Listed below is a list of recent distributions for Debian, Ubuntu, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the corresponding Python version that ships with each version.
I created this because while Python 3.10 introduced some awesome features, most distros do not ship with 3.10 and as such cannot make use of them.
At the time of this publishing, using Python 3.6 will ensure full compatibility with currently supported distributions, with Python 3.9 being safe for all latest-release distros.
Update September 2025 - RHEL 8.x is still supported until 2029 and ships with 3.6, but many businesses have switched to RHEL 9.x which ships with Python 3.9. If targeting only Debian/Ubuntu, Python 3.10 is safe to use.
| Distro | Codename | V# | Release | EOL | Python |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | Lenny | 5 | 2009-02-14 | 2012-02-06 | 2.5 |
| Debian | Squeeze | 6 | 2011-02-06 | 2016-02-29 | 3.1 |
| Debian | Wheezy | 7 | 2013-05-04 | 2018-05-31 | 3.2 |
| Debian | Jessie | 8 | 2015-04-25 | 2020-06-30 | 3.4 |
| Debian | Stretch | 9 | 2017-06-17 | 2022-07-01 | 3.5 |
| Debian | Buster | 10 | 2019-07-06 | 2024-06-30 | 3.7 |
| Debian | Bullseye | 11 | 2021-08-14 | 2024-08-14 | 3.9 |
| Debian | Bookworm | 12 | 2023-06-10 | 2026-06-10 | 3.11 |
| Debian | Trixie | 13 | 2025-08-09 | 2028-08-09 | 3.13 |
| Debian | Forky | 14 | N/A | N/A | 3.13 |
| Debian | Duke | 15 | N/A | N/A | 3.13 |
| Ubuntu | Trusty | 14.04 | 2014-04-17 | 2019-04 | 3.4 |
| Ubuntu | Xenial | 16.04 | 2016-04-21 | 2021-04 | 3.5 |
| Ubuntu | Bionic | 18.04 | 2018-04-26 | 2023-06-01 | 3.6 |
| Ubuntu | Focal | 20.04 | 2020-04-23 | 2025-04-01 | 3.8 |
| Ubuntu | Jammy | 22.04 | 2022-04-21 | 2027-04-01 | 3.10 |
| Ubuntu | Kinetic | 22.10 | 2022-10-20 | 2023-07-01 | 3.10 |
| Ubuntu | Lunar | 23.04 | 2023-04-20 | 2024-01-01 | 3.11 |
| Ubuntu | Mantic | 23.10 | 2023-10-12 | 2024-07-11 | N/A |
| Ubuntu | Noble | 24.04 | 2024-04-25 | 2029-06 | 3.12 |
| Ubuntu | Oracular | 24.10 | 2024-10-10 | 2025-07-10 | 3.12 |
| Ubuntu | Plucky | 25.04 | 2025-04-17 | 2026-01 | 3.13 |
| Ubuntu | Questing | 25.10 | 2025-10-09 | 2026-07 | 3.13 |
| RHEL | Maipo | 7.x | 2014-06-10 | 2024-07-01 | 3.6 |
| RHEL | Ootpa | 8.x | 2019-05-07 | 2029 | 3.6 |
| RHEL | Plow | 9.x | 2022-05-17 | 2032 | 3.9 |
| RHEL | Coughlan | 10.x | 2025-05-20 | 2035 | 3.12 |
| FreeBSD | 12.4 | 2022-12-05 | 2023-12-31 | ||
| FreeBSD | 13.1 | 2022-05-16 | 2023-07-31 | 3.9 | |
| FreeBSD | 13.2 | 2023-04-11 | 2024-06-30 | ||
| FreeBSD | 13.3 | 2024-03-05 | 2024-12-31 | ||
| FreeBSD | 13.4 | 2024-09-17 | 2025-06-30 | ||
| FreeBSD | 13.5 | 2025-03-11 | 2026-04-30 | ||
| FreeBSD | 14.0 | 2023-10-23 | 2024-09-30 | 3.11 | |
| FreeBSD | 14.1 | 2024-06-04 | 2025-03-31 | ||
| FreeBSD | 14.2 | 2024-12-03 | 2025-09-30 | ||
| FreeBSD | 14.3 | 2025-06-10 | 2026-06-30 |