Fedora Linux release history

Fedora Linux
Company type	Open source project
Industry	Operating system
Predecessor	Red Hat Linux 9
Founded	November 6, 2003; 23 years ago
Founder	Fedora Project
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Linux distribution

Fedora Linux stands as a prominent Linux distribution crafted by the Fedora Project. It adheres to a biannual release schedule, launching updated versions each spring and autumn, although occasional minor postponements have occurred.

Fedora Core 1

The initial Fedora release, Fedora Core 1, debuted on November 6, 2003.<ref name="fc1-release"> Known by the codename Yarrow, it was derived from Red Hat Linux 9. Its principal components included:

Linux kernel version 2.4.19;
GNOME Desktop Environment version 2.4;
K Desktop Environment (KDE) version 3.1.

Fedora Core 2

Fedora Core 2 arrived on May 18, 2004, bearing the codename Tettnang. This release brought substantial improvements such as:

Linux kernel version 2.6;
GNOME version 2.6;
KDE version 3.2;
Integration of Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux), initially disabled by default due to operational considerations;
Transition from XFree86 to X.Org Server in response to licensing changes, enhancing graphical system components.

These advancements established Fedora Core 2 as a more secure and contemporary platform tailored for enterprise and developer environments.

Fedora Core 3

Released on November 8, 2004, Fedora Core 3 carried the codename Heidelberg. Notable introductions included the Mozilla Firefox browser, support for Indic scripts, adoption of the GNU GRUB boot loader in place of LILO, GNOME 2.8, KDE 3.3, establishment of the Fedora Extras repository, and enabling SELinux by default with a more targeted and less restrictive policy than previous versions.

Fedora Core 4

On June 13, 2005, Fedora Core 4 was launched under the codename Stentz. This edition featured Linux kernel 2.6.11 alongside KDE 3.4 and GNOME 2.10. It introduced the Clearlooks theme inspired by Red Hat's Bluecurve design, incorporated OpenOffice.org version 2.0, and integrated Xen virtualization technology. Support was extended to PowerPC architectures with over eighty additional SELinux policies included.

Fedora Core 5

Fedora Core 5 (Bordeaux), released March 20, 2006, showcased unique Fedora Bubbles artwork and marked the first inclusion of Mono and associated applications such as Beagle, F-Spot, and Tomboy. It introduced new package management tools pup and pirut while replacing the outdated LinuxThreads with the Native POSIX Thread Library to enhance performance and compatibility.

Fedora Core 6

The October 24, 2006 release of Fedora Core 6 bore the codename Zod, referencing the Superman antagonist General Zod. This version replaced Fedora Bubbles with the Fedora DNA artwork and incorporated support for the Compiz compositing window manager alongside AIGLX technology to enable GL-accelerated desktop effects. Firefox version 1.5 served as the default web browser, and Smolt was added for hardware reporting purposes. Fedora Core 6 also formed the foundation for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and related derivatives.

Fedora 7

Debuting on May 31, 2007, Fedora 7 carried the codename Moonshine. A major development was merging Red Hat's "Core" repository with the Community "Extras" repository—resulting in dropping "Core" from its title—and introducing a new build system that facilitated creation of customized Fedora editions through the Revisor package tool, including third-party software integration.

Three official spins were made available:

Live – two Live CDs featuring GNOME and KDE;
Fedora – a DVD containing all primary packages;
Everything – an installation tree suitable for yum and network-based installations.

Key features encompassed GNOME version 2.18, KDE version 3.5, a redesigned Flying High theme with updated icons, OpenOffice.org version 2.2, and Firefox version 2.0. Fast user switching was enabled by default. SELinux enhancements included the introduction of the setroubleshoot debugging utility and an improved system-config-selinux configuration tool.

Fedora 8

Fedora 8, known by the codename Werewolf, was officially released on November 8, 2007.

Significant enhancements in Fedora 8 comprised:

PulseAudio – a sound server enabling multiple applications to manage audio simultaneously; Fedora led as the first distribution to activate it by default.
system-config-firewall – introduced as a replacement for the earlier firewall configuration utility.
Codeina – a tool directing users to acquire proprietary codecs from fluendo; this was optional and could be substituted with free GStreamer plugins.
IcedTea – designed to integrate OpenJDK into Fedora by substituting restricted code components.
NetworkManager – featured faster connection establishment, enhanced security through GNOME Keyring, improved wireless network visualization, and tighter D-Bus integration.
Upgraded laptop support via kernel optimizations that decreased battery consumption, suspended background cron tasks while on battery power, and incorporated additional wireless drivers.

Addressing previous feedback regarding the user interface, Fedora 8 unveiled the Infinity desktop artwork alongside the Nodoka theme, which replaced the former Flying High. The Infinity theme introduced dynamic wallpapers that adjust according to the time of day—a design approach maintained in subsequent versions and adopted by other Linux distributions.

In February 2008, Fedora introduced a new Xfce Live CD spin compatible with both x86 and x86-64 platforms, providing a lightweight yet aesthetically pleasing desktop alternative to the GNOME and KDE spins, with full support for hard disk installation.

Fedora 9

Fedora 9, carrying the codename Sulphur, was launched on May 24, 2008.

Key highlights included:

The GNOME 2.22 desktop environment.
Default inclusion of KDE Plasma 4.0 for the KDE spin.
Transition from IcedTea to OpenJDK 6, simplifying Java support.
Introduction of PackageKit, serving as a front-end to yum and becoming the default package management tool.
Implementation of One Second X, which enabled near-instant cold start and shutdown for the X Window System.
Introduction of the Upstart init system.
Enhancements in the Anaconda installer, such as support for resizing ext2, ext3, and NTFS filesystems and installation on encrypted partitions.
Bundling Firefox 3.0 beta 5 at launch with immediate availability for updates.
Upgrade to Perl 5.10, delivering improved performance alongside reduced memory usage.
Support for data persistence on USB images.

Fedora 9 also debuted the Waves artwork, furthering the dynamic wallpaper concept initially presented in Fedora 8.

Fedora 10

Fedora 10, codenamed Cambridge, became available on November 25, 2008. It brought in the new Solar artwork and featured:

Accelerated boot times through a unified Plymouth splash screen, replacing the earlier Red Hat Graphical Boot used in RHEL 6 and its derivatives.
Support for the ext4 filesystem
Inclusion of the Sugar Desktop Environment
Availability of the LXDE Desktop Environment via an LXDE Spin
GNOME version 2.24
KDE Plasma version 4.1 (KDE Spin)
OpenOffice.org version 3.0

Fedora 11

Fedora 11, known as Leonidas, was released on June 9, 2009. This edition marked a change where artwork was chosen based on the codename instead of user votes.

Prominent features included:

Adoption of ext4 as the default file system
Experimental activation of Btrfs through the IcantbelieveitsnotBTR boot parameter
Aimed boot time reduction targeting approximately 20 seconds
GCC compiler updated to version 4.4
GNOME version 2.26
KDE Plasma version 4.2 (KDE Spin)
Linux kernel version 2.6.29
Eclipse version 3.4.2
Netbeans version 6.5
nVidia kernel modesetting enabled via open source nouveau (graphics) driver
OpenOffice version 3.1
Python programming language updated to version 2.6
Xfce desktop environment updated to version 4.6 (Xfce Spin)
X server upgraded to version 1.6
Support for fprint on devices equipped with fingerprint readers

Fedora 12

Released on November 17, 2009, Fedora 12 bore the codename Constantine.

Its notable enhancements comprised:

All 32-bit (x86_32) packages optimized by compiling specifically for i686 architectures
Improved webcam functionality through the integration of Cheese
Updated video codec support featuring the latest Ogg Theora version
Audio system refinements alongside an automatic bug reporting utility (abrt)
Bluetooth activation on demand and advanced broadband management via NetworkManager
Virtualization improvements involving KVM, libvirt, and libguestfs technologies
Default use of ext4 file system even on boot partitions
Introduction of the Moblin user interface and Yum-presto plugin enabling Delta RPM updates
Implementation of XZ compression in RPM packages for reduced size and faster updates
Experimental 3D graphics support targeting ATI R600/R700 GPUs
GCC compiler upgraded to version 4.4 and SystemTap 1.0 with Eclipse IDE integration
GNOME 2.28 including a preview of GNOME Shell; KDE Plasma desktop version 4.3 (with 4.4 available through updates)
Linux kernel version 2.6.31 (later updated to 2.6.32)
X server version 1.7 featuring Multi-Pointer X (MPX) capabilities
Bundled development tools such as NetBeans 6.7, PHP 5.3, and Rakudo Perl 6 compiler

Fedora 13

Debuting on May 25, 2010, Fedora 13 carried the codename Goddard. Project leader Paul Frields focused on enhancing usability and refining the graphical interface.

Key improvements included:

Automated installation of printer drivers and language packs
Overhauled user account management interface
Color calibration support for monitors and scanners
Experimental NVIDIA GPU 3D acceleration support
Introduction of an Internet-based Fedora installation method
Support for SSSD authentication services
Updates to the Network File System (NFS) protocol
Integration of Zarafa Open Source edition groupware solution
System rollback functionality enabled by Btrfs file system features
Expanded SystemTap probe capabilities
Comprehensive Java EE 6 support within NetBeans IDE version 6.8
KDE Plasma desktop integrated with PulseAudio sound server
New command-line interface tool for NetworkManager

Fedora 14

Fedora 14, known as Laughlin, was launched on October 29, 2010. This release marked the final edition utilizing the GNOME 2 desktop environment that had been standard since its inception in 2003 before splitting into MATE.

Highlights of Fedora 14 encompassed:

Upgrade of Boost C++ Libraries to version 1.44
Addition of the D compiler (LDC) along with its standard library Tango
Simultaneous availability on the Amazon EC2 cloud platform
Eclipse development environment updated to Helios release
Erlang programming language updated to R14 version
Replacement of libjpeg with the faster libjpeg-turbo
Inclusion of virt-v2v conversion tool and Spice framework for virtual desktop infrastructure deployments
Updates to the Rakudo Star distribution for Perl 6
NetBeans IDE upgraded to version 6.9
Introduction of ipmiutil utility for system management tasks
Technology preview of the new GNOME Shell interface
Python interpreter updated to version 2.7

Fedora 15

Released on May 24, 2011, Fedora 15 carried the codename Lovelock and introduced multiple major advancements:

Debut of the GNOME 3 desktop environment as default interface
Replacement of OpenOffice.org suite by LibreOffice
GNU Compiler Collection upgraded to version 4.6
Adoption of Systemd for managing system initialization and services
LLVMpipe taking over from the previous Mesa software rasterizer
Integration of BoxGrinder framework facilitating appliance creation
Support for dynamic firewall configuration through firewalld
Inclusion of PowerTOP version 2.x enhancing power consumption diagnostics
Implementation of Consistent Network Device Naming scheme across hardware interfaces
Enhanced handling of encrypted home directories

Fedora 16

Released on November 8, 2011, Fedora 16 bore the codename "Verne" and was dedicated to honoring Dennis Ritchie's legacy.

Prominent enhancements included:

Linux kernel version 3.1.0
GNOME desktop environment updated to 3.2.1
KDE Software Compilation refreshed to version 4.7.2
Adoption of GRUB2 as the standard bootloader
Ext4 driver support extended to handle Ext3 and Ext2 file systems
Replacement of the HAL daemon with udisks, upower, and libudev components
Streamlined user interfaces for reporting issues
Virtualization improvements featuring OpenStack and Aeolus Conductor integration
System accounts configured with UID/GIDs up to 999
Advanced cloud capabilities incorporating Condor Cloud, HekaFS, and pacemaker-cloud

Fedora 17

Fedora 17, known as "Beefy Miracle," was launched on May 29, 2012.

Key updates comprised:

Linux kernel upgraded to version 3.3.4
Built-in support for UEFI firmware
GNOME desktop advanced to version 3.4 with software rendering for GNOME Shell
KDE Software Compilation updated to version 4.8.3
Reorganization of filesystem structure relocating additional components under /usr
Removable media mounted at /run/media following changes in udisks behavior
systemd-logind substituted ConsoleKit, enhancing multiseat setups
Inclusion of libvirt sandbox; virt-manager gained USB pass-through functionality
Services isolated with private temporary directories to bolster security

Fedora 18

Debuting on January 15, 2013, Fedora 18 carried the codename "Spherical Cow."

Significant features included:

Linux kernel version 3.6.10
Support introduced for UEFI Secure Boot
Complete redesign of the Anaconda installer interface
Introduction of FedUp as a new system upgrade tool
Default desktop environment updated to GNOME 3.6.3
KDE Plasma upgraded to version 4.9 and Xfce to 4.10
Addition of MATE and Cinnamon desktop environments
Enhanced Active Directory integration through FreeIPA version 3
NetworkManager enabled hotspot functionality
Default terminal support extended to 256 colors
Offline system update capability via systemd and PackageKit collaboration
Expanded cloud computing support with Eucalyptus, Heat orchestration, and OpenStack Folsom release compatibility
firewalld replaced system-config-firewall as the default firewall management tool

Fedora 19

Released on July 2, 2013, Fedora 19 was designated "Schrödinger's Cat." It served as the foundation for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and other related distributions.

Noteworthy improvements encompassed:

Upgraded Anaconda installer with enhanced features
Introduction of a new initial setup application for streamlined configuration
Support for application checkpointing enabled by CRIU
Default desktop environment advanced to GNOME version 3.8
Updates to KDE Plasma version 4.10 and MATE version 1.6
Transition from MySQL to MariaDB as the default database server
GCC updated to release 4.8
RPM Package Manager advanced to version 4.11
Debut of the Developers Assistant utility
Firewall and systemd received various enhancements
Strengthened cloud support including improved compatibility with Amazon EC2

Fedora 20

Fedora 20, the final release assigned the codename "Heisenbug," became available on December 17, 2013.

Key highlights were:

Deployment of GNOME desktop environment version 3.10
ARM architecture elevated to a primary supported platform alongside x86 and x86_64
Replacement of gnome-packagekit frontends by a new application installer named gnome-software

Subsequent releases after Fedora 20 abandoned codenames entirely, opting instead to identify versions solely by their numeric designations.

Fedora 21

Debuting on December 9, 2014, Fedora 21 was the initial release to omit a codename.

Key features included:

The GNOME 3.14 desktop environment, enhanced with subtle visual improvements
Launch of three distinct editions—Workstation, Server, and Cloud—each equipped with unique preinstalled software tailored to specific business requirements and deployment contexts

Fedora 22

Fedora 22 became available on May 26, 2015, introducing notable advancements such as:

GNOME version 3.16 featuring a revamped notification system alongside auto-hiding scrollbars
Replacement of yum by DNF as the default package management tool
Transition to Wayland as the standard display server for GNOME Display Manager, supplanting the previous Xorg

Fedora 23

Launched on November 3, 2015, Fedora 23 brought:

GNOME desktop updated to version 3.18
An upgrade to LibreOffice version 5
Integration of the Fedora update utility FedUp into DNF, leading to FedUp’s discontinuation
Python version 3.4.3 set as the default interpreter

Fedora 24

Released June 21, 2016, Fedora 24 introduced:

GNOME Desktop version 3.20
The GCC updated to version 6
Python upgraded to version 3.5
Implementation of a new system-wide default font

Fedora 25

Debuting on November 22, 2016, Fedora 25 featured:

Adoption of the Wayland display server system
Support for Unicode version 9 alongside PHP 7.0 and Node.js version 6
Integration of IBus for Emoji input functionality

Fedora 26

Fedora 26 was made available on July 11, 2017.

Fedora 27

Released November 14, 2017, Fedora 27’s Workstation edition incorporated GNOME version 3.26 along with redesigned Display and Network configuration interfaces and an enhanced Settings panel. System search capabilities were expanded to include additional results such as system actions. LibreOffice was updated to version 5.4 in this release.

Fedora 28

Available from May 1, 2018, Fedora 28 served as the foundation for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and its derivatives. This edition introduced a modular software repository alongside curated third-party repositories.

Fedora 29

Fedora 29 launched on October 30, 2018, bringing Fedora Modularity support across all variants via a new optional Modular (AppStream) package repository. It also included GNOME version 3.30, ZRAM support for ARM images, and Fedora Scientific Vagrant images.

Fedora 30

Released April 30, 2019, Fedora 30 continued its development trajectory with comprehensive updates detailed in its published change set.

Fedora 31

Launched on October 29, 2019, Fedora 31 delivered additional system enhancements outlined in its change set documentation.

Fedora 32

Made available April 28, 2020, Fedora 32 incorporated updates listed in its corresponding change set.

Fedora 33

Debuting October 27, 2020, Fedora 33 marked a milestone by setting Btrfs as the default filesystem for the Workstation edition and substituting traditional swap partitions with zram. This release featured GNOME version 3.38 and the Linux kernel version 5.8.15. New additions included a dynamic slideshow background and making GNU nano the default command-line text editor instead of vi. Moreover, Fedora IoT was elevated from a spin to an official edition status.

Fedora 34

Fedora 34 became available on April 27, 2021. The list of modifications can be found here.

This version served as the foundation for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and its variants. Notable features included the introduction of GNOME 40, the adoption of default filesystem compression, exclusive reliance on Pipewire, and KDE Plasma defaulting to Wayland.

Fedora 35

Released on November 2, 2021, Fedora 35's update details are accessible here.

Fedora 36

Fedora 36 was launched on May 10, 2022. Its comprehensive change log is available here.

Fedora 37

On November 15, 2022, Fedora 37 was released. The associated changes can be reviewed here.

Fedora 38

The release date for Fedora 38 was April 18, 2023. Details regarding its updates are provided here.

Fedora 39

Fedora 39 became publicly available on November 7, 2023. The full list of changes is documented here.

Fedora 40

On April 23, 2024, Fedora 40 was issued. Its change set can be accessed here.

Fedora 41

Fedora 41 was launched on October 29, 2024. The summary of modifications is found here.

Fedora 42

Released April 15, 2025, Fedora 42's update information is available here.

This edition promoted the KDE Plasma Spin to a status equal to that of Fedora Workstation featuring GNOME, which had advanced to version 48.

External links