openSUSE Leap or Tumbleweed? Download the Right Edition
openSUSE (Leap and Tumbleweed)
Developer: openSUSE Project (opens in a new tab)
The download link points to the program’s official source; the file is not hosted on this site. Link address: get.opensuse.org
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openSUSE is a free, open-source Linux distribution from the openSUSE Project. Leap 16.0 builds on SUSE Linux Enterprise sources with 24 months of support; Tumbleweed is continuously updated. Leap needs a 2 GHz dual-core x86-64-v2 CPU, 2 GB of RAM and 40 GB of disk.
openSUSE is a mature community distribution with strong system tools and two very different editions. Choosing between them is the main decision.
Leap or Tumbleweed?
- Leap 16.0 combines source from SUSE Linux Enterprise with community packages. Each release gets 24 months of support, which suits workstations and servers that should change slowly.
- Tumbleweed is continuously updated: you install it once and keep receiving new versions of the kernel, desktop and apps, instead of upgrading every few months.
Both use Agama, the new installer.
Images
For Tumbleweed on x86_64, there is an offline image (about 4.4 GiB) with most packages included, and a small network image (about 399 MiB) that downloads packages during installation. Leap offers installer ISOs for x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le and s390x, plus ready-made VM and Raspberry Pi images.
Requirements (Leap 16.0)
A 2 GHz dual-core processor or better (on x86_64, microarchitecture level x86-64-v2 or higher), 2 GB of RAM plus your workload, more than 40 GB of free disk space, a DVD drive or USB port and, for the network installer, internet access.
Verify the download
Every ISO has a SHA256 checksum file and a signature file. Check the hash with sha256sum and the signature with gpgv; the signing key fingerprint published by openSUSE is AD48 5664 E901 B867 051A B15F 35A2 F86E 29B7 00A4.
Write the USB
Rufus and Ventoy both handle the ISO on Windows. Back up existing data before installing, especially on a shared disk.
Pros
- Choice of stable Leap or continuously updated Tumbleweed
- Signed checksums for every ISO
- Images for many architectures
Cons
- Two editions can confuse newcomers
- Leap needs an x86-64-v2 processor on PCs
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is openSUSE Leap 16.0 supported?
The official page lists an extended support period of 24 months for Leap 16.0.
Which Tumbleweed image should I download?
The offline image installs without a network connection; the much smaller network image is recommended for limited bandwidth but downloads packages during installation.
openSUSE (Leap and Tumbleweed)Open source
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