Tested Runtimes for 2026.2 (Hibiscus)

Linux Distribution

At the start of the 2026.2 development cycle, the current LTS or stable distribution versions are:

  • Ubuntu 24.04

  • Debian 13

Additional testing for a smooth upgrade

  • None

Python

It is the policy that each OpenStack release cycle will target the latest available version of Python; default Python runtime on the distributions listed above; and versions used in integration tests at the start of the cycle, at least until the point when all projects have migrated to a later version.

Also, as per the Python testing requirements defined in Project Testing Interface: Python, projects should avoid removing Python versions that have not reached EOL without a solid reason.

Based on the criteria above, all Python-based projects must target and test against, at a minimum:

  • Python 3.11

    Python 3.11 is the minimum supported/required version for 2026.2. Supporting Python 3.11 does not require full tempest testing, but py311 unit tests are expected as a minimum requirement for all Python projects. The minimal requirement for testing jobs against Python versions above is to ensure language compatibility, having more extensive testing is allowed.

  • Python 3.12 (available as default in Ubuntu 24.04)

    Python 3.12 is the default Python version on Ubuntu 24.04, a tested distribution. Running dedicated Python 3.12 unit test jobs is not required since tempest jobs on Ubuntu 24.04 provide functional testing coverage for this version. Periodic-only unit test jobs should be enough to complement this.

  • Python 3.13 (available as default in Debian 13)

    This is the upper bound of required testing for 2026.2.

  • Python 3.14 (available as default in Ubuntu 26.04)

    Python 3.14 was released in October 2025 and is the default Python version in Ubuntu 26.04, which releases during the Hibiscus development cycle. Testing with Python 3.14 is not yet mandatory for the 2026.2 release.

    Warning

    Project teams are strongly encouraged to prioritize testing with Python 3.14 in this cycle. A prudent approach is to begin with linting and unit test jobs, and then extend testing to end-to-end jobs that exercise tempest tests. Any incompatibilities with Python 3.14 should be identified and addressed as early as possible. In a future release, functional and end-to-end test jobs could default to running on Python 3.14 deployments.

More details on Python requirements can be found in Project Testing Interface: Python.

Advance/Unstable Testing

The below list is for the distribution/python advance or unstable versions to test them in OpenStack CI/CD. These may not be part of integrated testing and may be tested as non-blockers or periodically only. The main idea is to test them in advance to be part of integrated testing in future cycles.

Based on their testing infra setup, instability, or their future releases, we can modify the list during any phase of the current development cycle.

  • Ubuntu 26.04

    Ubuntu 26.04 releases on April 23, 2026, a few weeks into the Hibiscus development cycle. It ships Python 3.14 as the default Python version, providing functional testing coverage on the latest upstream-supported version of Python on the latest Ubuntu LTS.

  • CentOS Stream 10

  • Rocky Linux 10

  • AlmaLinux 10

    AlmaLinux 10’s continued support for x86_64_v2 makes it a compelling option for project teams due to greater CI node availability. We may need to work through additional packaging deficiencies occasionally. We do not expect any other major differences between these Enterprise Linux distributions. Project teams can make a choice based on their needs.