Using Ubuntu in the public cloud
Ubuntu Server is the world’s most popular cloud operating system. And Ubuntu is the leading cloud guest OS, running most workloads in public clouds today, thanks to its security, versatility and policy of regular updates. With certified images available on clouds from partners like AWS, Microsoft Azure, HP Cloud, Joyent and IBM Smart Cloud, it is the only free cloud operating system with the option of enterprise-grade commercial support.
Why use Ubuntu Server in the cloud?
- Proven for enterprise-scale workloads on all leading public clouds
- Free from licence fees, regardless of how many images you run
- Enterprise-grade support and management tools available direct from Canonical
- Maintenance and security updates guaranteed for five years with Ubuntu LTS
Fast service deployment with Juju
Juju is the fastest way to deploy and scale out your workloads. With Juju charm bundles, you can launch an entire cloud environment with one click - and with Quickstart you can spin up your Juju environment with just one command. Use them together and you can deploy your entire application infrastructure, all in one.
The best management and support
The Ubuntu Advantage support service has flexible Ubuntu cloud guest options. If you build your cloud on Ubuntu, a number of guest instances are supported for free, and this can be upgraded to cover more instances, more hours and higher entitlements. Thanks to Landscape, efficient management of those instances is only a few clicks away.
Developers’ favourite
Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution for development and deployment. If your developers already use Ubuntu, moving to the cloud is even easier.

Ready to get started?
Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS is a free download that includes five years’ worth of security and maintenance updates, guaranteed. Using an Ubuntu partner cloud ensures access to the latest certified Ubuntu Server images. To run Ubuntu Cloud Guest on participating public clouds, the simplest way is to use the image maintained on their server.
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Get started on GCP ›
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The Ubuntu guide to EC2 ›
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Get started on Oracle Cloud ›
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Get started on Microsoft Azure ›
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Get started on Joyent ›
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Get started on VMware ›
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Get started on Vexxhost ›
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Get started on Interoute ›
If you want to modify the standard images, or if you want to use an image on your private cloud, you can also get a detailed list of images and download a specific image.