Reliable environment has supported secure analytics workflows and reduced maintenance effort
What is our primary use case?
My main use case is running data analysis scripts, managing databases, scheduling jobs, and supporting analytic pipelines. Debian provides a clean and stable environment for Python, SQL, and other data tools. I use Debian to run Python scripts, manage data files, connect to databases, and schedule jobs using Cron. It is also used for hosting analytics tools and internal dashboards.
The deployment was on cloud infrastructure through AWS. I use it on public cloud infrastructure and mainly deployed it on servers in my organization, depending on the use cases. For data analytics workloads, Debian provides a stable and secure environment for running scripts, databases, or scheduling jobs. The deployment is flexible and works well across different environments.
What is most valuable?
Debian provides many features, with the best being its stability, security, and package management using APT. Once configured, Debian runs smoothly for long periods.
Package management is very easy, as I only need to install packages using sudo apt install or other commands. Debian's package management is one of the greatest features because it uses APT, which makes installing, updating, and managing software very simple and reliable. As a data analyst, I regularly use it to install Python, data libraries, database clients, and system tools.
The overall impact has been very positive because it provides stability, scalability, and all the requirements I need. Debian has improved system stability and reduced maintenance effort, allowing the system to run longer without any issues. Analytics workflows are more predictable and stable. In terms of security and stability, it definitely helps, and it has improved the complexity in my workflow. Overall, it saves my time.
What needs improvement?
One area where Debian can improve is around newer packages. Sometimes the default repositories have older versions of tools, which can be a limitation for data analytics work. Improving access to newer packages or making backports easier to use would help. A slightly more user-friendly initial setup and better guided onboarding for new users could make Debian more accessible.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Debian for over a year now as part of my analytics and development environment. It is mainly used on servers and sometimes on a local machine for data processing tasks.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Debian is very stable, which is why I chose it. Compared to other operating systems, Debian is extremely stable in my experience. Once the system is set up, it runs for long periods without crashes or unexpected issues. This is very important for data analytics workloads where scripts, batch jobs, and scheduled processes need to run reliably. The updates are well-tested, so they rarely cause problems, which gives me confidence in using Debian in production. It provides better stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Debian is highly scalable in my experience. It works well for small setups and scales smoothly as workloads grow. On AWS, I can easily increase compute or storage resources, and Debian continues to perform reliably with more data, users, and scheduled jobs. This makes it suitable for growing analytics pipelines and production environments. Debian scales very well and handles increasing data volumes and workloads without any performance issues.
How are customer service and support?
I do not need any special customer support for it, as it does not have traditional vendor support since it is open source. However, the community support is very strong, with extensive documentation, forums, and detailed guides available. In my experience, most issues can be resolved quickly using community resources. For organizations that need it, third-party paid support options are also available, but I mostly use the documentation to resolve any issues.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Debian, I used Ubuntu because I was very familiar with it. I chose Debian over Ubuntu mainly because of its long-term stability and predictable behavior. For data analytic workloads, especially on servers, stability is more important than having the latest software version. Debian updates are conservative and well-tested, which reduces the risk of breaking analytics pipelines. It also has a smaller footprint.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup process of Debian does not have a user-friendly experience, and a better guided onboarding for new users could make Debian more accessible.
What was our ROI?
Debian is open source, so there are no licensing costs. Combined with the reduced downtime, it provides a very good return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For pricing, I do not have a proper understanding because my seniors handled it. However, Debian is completely free and open source, so there are no licensing or subscription costs. This has been a big advantage for my organization, especially for analytics workloads running on AWS. The costs incurred are for infrastructure, such as AWS, not for Debian itself. Overall, this makes Debian very cost-effective.
What other advice do I have?
My advice would be to choose Debian if stability is a priority. Spend some time on the initial setup and security configuration, as that will pay off later. Make good use of APT package management, automation, and community documentation. For data analytics workloads, Debian works best when you keep the system lean and well-maintained. I would rate this product nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Top-Notch Security and Unmatched Stability for Everything from Coding to VAPT
What do you like best about the product?
The security features are top-notch. Just keep it updated, and it will work smoothly for months—if not years. The stability is unmatched. We can do whatever we need on it, whether that’s coding, browsing, or even VAPT when required.
What do you dislike about the product?
Nothing major—just a bit less polished out of the box.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It’s great for setting up a server that’s reliable and stable.
Rock-Solid Stability and Security for Servers
What do you like best about the product?
I use Debian mainly for servers and development environments because it’s extremely stable, secure, and reliable. I appreciate its rock-solid stability and reliability, and I find it well suited for hosting web services, running databases, and testing applications where long-term consistency and minimal downtime are important. The strict testing process, long-term support, and strong focus on security make it a dependable choice. I also like how it solves issues around system instability and unexpected updates by offering a stable, predictable environment. For setup, the guided installer made things fairly straightforward, handling disk partitioning, networking, and base package selection smoothly, making it easy to get a stable system up and running with minimal issues.
What do you dislike about the product?
One drawback of Debian is that it often ships with older software versions, which can be limiting if you need the latest features or hardware support. The release cycle is also slower, and some newer devices may require extra configuration or backports to work smoothly.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Debian for servers and development because it's stable, secure, and reliable. It solves system instability issues, reduces maintenance effort, and minimizes downtime with its predictable environment and long-term support.
Reliable, Open-Source with Package Management Excellence
What do you like best about the product?
I like using Debian mainly for my servers, especially for deployment. It solves my software instability and package management problems effectively. I appreciate that it's 100 percent free, highly reliable, and has great hardware compatibility. Debian is open-source, so I can inspect every line of code, and it's community-driven. Once configured, Debian remains stable day-to-day with only security patches applied. I value the long-term support, providing five years of stable release support. Debian's package manager is the best, and I find the flexibility in installation methods very beneficial. I also like how it provides a leaner system with lower RAM usage, faster boot times, and fewer background processes, compared to what I was using before.
What do you dislike about the product?
I don't like that Debian mostly has outdated software versions, which can be a hassle. Also, modern hardware compatibility isn't great. The static bug fixes can be annoying, and the documentation could be improved.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Debian to solve software instability and package management issues. It's 100% free and reliable, supports older hardware, and provides a leaner system with lower RAM usage and faster boot time.
Server pipelines have become smoother and package vulnerabilities are handled efficiently
What is our primary use case?
My main use case is about server handling, creating pipelines, and maintaining Docker images that have been used in the DevOps field.
The work involves going into the server, running APT updates, maintaining the packages that are there, and checking all vulnerabilities that exist. I then fix those vulnerabilities using different packages, upgrade those packages, and install new packages as needed.
What is most valuable?
Debian functions as an umbrella where you will find all those packages that are available for Ubuntu as well as for different operating systems. I feel that Debian is one of the origins from which it all started, so contributing to it makes me feel special.
Debian has impacted my work significantly. All the upstream servers are on Ubuntu or Debian and I have to fix issues on them. That is what I have been working on.
Debian always provides zero downtime because all that is needed is to run pseudo APT upgrade and it fixes NGINX or the other packages that need to be fixed. It is straightforward to be used because APT is available for that purpose. APT produces Python packages as well as Node packages, and I just need to install them from there rather than having multiple sources.
What needs improvement?
I feel Debian contributors could receive a stipend. It is open source, but monetary support is always needed.
Because there is always a chance to improve things, I believe there is room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in my current field for the past six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
How are customer service and support?
Customer support for Debian is very high because everyone is an open-source contributor and there are many people supporting it.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have evaluated Alpine images as well as yum packages and RHEL, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but I felt Debian was better.
How was the initial setup?
There was nothing difficult about the initial setup.
What about the implementation team?
There was nothing difficult about the implementation team requirements.
What was our ROI?
There were no significant ROI concerns.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing and setup cost were straightforward from Amazon Web Services. I just needed to deploy it and everything worked out.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
There were no alternate solutions that I needed to consider.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Exceptionally Stable and Reliable Experience with Debian
What do you like best about the product?
I like Debian because it is very stable and reliable.
What do you dislike about the product?
It may sometimes get slow to get new software because it prioritizes stability over new features
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It give me a stable secure system .so that i spend more time on work rather than fixing issues
Long-term platform has supported embedded work yet needs fresher packages and simpler sudo setup
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for
Debian is as an everyday workhorse, and I provide
Debian to some customers for embedded and non-embedded hardware.
For my work and for my customers, I use Debian to cross-build for some other ARM devices that are used for Gilbarco, which are used in many US gas stations to provide fuel to cars. I bought some QEMU to allow developers to run the ARM on computers. I installed Debian on every i.MX8 device, and I think there are thousands in the US market, plus some other thousands worldwide.
Regarding my use case and interesting projects, I recently used Debian for Amazon and then for some other GitHub actions, still as a QEMU.
What is most valuable?
The best features Debian offers are that it is fast, simple, and long-term supported.
That long-term support has helped me and my customers by being stable and running well. Debian has positively impacted my organization and my customers.
What needs improvement?
To improve Debian, the frozen, stable versions need to be more updated, and probably rolling updates like Fedora is doing would be a good idea.
Regarding needed improvements, I think sudo and the way sudo is configured, with visudo required, would help many newcomers to Debian because the learning curve on the configuration might have some challenges in the way it is done.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Debian for twenty years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
That long-term support has helped me and my customers by being stable and running well.
About the features of Debian, of course, it is a slow distribution like many others. The setup is fast and efficient, but it is not doing much. I am an embedded developer and a Linux developer, so I am happy with that. I can customize more, but then the hardware support and the packages are old. However, I am looking for stability, so old probably means stable, but it is not for every user.
How was the initial setup?
My advice to others looking into using Debian is to not step out from the initial configuration. It might be hard, but you will learn something, and then everything will work.
What other advice do I have?
I think that sometimes while I am speaking, you say thanks because you think I have ended my speech or my phrase, and then it is not so smooth. I would rate this review as providing comprehensive feedback on my experience with Debian.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
