Getting Debian

Debian is distributed freely over Internet. You can download all of it from any of our mirrors. The Installation Manual contains detailed installation instructions.

If you simply want to install Debian, these are your options:

Download a small installation image

Use Internet to download additional files during installation.

These small netinst images can be downloaded quickly and should be recorded onto a CD/DVD/USB disk. These allow you to download only those Debian packages that you actually want, but require an Internet connection on the machine you are installing Debian onto.

Download large installation images

Useful when the install target has no Internet connection.

The CD/DVD images can be downloaded using HTTP/FTP, BitTorrent, or Jigdo.

The large CD and DVD images contain more packages, making it easier to install machines without an Internet connection. However, if you get a whole set of CDs or DVDs, you will get a lot of packages that you won't actually use.

Buy a set of CDs or DVDs from one of the vendors selling Debian CDs

Many of the vendors sell the distribution for less than US$5 plus shipping (check their web page to see if they ship internationally).
Some of the books about Debian come with CDs, too.

Here are the basic advantages of CDs prepared by someone else:

  • Installation from a CD set is more straightforward.
  • You can install on machines without an Internet connection.
  • You can install Debian (on as many machines as you like) without downloading all packages yourself.
  • The CD can be used to more easily rescue a damaged Debian system.

Buy a computer with Debian pre-installed

There are a number of advantages to this:

  • You don't have to install Debian.
  • The installation is pre-configured to match the hardware.
  • The vendor may provide technical support.

Try Debian live before installing

You can now try Debian by booting a live system from a CD, DVD or USB key without installing any files to the computer. When you are ready, you can run the included installer. Read information about this method to see if it is suitable for you.