CVE Status

Known vulnerabilities

![Fedora CVE Status](https://img.releaserun.com/badge/cve/fedora.svg)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Fedora releases and lifecycle.

How does Fedora relate to RHEL?

Fedora is the upstream for RHEL. New technologies debut in Fedora, stabilize over 2-3 releases, then are selected for the next RHEL major version. RHEL 9 is based on Fedora 34. RHEL 10 will be based on Fedora 40/41. CentOS Stream sits between Fedora and RHEL as a rolling preview of the next RHEL minor release. Fedora moves fast (6-month releases); RHEL moves slowly (10-year lifecycle).

How long is each Fedora release supported?

Each Fedora release is supported for approximately 13 months: from release until 4 weeks after the N+2 release. With the 6-month cadence, this means roughly 2 concurrent versions are supported. Fedora does not have LTS releases. If you need long-term support, use RHEL, Rocky, or Alma.

What is Fedora Silverblue?

Silverblue is an immutable desktop variant of Fedora. The root filesystem is read-only and managed via rpm-ostree (atomic upgrades and rollbacks). Applications run in Flatpak containers or Toolbx development containers. It is extremely resilient to breakage because you can always roll back to the previous OS image. Good for developers who want a reliable base with containerized toolchains.

What is Fedora CoreOS?

Fedora CoreOS is a minimal, auto-updating OS designed to run containers. It is the successor to CoreOS Container Linux (acquired by Red Hat). It uses Ignition for provisioning, rpm-ostree for atomic updates, and is designed for Kubernetes node infrastructure. It is an alternative to Bottlerocket (AWS), Talos Linux, or Flatcar Container Linux.

How do I upgrade between Fedora versions?

Use dnf system-upgrade: dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=41, then dnf system-upgrade reboot. Fedora supports upgrading up to 2 versions at once (e.g., 39 to 41), but one-at-a-time is recommended. The upgrade downloads all new packages, reboots into a special environment, and applies them. Typical upgrade takes 30-60 minutes. Rarely fails on standard installations.

Should I use Fedora for servers?

Fedora is not recommended for production servers due to its short support window (13 months). Use RHEL, Rocky, or Alma for servers. Fedora Server edition exists and is good for: development/staging environments, testing new technologies before they hit RHEL, and home servers where you are comfortable upgrading every 6 months.

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