Debian 14 "Forky"
About the next Debian
Debian 14 has the development codename Forky and is currently in the testing phase, under active development. This page summarizes Forky's current status, expected release timing, and how to try it early. The current stable release is still Debian 13 (Trixie).
📌 Quick Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Version | Debian 14 |
| Codename | Forky (a character from Toy Story 4) |
| Current status | testing (in development) |
| testing branch opened | 2025-08-13 (shortly after Trixie's release) |
| Expected release | Around 2027 (no fixed date) |
| Based on | Evolved from the Debian 13 (Trixie) codebase |
⚠️ Forky has not been released and is not suitable for production. The information below will change as development progresses.
🧭 What is "Forky"?
Following Debian tradition, every release is named after a character from Toy Story. Forky, a character from Toy Story 4, will be the codename for Debian 14.
Debian 14 is currently Debian's testing distribution: after Debian 13 (Trixie) was released as stable on August 9, 2025, the testing branch was reinitialized under the Forky codename (2025-08-13). Packages from unstable (Sid) migrate automatically into testing once they meet certain criteria.
🗓️ Release Timeline
Debian does not use fixed release dates — it ships "when it's ready." Based on the roughly two-year cadence of recent stable releases, Debian 14 is expected around 2027.
Before the official release, Debian typically goes through several freeze stages that progressively restrict what can enter testing, stabilizing the upcoming release:
- Milestone / transition freeze — large library transitions stop
- Soft freeze — no new packages accepted
- Hard freeze — only fixes for critical bugs allowed
- Full freeze — final stabilization before release
So far, Debian has not announced specific freeze or release dates for Forky. Refer to the official release.debian.org for the latest.
🔍 How to Follow Progress
- Release status: release.debian.org
- Official release info page: Debian "forky" Release Information
- Draft release notes: Forky Release Notes
- Release-critical (RC) bugs: Release-critical bug list
- Development announcements: debian-devel-announce
🧪 Want to Try It Early?
If you'd like to preview Debian 14, you can install the testing distribution. Keep in mind:
- testing is not covered by the Debian Security Team with timely security updates — use stable Debian 13 (Trixie) if you need security guarantees.
- Packages change frequently and occasional temporary breakage can occur.
- Only run it on test machines, virtual machines, or non-critical environments.
Advice for beginners
If you're new to Debian or running it for daily/production use, stay on Debian 13 (Trixie). Upgrading after Debian 14 is officially released — and once its first point update (e.g. 14.1) appears — is the safer path.