# Debian

ZCP supports two Debian public images:

| Image | Release | Regions | Default user |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Debian-13` | 13 (Trixie) | `yow-1`, `yul-1` | `debian` |
| `Debian-12` | 12 (Bookworm) | `yow-1`, `yul-1` | `debian` |

YUL-1 is the primary production region. Use YOW-1 for development and testing; YOW-1 is not recommended for production workloads. Availability is region-specific. Confirm the target region and release in the portal before automating deployment. The portal is the final check if catalog configuration and deployment state change at different times.

![ZCP portal showing Debian 13 (Trixie) and Debian 12 (Bookworm) in the image selector](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/_astro/debian-versions-portal.BBpRoKcH_XpjyL.webp)

## Requirements and Sizing

The smallest configured general-purpose plans provide a starting point for a basic Debian VM:

| Region | Plan | CPU | Memory | Storage tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `yow-1` | `ci1c.xs` | 1 vCPU | 1 GiB | `b1.g1` |
| `yul-1` | `ca2c.xs` | 1 vCPU | 1 GiB | `b2.g1` |

The root disk is chosen when you create the instance. The minimum is the template size. A 40 GiB root disk leaves room for the base image, package metadata, cloud-init work, logs, and normal system updates. Add capacity for application packages, databases, monitoring agents, backups, and concurrency. Check the [instance types](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/compute/instance-types) and [ZCP pricing page](https://zcp.zsoftly.ca/pricing) for current plan availability and pricing.

## Best Practices

- Pin the Debian release and region in infrastructure code.
- Use SSH keys and the `debian` account with least privilege. Do not share administrative credentials.
- Make cloud-init configuration idempotent and verify first-boot completion.
- Apply patches through Debian’s official repositories.
- Configure firewall rules, backups or snapshots, monitoring, and disk-space alerts before exposing an application.
- Separate operating-system and application data when the workload, backup plan, or recovery process benefits from it.

## Official References

- [Debian Cloud](https://wiki.debian.org/Cloud)
- [Debian Cloud Image Lifecycle](https://wiki.debian.org/Cloud/ImageLifecycle)
- [Debian Official Images](https://wiki.debian.org/Teams/DPL/OfficialImages)
- [Debian Cloud Images](https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/)
- [cloud-init](https://cloud-init.io/)

## Supported Alternatives

Use an image listed in the current [OS image catalog](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/operating-systems/):

- [Ubuntu](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/operating-systems/ubuntu/): 26.04, 24.04, 22.04, or 20.04 LTS
- [Rocky Linux](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/operating-systems/rocky-linux/): 9
- [AlmaLinux](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/operating-systems/alma-linux/): 9
- [Oracle Linux](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/operating-systems/oracle-linux/): 9