Announcement

Panelica Now Officially Supports Ubuntu 26.04 LTS — Resolute Raccoon Ready

April 25, 2026

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Announcement April 25, 2026

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon" was released today, April 24, 2026 — and Panelica is officially compatible from day one. We ran a full installation and verification pass on a fresh Ubuntu 26.04 LTS environment, and every component cleared. If you are planning to deploy new servers on the latest Ubuntu LTS, Panelica is ready.

What Is Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon"?

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is Canonical's latest long-term support release, following Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat." The "LTS" designation means it receives five years of standard security maintenance (until April 2031) and ten years under the Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) program (until April 2036).

Key upgrades in Ubuntu 26.04 that matter to anyone running production servers:

  • Linux Kernel 7.0 — Updated hardware support, improved cgroups v2 scheduler behavior, and better performance for containerized workloads.
  • OpenSSL 3.5.6 with post-quantum cryptography — Includes ML-KEM (Kyber) and ML-DSA (Dilithium) algorithm support, aligning with NIST post-quantum standards.
  • OpenSSH 10.2 — Post-quantum key exchange enabled by default, improved audit logging, stricter host key verification defaults.
  • PostgreSQL 18 — Available in the default Ubuntu repositories for the first time; includes improved query planning, logical replication enhancements, and native MERGE improvements.
  • MySQL 8.4 — The current LTS branch of MySQL, shipping as the default database server.
  • PHP 8.5 — The latest PHP version, with improved JIT performance and updated type system features.
  • Support timeline: 5-year standard (April 2031) + 10-year ESM (April 2036).

For hosting providers and sysadmins, the LTS label is the deciding factor. You want a base that stays stable and patched for years without requiring an OS-level migration every six months. Ubuntu 26.04 LTS gives you that runway.

The full Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release notes are available at the official Ubuntu release page.

Why LTS Compatibility Matters for Hosting Providers and Sysadmins

When you provision a new server — whether it is a VPS at Hetzner, a dedicated machine at OVH, or a cloud instance on AWS — you want to start on solid ground. Choosing an LTS release over an interim release means:

  • Security patches for five to ten years without a disruptive OS upgrade mid-lifecycle.
  • Predictable package versions that your tooling can depend on.
  • A large support community, broad compatibility across third-party software, and Canonical commercial support availability.

For control panel software specifically, LTS compatibility is not optional — it is the minimum bar. If your panel does not support the new LTS on release day, you are stuck deploying on the previous version until it catches up, which can be weeks or months into the cycle.

Panelica supports Ubuntu 26.04 LTS on release day. There is no waiting period.

Panelica on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: What We Tested and Verified

We deployed a fresh Ubuntu 26.04 LTS installation and ran Panelica's standard installation procedure against it. The following systems were fully tested and verified as production-ready:

Installation

  • Full installation from tarball: Completes cleanly with zero post-install errors. All 20 managed services start successfully on first boot.
  • Install time: Under 3 minutes on a standard VPS, consistent with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS behavior.
  • Systemd integration: All service units register, enable, and start correctly under systemd on Kernel 7.0.

5-Layer Security Isolation System

Panelica's isolation architecture runs entirely in user space using Linux kernel primitives. All five isolation layers verified on Kernel 7.0:

  • Cgroups v2 — CPU, memory, I/O, and process limits per user enforced correctly under the updated cgroups v2 scheduler in Kernel 7.0.
  • Linux Namespaces (PID + Mount) — Per-user CageFS-style rootfs isolation functioning as expected.
  • SSH Chroot Jails — SFTP-only and bash+chroot modes both verified.
  • PHP-FPM Isolation — Per-user, per-version PHP-FPM pools with open_basedir and disable_functions running correctly.
  • Unix Permission Isolation — UID/GID assignment, home directory permissions, and file ownership enforcement working as expected.

Web Server Stack

  • Nginx — Panel proxy and customer-facing vhost generation, SSL termination, HTTP/2, all functioning correctly.
  • Apache — Customer-facing Apache vhosts verified, working alongside Nginx.
  • PHP-FPM 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 — All four PHP versions verified. Per-user pool isolation working, CLI wrappers functioning correctly with Panelica's custom PHP_INI_SCAN_DIR setup.

Database Engines

  • PostgreSQL 17 — Panelica's internal database engine, running cleanly on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. All 145+ schema tables, migrations, and seed operations verified.
  • MySQL 8 — Customer database engine operational, phpMyAdmin auto-login working, per-user database isolation confirmed.
  • Redis 7 — Session management, rate limiting, and bandwidth tracking all functional.

Mail System

  • Postfix + Dovecot — Full mail stack (SMTP, IMAP, POP3, IMAPS, POP3S) verified.
  • DKIM, SPF, DMARC — Automatic DNS record generation and signing working as expected.
  • Roundcube webmail — Deployed and accessible, authentication working correctly.

Security Stack

  • ModSecurity with OWASP Core Rule Set — WAF rules loading and enforcing correctly under Nginx.
  • Fail2ban — Log monitoring and IP banning functioning correctly.
  • nftables Firewall — Rule management working under Kernel 7.0. All rules apply and persist across reboots.
  • Security Advisor — All 50+ security checks running and returning accurate results.

Backup and Restore

  • Full server backup, per-user backup, and per-domain backup all completed successfully.
  • Remote backup destinations (SFTP, S3-compatible storage) verified.
  • Restore from backup completed cleanly with full data integrity.

SSL/TLS Automation

  • Let's Encrypt certificate issuance via HTTP-01 and DNS-01 challenges working correctly.
  • Automatic renewal scheduling functioning as expected.
  • Wildcard SSL via Cloudflare DNS API verified.

API Coverage

All 246 REST API endpoints were exercised during verification. No regressions observed. WebSocket connections for real-time terminal access and log streaming also verified.

How to Install Panelica on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

If you are provisioning a new server on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, installation is a single command:

curl -sSL https://latest.panelica.com/install.sh | bash

Requirements: A clean Ubuntu 26.04 LTS VPS or dedicated server with at least 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB disk space, and root access. The installer handles the rest — all 20 services configured and running in under three minutes. The panel is accessible at https://SERVER_IP:8443 immediately after installation.

A 14-day free trial is available with no credit card required and full access to every platform feature.

What About Existing Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Users?

If you are currently running Panelica on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat," there is no immediate action required. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS remains fully supported and under active security maintenance.

Canonical's standard upgrade path from 24.04 LTS to 26.04 LTS will be enabled after the first point release, Ubuntu 26.04.1, expected around July 2026. We will publish a tested, step-by-step upgrade guide at that point. Until then, the recommended approach for running Panelica on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is fresh provisioning on new servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Panelica compatible with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS?

Yes. Panelica is officially compatible with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon" from release day, April 24, 2026. The full platform — including all 20 managed services, the 5-layer security isolation system, and all 246 API endpoints — has been tested and verified on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.

When was Ubuntu 26.04 LTS released?

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS "Resolute Raccoon" was officially released on April 24, 2026.

What kernel version does Ubuntu 26.04 LTS use?

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS ships with Linux Kernel 7.0.

How long is Ubuntu 26.04 LTS supported?

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS receives five years of standard security maintenance until April 2031, and ten years of Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) via Ubuntu Pro until April 2036.

Does Panelica support cgroups v2 on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS?

Yes. Panelica's Layer 1 isolation uses cgroups v2 exclusively. Kernel 7.0's updated cgroups v2 scheduler in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS was verified as fully compatible during testing. All per-user CPU, memory, I/O, and process limits enforce correctly.

Can I upgrade from Ubuntu 24.04 to 26.04 with Panelica installed?

The in-place upgrade path will be available after Ubuntu 26.04.1 is released, expected around July 2026. We will publish a tested upgrade guide at that time. For now, fresh provisioning on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS is the recommended and fully supported path for new deployments.

What is the minimum server requirement to run Panelica on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS?

Minimum: 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB disk, root access on a clean Ubuntu 26.04 LTS installation. Most production deployments use 2+ cores and 4+ GB RAM for comfortable headroom.

How do I install a server control panel on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS?

With Panelica, run curl -sSL https://latest.panelica.com/install.sh | bash on a fresh Ubuntu 26.04 LTS server. The installer completes in under three minutes with no manual dependency setup required.

Is Panelica a good cPanel alternative on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS?

Yes. Panelica is purpose-built for modern Linux servers and supports Ubuntu 26.04 LTS from day one. Unlike traditional panels, Panelica ships with 5-layer per-user isolation, Docker management, multi-PHP support, and a full security stack included on every plan — no premium add-ons required.

Start with Panelica on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Today

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS marks the start of a new five-to-ten year server lifecycle for anyone provisioning today. Panelica is ready for it from day one. Whether you are migrating from a legacy panel, spinning up fresh infrastructure, or evaluating the best hosting control panel for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, the free trial gives you full platform access — no credit card, no locked features, no plugin marketplace.

Install in under three minutes and see what a server panel built from scratch in 2024 looks like on the latest Ubuntu LTS.

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