Skip to content
Bullionet
Operating systems

Astra Linux

A Debian-derived distribution with its own repositories: what the SE edition on the tile is, what carries over from Debian, and what does not.

Astra Linux is a Debian-derived distribution developed in Russia, with its own repositories, its own hardening layer and its own release numbering. The Special Edition line is the certified one, and it is what people install when that certification is a requirement of the environment they operate in.

Install it from the panel ​

In the client area, open your server, then Reinstall the server. Pick the Astra Linux tile, open its version list and choose the one you want, then fill in the partitioning, the software RAID, the hostname and the password below the grid. The form itself is described in reinstalling your OS.

The tile carries the SE line, shown as a version like SE-1.7.2. Open the list to see which ones are offered.

Careful

A reinstall erases every drive in the machine. There is no undo and we keep no copy: take your backups off the server first.

What carries over from Debian ​

The package format, apt, systemd and the filesystem layout are Debian's. If you know your way around a Debian server, the daily commands are identical:

bash
apt update && apt full-upgrade
apt install -y sudo curl

Your own user and the end of password logins follow first connection, unchanged.

What does not ​

The repositories are Astra's, not Debian's, so package versions and the set of available packages differ. A third-party installation guide that says "add this Debian repository" is the place to stop and check compatibility rather than paste.

The SE edition also layers its own access-control model on top of the usual Unix permissions. That is the point of the edition, and it is documented by the vendor rather than here.

Support and updates ​

Updates come from Astra's own infrastructure on Astra's own calendar, which is not Debian's. Plan the lifecycle of the machine against the vendor's published support dates for the release you install, not against the Debian release it derives from.

Note

Documentation for this distribution is published by its vendor, largely in Russian. What we cover here is the part that touches your server with us: the install from the panel, the addresses, and the console. The rest belongs to the vendor's own manuals.

Where to go next ​

  • First connection: your own user, SSH keys, password logins off.
  • IP addresses: configuring the additional addresses on the fresh system.
  • The console: watching the install, and getting in when the network does not answer.

Reviewed on September 15, 2026