Ubuntu server vs desktop whats the difference explained

huong dan thiet lap ubuntu destop GUI. Cai dat he thong cho phep su dung giao dien GUI tren may ubuntu server sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

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10/13/2021 Ubuntu Server vs Desktop: What's the Difference? [Explained]

It's FOSS

Ubuntu Server vs Desktop: What’s the Di erence?

Last updated August 31, 2021 By Abhishek Prakash (https://itsfoss.com/author/abhishek/)

When you click on the download button on the Ubuntu website (https://ubuntu.com/), it givesyou a few options Two of them are Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server

This could confuse new users Why are there two (actually 4 of them)? Which one should be

downloaded? Ubuntu desktop or server? Are they the same? What is the di erence?

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Ubuntu website gives you multiple options

I am going to explain the di erence between the desktop and server editions of Ubuntu I’ll

also explain which variant you should be using

Ubuntu desktop vs Ubuntu server

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Ubuntu desktop and server illustartion

To understand the di erence between Ubuntu desktop and server, you should understand the

di erence between a desktop and a server operating system

Desktop

A desktop is referred to a personal computer A desktop operating system comes with a

graphical user interface so that the users can use their mouse and keyboard The primary

purpose of a desktop is to give you a system that can be used for web browsing, document

editing, viewing/editing pictures and videos, coding and gaming Basically, a general purposecomputer for individuals, end users, or family members

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di erently as well

NOW PLAYING

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Now that you understand the di erence between server and desktop a little, let’s see the

di erence between Ubuntu server and desktop

The user interface

The most visible di erence between Ubuntu server and desktop is the user interface

Ubuntu desktop features a graphical user interface with GNOME desktop environment This

makes it easier to use with the help of mouse clicks

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User interface of Ubuntu GNOME edition

Ubuntu server edition runs headless You will only see a terminal interface when you are

logged in to it You’ll o en manage it remotely from other computers overs SSH

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Connecting to remote Ubuntu server via SSH

Installation

Installing Ubuntu as a desktop is easy (https://itsfoss.com/install-ubuntu/) thanks to the

graphical installer You can create a live USB and experience the desktop version without

installing If you like it, you can install it in minutes following the on-screen instructions

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Installing Ubuntu desktop via graphical installer

Installing Ubuntu as a server is not as easy as the desktop edition You are stuck with terminalinterface Even the simplest tasks like connecting to Wi-Fi could be a di icult task if you are notfamiliar with the procedure

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Ubuntu server installation

Applications

The default set of applications in Ubuntu desktop is focused on regular computer users So,

you’ll find web browsers, o ice suite, media players, games etc

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Applications in Ubuntu

Ubuntu server has applications that are more tailored for running web services And that’s not

it Some applications are also configured di erently Take SSH for example Ubuntu server hasSSH preconfigured so that you can easily connect to it from remote systems You have to

explicitly enable SSH on Ubuntu desktop

Hardware requirement

Since the desktop edition features a graphical user interface, you need at least 4 GB of RAM torun Ubuntu desktop Disk space should be 20 GB at least

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This is where it gets interesting for Ubuntu server It does not have a graphical interface Thecommand line interface does not consume a lot of system resources As a result, you can easilyrun Ubuntu server on a machine with 512 MB and 5 GB of disk space

The RAM and disk space on the server is subjected to the web service you run If a web

application requires at least 2 GB of RAM, you should have that much of RAM But in the

simplest of scenario, even 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM could work

Usage

This is the main di erentiator between Ubuntu desktop and server Ask yourself, for what

purpose you want to use Ubuntu?

If it is specifically for deploying web services, go for Ubuntu server Keep in mind that you need

to have basic Linux command line knowledge to navigate through the terminal

If you want to use Ubuntu as a regular computer like Windows, go with Ubuntu desktop If youwant to use it for learning Linux commands, Docker or even simple (but local) LAMP server

installation for learning, stay with Ubuntu desktop

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For a server, Ubuntu server is better than Ubuntu desktop For regular computing usage,

Ubuntu desktop is the better choice

Should you use Ubuntu desktop for server or install GUI on server?

Here’s the thing Both Ubuntu desktop and server are Linux You can use Ubuntu desktop asserver for hosting web services That works

Similarly, you can install GUI on Ubuntu server (https://itsfoss.com/install-gui-ubuntu-server/)and use it graphically That also works

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GUI login on an Ubuntu server

But just because it works, doesn’t mean you should do it It defies the entire purpose of

creating di erent editions for server and desktop

You have to put extra e ort in converting a server to desktop and vice versa Why take that

pain?

If your purpose of using Ubuntu is clear, download and install the appropriate Ubuntu edition

I hope this makes things around Ubuntu desktop and server editions a bit more clear now If you have questions or suggestions, please utilize the comment section.

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About Abhishek Prakash

Creator of It's FOSS An ardent Linux user & open source promoter Huge fan ofclassic detective mysteries ranging from Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes toDetective Columbo & Ellery Queen Also a movie bu with a so corner for film noir

WEIRD LINUX DISTRIBUTIONS

THAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT

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Wooow this blog is actually a really good work! Congrats keep on making this so

comfortable and dinamic for all passionate users :)

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Abhishek, Thank you for this interesting and informative article I have a goal to

setup a bare-bones system on which I can run Virtualbox alone, and I believe

Ubuntu (or other Linux) server is my best option My problem is VB manager

requires display functions not normally installed on a server, and I do not

understand how to install only the needed functions without installing a desktop

environment (such as LXQt) I simply want to run bare-bones VB through which I

can then launch and simultaneously run various OS desktops on a single box

Any suggestions? Or am I on a fool’s errand? Best regards, Larry

larry

1 month ago

Vote:

That’s an unusual set up Is there a speciﬁc purpose for doing that?

There will be limitations Even if you add multiple Linux desktops in VM on a

server without GUI, you cannot use them on the same server You may,

however, connect to these desktop VMs from another system using RDP But

Abhishek Prakash (https://itsfoss.com/)

1 month ago

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WOW, Thanks for your quick reply! Apologies to you for my lack of clarity

What you describe is my goal: To run a minimal host OS that only loadsVirtualbox Manager from which I may select guest desktops (xp, w7, w10,Linux ﬂavors, etc.) that may run simultaneously –one box as both hostand guest(s) And I thought Linux server would offer the best option forthe leanest, most robust host system Except, installing VB on Ubuntuserver 20.04 does not work, as VirtualBox Manager requires additionaldisplay functions not installed by default Only when I also install LXQt

am I able to get VB to run A longtime Windows user, utter Linux novice, I

am puzzled about installing just the display functions VB needs withoutall the unneeded extras in LXQt I hope this makes better sense Should I

be asking in the forum instead? Am I seeking the impossible?

1 month ago

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A PC or personal computer is the general term for a personal computer Desktop

explicitly is where the base unit, monitor, mouse and keyboard are all separate

units

1 month ago

Vote:

When you download the Ubuntu desktop version, it is for a personal

computer that includes desktops as well as laptops

1 month ago

Vote:

Sometimes you just need a desktop environment on a server; like dealing with

network connections But, for some reason, every time I install a DE on Ubuntu

server I seem to have issues I think I’m better off installing the desktop OS and

rf

1 month ago

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Vote:

A server OS usually expects a wired network You have to put special effort

for wiﬁ connection

1 month ago

Vote:

Thank God, I know how to use the system without cockpit or any graphical

interface, I know basic terminal based navigation and management

Am I the only fellow who installed GUI in the server edition? 😅

Pranav Krishna

1 month ago

Vote:

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Probably because you use it for your home, as a hobby Professionally,

servers with GUI will increase the cost as they need more RAM and it’s an

Nope, I ran like this for a couple of years when I hosted a small website and a

ﬁle server from my “monster” built PC It just seemed easier to have all in one

instead of remoting into a separate server However, I ran into a lot of work

BigD

1 month ago

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