CircleCI Linux VM images support policy

This document outlines the CircleCI Linux VM (machine) image release, update, and deprecation policy. This policy applies to all CircleCI Linux VM (machine) images built for the machine executor. Note that there is a separate CUDA Image Support Policy.

The CircleCI Linux VM images are all based on Ubuntu. We support both ARM64 and AMD64 architectures.

We aim to maintain and support Ubuntu LTS versions in line with Canonical’s support lifecycle.

Gen2 resource classes are available for the machine executor on CircleCI Cloud. The gen2 support policy covers the following Ubuntu LTS versions:

Gen2 resource classes are not available on CircleCI Server.

Set tags in your CircleCI configuration file when specifying the image to use. Tags we support for this image are as follows:

We always aim to release a version of this image every three months. We provide these tags on all versions we support.

When vendors disclose critical CVEs around the operating system or software stack of this image, we investigate the impact on the image within the CircleCI execution environment. If these CVEs affect customers, we push a patch fix to the released image(s). This new image supersedes the original.

You can file a support ticket with CircleCI Support for any issues or bugs found with the Linux VM images. Our support team can escalate issues internally to the correct engineering team and provide updates on the issue.

Image lifespan follows Canonical’s Ubuntu LTS support lifecycle. Canonical provides 5 years of standard security maintenance for each LTS release. When Canonical ends support for an Ubuntu LTS version, we begin the deprecation and removal process for the corresponding CircleCI image. Deprecation ties to Canonical’s EOL dates, so it does not always align with a new Ubuntu LTS release.

Current support status:

Example: When Canonical ends support for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (2027)

When we select an image for deprecation and removal, we post an announcement on our Discuss forum, along with additional outreach where possible.

We also plan brownouts to ensure users are aware of the approaching removal of deprecated images. Generally, we aim to start an EOL process within 3 months of Canonical’s EOL date for the affected version.

At any time, we reserve the right to work outside of the information in this document if the circumstances require. If we need to make an exception to the policy, we aim to provide as much notice and clarity as possible. In these cases, we post an announcement on our Discuss Forum. We also provide additional outreach such as an email notice where possible.