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Debian 12 'Bookworm' vs. Debian 13 'Trixie' - What's the Difference and How to Upgrade

Explore the key differences between Debian 12 "Bookworm" and the new Debian 13 "Trixie," from updated packages to new security features. Our guide walks you through the upgrade process step-by-step.

Publish date: 9/10/2025

For years, Debian has been a cornerstone of the Linux ecosystem--reliable, steady, and deeply committed to free software. Every release brings fresh packages, useful features, and important security updates that developers, system administrators, and more, can count on.

The jump from Debian 12 "Bookworm" to Debian 13 "Trixie" is no different. Trixie packs in major version upgrades, adds official support for a new architecture, and includes plenty of behind-the-scenes improvements to make things smoother all around.

In this article, we'll walk through what's new in Debian 13 and show you, step by step, how to upgrade from Debian 12. Let's dive in.

What’s new in Debian 13

Debian 13 "Trixie" introduces significant updates across the board. While Bookworm remains a solid and stable choice, Trixie offers the latest software and hardware support.

Fun fact: Debian releases are named after Toy Story characters. Trixie is the toy dinosaur from Toy Story 3.

Supported architectures

Debian continues its tradition of supporting a wide range of hardware. Trixie officially supports the following architectures:

  • 64-bit PC (amd64)
  • 64-bit ARM (arm64)
  • ARM EABI (armel)
  • ARMv7 (armhf)
  • 64-bit little-endian PowerPC (ppc64el)
  • IBM System z (s390x)
  • 64-bit little-endian RISC-V (riscv64).

Key software and desktop environment updates

Trixie comes with a massive refresh of its software repositories. The distribution includes over 14,000 new packages, bringing the total to nearly 70,000. Over 63% of the packages from Bookworm have been updated.

Some of the most significant upgrades include:

  • Linux Kernel: Jumps from the 6.1 series to the 6.12 series
  • GNOME: Upgraded to version 48
  • KDE Plasma: A major leap from Plasma 5 to Plasma 6.3
  • LibreOffice: Updated to version 25
  • Python 3: Now at version 3.13 (from 3.11)
  • PHP: Upgraded to version 8.4 (from 8.2)
  • PostgreSQL: Now at version 17 (from 15)
  • OpenSSL: Moves from 3.0 to 3.5

Security and system improvements

Beyond package updates, Trixie introduces several foundational improvements:

  • Security hardening: On amd64 and arm64 systems, Trixie adds features to mitigate common exploit techniques like Return-Oriented Programming (ROP). These protections are enabled automatically on supported hardware.
  • 64-bit time_t: All architectures (except the legacy i386) now use a 64-bit time_t, which prevents the "Year 2038" problem, where systems might fail to handle dates beyond January 19, 2038.
  • HTTP boot support: The installer and live images can now be booted directly over a network using HTTP, simplifying deployment on supported firmware.
  • curl with HTTP/3: The curl command-line tool and its library libcurl now support the modern HTTP/3 protocol for faster and more reliable web requests.

So, is it worth the upgrade?

In a nutshell, Debian 13 "Trixie" is all about getting you access to more modern software. You're getting a newer Linux kernel, major updates to desktop environments like the jump to Plasma 6, and fresh versions of essential tools like Python, PHP, and PostgreSQL. On top of that, it introduces official support for the RISC-V hardware architecture and brings in some nice security and system-level improvements, like the fix for the "Year 2038" bug.

So, should you make the leap? It really depends on your needs. If you're a developer, a desktop user, or someone who likes to have the latest features and performance improvements, then upgrading is a great idea. Access to newer libraries and tools can make a big difference.

However, if you're managing a critical server that's running perfectly on Bookworm, there's no immediate rush. Debian 12 will continue to receive security support for years, and its stability is rock-solid. The old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," can be a wise approach for production systems.

Ultimately, Trixie is for those who want the latest and greatest from the Debian project, while Bookworm remains the go-to for long-term, predictable stability. Bookworm will still be supported until June 30, 2028.

How to upgrade from Debian 12 to 13

Upgrading a Debian system is a pretty straightforward process. However, the official upgrade path is only supported from one stable release to the next, so you must be running Debian 12 "Bookworm" to upgrade to Debian 13 "Trixie."

Step 1: Prepare for the upgrade

Before you begin, preparation is key. A mistake here could lead to a broken system.

Back up your data

First and foremost, make a full backup of your system. While the upgrade process is reliable, a hardware failure or unexpected conflict could cause problems. At a minimum, back up critical configuration files and user data:

  • The contents of /etc
  • The contents of /var/lib/dpkg
  • The output of dpkg --get-selections '*'

Update your current system

Make sure your Bookworm system is fully up-to-date. Run the following commands to install the latest point release updates:

# Update package lists
sudo apt update

# Install available upgrades
sudo apt upgrade

# Handle any remaining dependency changes
sudo apt full-upgrade

# Remove old, unused packages
sudo apt autoremove

Clean up the package database

It's a good idea to remove any third-party repositories or backports from your APT sources for the upgrade. These can introduce conflicting packages.

  1. Check for non-Debian packages: You can find packages not from the official Debian repositories with this command: apt list '?narrow(?installed, ?not(?origin(Debian)))'
  2. Remove unofficial sources: Disable or remove any extra .list or .sources files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ that point to unofficial or backports archives.
  3. Check for held packages: Make sure no packages are on hold, as this can block the upgrade: apt-mark showhold. If any packages are listed, unhold them with sudo apt-mark unhold package_name.

Step 2: Update your APT sources

Next, you need to tell APT to fetch packages from the "Trixie" repositories instead of "Bookworm."

Edit your main sources file, /etc/apt/sources.list, and any files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. Replace every occurrence of bookworm with trixie. If a line refers to stable, you can leave it, as stable will point to trixie after its release:

sudo sed -i 's/bookworm/trixie/g' /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.{list,sources} 2>/dev/null

Here is an example of what your /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources file might look like for Trixie:

Types: deb
URIs: https://deb.debian.org/debian
Suites: trixie trixie-updates trixie-backports
Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

Types: deb
URIs: https://security.debian.org/debian-security
Suites: trixie-security
Components: main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

Note: You can use nano to edit the sources file.

Step 3: Run the upgrade

With your sources updated, you can now begin the upgrade process. It's best to do this in two phases: a minimal upgrade and then the full upgrade.

  1. Update package information from the new Trixie repositories:
sudo apt update
  1. Perform a minimal system upgrade: This step upgrades the core packages with the fewest conflicts possible.
sudo apt upgrade

You'll be shown a list of packages to be upgraded. Review it carefully and press Y to continue. You may be prompted to restart services automatically during the upgrade; it's generally safe to say yes.

  1. Perform the full system upgrade: This step handles the remaining packages, installing new dependencies and removing obsolete ones.
sudo apt full-upgrade

This is the main part of the upgrade. It will likely take some time, depending on your internet connection and the number of packages installed. Pay close attention to any configuration prompts.

Step 4: Clean up and reboot

Once the full-upgrade is complete, the hard part is over.

  1. Remove obsolete packages: The upgrade may leave behind old packages that are no longer needed. You can remove them with:
sudo apt autoremove
  1. Reboot your system: The upgrade almost certainly included a new kernel, so a reboot is necessary to start using it.
sudo reboot

After rebooting, verify your new version with cat /etc/debian_version. It should show version 13.0 or higher. Congratulations, you're now running Debian 13 "Trixie"!

Conclusion

Debian 13 "Trixie" is a solid addition to the long list of Debian releases. While it's not yet urgent to update since Debian 12 "Bookworm" is still supported at the time of writing this article (until the end of June, 2028), it's not too difficult to upgrade and it's something you'll have to do sooner or later anyway. Why not give it a go?

Note: xTom is officially a proud sponsor of the Debian project and provides several free mirrors around the world. For quick downloads, see our list of mirrors available here.

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Frequently asked questions about upgrading Debian

Is it safe to upgrade from Bookworm to Trixie?

Yes, as long as you follow the official upgrade path and properly prepare your system. This means starting from an up-to-date Debian 12 system, backing up your data, and removing third-party repositories before you begin.

How long will the upgrade take?

The duration depends on your internet speed, your system's performance, and the number of packages you have installed. It can range from 5 minutes to several hours. It's best to run the upgrade in a screen or tmux session, especially if you're connected remotely, to prevent the process from being interrupted.

What should I do if the upgrade fails?

If you encounter issues, don't panic. The APT package manager is quite resilient. Often, running sudo apt -f install can fix broken dependencies. If the system fails to boot, you can use the rescue mode from a Debian installation image to access your system and troubleshoot.

Will my user data in /home be affected?

The upgrade process itself doesn't touch user data in /home. However, some applications may update their configuration files in your home directory the first time you run them, potentially changing your settings. It's a good practice to back up any important "dotfiles" (hidden configuration files) just in case.

Tags:#debian#linux#bookworm#trixie#system administration#upgrade#server management