- Tuesday, October 28, 2025
The Fedora Project has officially released Fedora Linux 43, bringing a host of updates focused on performance, user interface enhancements, and new features. This release is powered by the modern Linux kernel 6.17, which provides improved hardware support and efficiency. On the desktop, Fedora 43 Workstation ships with GNOME 49 as its default environment, completing the transition to a Wayland-only session for better graphics performance and security (legacy X11 support has been dropped). Users who prefer a Qt desktop are also catered to: the Fedora 43 KDE Plasma edition has been updated to KDE Plasma 6.4, delivering a refreshed, modern user experience.
In addition to new desktop environments, Fedora 43 introduces a revamped installation experience and under-the-hood performance boosts. The Anaconda installer now features a web-based UI by default across all spins, offering a more unified and modern setup process. The installer and system updates now use DNF 5 (replacing DNF 4), which promises faster, more efficient package management during installs and upgrades. Thanks to kernel improvements and other optimizations, users can expect snappier performance in everyday use – for instance, Fedora 43 uses Zstd-compressed initramfs to speed up boot times. Altogether, these enhancements result in a smoother and more responsive system, highlighting Fedora’s commitment to performance and polish.
Developers and power users will appreciate the updated software stack included in Fedora 43. This release refreshes the core toolchain with GCC 15.2, LLVM 21, and glibc 2.42, resulting in faster builds and better overall performance. Key programming languages are also updated: Fedora 43 comes with Python 3.14 and Go 1.25, ensuring access to the latest language features and improvements out of the box. Furthermore, Fedora has begun integrating RPM 6 as its package management backend, improving signature handling and paving the way for enhanced security in future updates. These advances benefit not only Fedora Workstation users but also the Fedora Server edition and other variants, which inherit the same kernel upgrades and optimizations for a robust server experience.
Overall, Fedora Linux 43 is a neutral yet cutting-edge update that balances new UI features with substantial performance gains, all while maintaining the stability Fedora is known for. It is available for download now, and users of Fedora 42 can smoothly upgrade to this release to enjoy the improvements in both desktop and server use cases. With its modern desktop environments and under-the-hood innovations, Fedora 43 continues Fedora’s tradition of delivering an innovative, polished Linux distribution on the leading edge of open-source technology