Incus 7.0 LTS: A Comprehensive Q&A

Incus, the open‑source container and virtual‑machine management platform, has just reached a major milestone with the release of version 7.0 as a long‑term support (LTS) release. This version introduces several notable changes, including a low‑level backup API and native S3 operations, while also deprecating older technologies like cgroups v1 and xtables. Below, we answer the most important questions about this release.

What is Incus 7.0 LTS?

Incus 7.0 LTS is the latest long‑term support release of the Incus container and virtual‑machine management system. It succeeds the 6.0 LTS series and brings a host of new features, performance improvements, and security enhancements. As an LTS version, it is designed for production environments where stability and extended support are critical. The 7.0 release includes a low‑level backup API that gives administrators fine‑grained control over backups, and it adds basic S3 operations directly within Incus — a move that replaces the now‑unmaintained MinIO project. Additionally, support for cgroups v1 and xtables (iptables/ip6tables/ebtables) has been removed to encourage adoption of modern kernel interfaces.

What is the support timeline for Incus 7.0 LTS?

Incus 7.0 LTS is supported through June 2031, giving users a full five years of maintenance. The first two years will include bug and security fixes as well as minor usability improvements, delivered via occasional point releases (e.g., 7.0.1, 7.0.2). After those first two years, the release will transition to security‑only maintenance for the remaining three years of its lifecycle. This phased approach ensures that organizations get both feature refinements early on and long‑term security coverage later, making it suitable for mission‑critical deployments.

What are the key new features in Incus 7.0?

Three major additions stand out in Incus 7.0 LTS. First, a new low‑level backup API provides administrators with granular control over backup operations, allowing them to create, list, and restore backups programmatically. Second, Incus now includes basic S3 operations natively — a direct replacement for the MinIO project, which is no longer maintained. This lets users perform common S3 actions (like listing buckets and uploading/downloading objects) without an external object store. Third, the removal of cgroups v1 and xtables support (iptables/ip6tables/ebtables) simplifies the codebase and aligns with modern Linux kernel developments. These changes together make Incus 7.0 faster, more secure, and easier to maintain.

How many contributors worked on Incus 7.0?

A total of 204 individuals contributed to Incus between the 6.0 LTS and 7.0 LTS releases, demonstrating a strong and active community. Of those, 45 contributors were active specifically between the 6.23 and 7.0 LTS releases, making the final push toward the stable release. This broad base of contributors — ranging from core developers to occasional patch submitters — helped ensure that Incus 7.0 benefits from diverse perspectives and rigorous testing.

Why were cgroups v1 and xtables removed?

Incus 7.0 drops support for cgroups v1 and xtables (iptables, ip6tables, ebtables) for several reasons. Cgroups v1 has been superseded by cgroups v2, which offers better resource accounting and more consistent behavior. Similarly, xtables are legacy firewall tools replaced by the modern nftables framework. By removing these older interfaces, Incus reduces its code complexity, improves performance, and encourages users to adopt up‑to‑date kernel features. Organizations still relying on cgroups v1 or xtables will need to migrate before upgrading to Incus 7.0 LTS.

What does the low‑level backup API offer?

The low‑level backup API introduced in Incus 7.0 LTS gives system administrators precise control over the backup and restore process. Unlike earlier, higher‑level backup mechanisms, this API allows you to create backups of individual containers or VMs, list existing backups, track their status, and restore from them — all through a programmable interface. This is particularly valuable for custom automation workflows and integration with third‑party backup solutions. The API is designed to be efficient, supporting incremental backups and minimizing downtime during backup operations. By exposing these low‑level operations, Incus empowers advanced users to tailor their backup strategies exactly to their needs.