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Debian is a free and open-source Linux distribution developed by the Debian Project. Founded in 1993 by Ian Murdock, it aims to provide a universal operating system that is stable, secure, and ready for use on desktops, servers, and embedded devices. The name Debian combines the names Debra and Ian Murdock.

The project is built around the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) and the Debian Social Contract. Software is distributed in packages managed with the dpkg package system and the APT front-end. Debian's repositories are divided into main, contrib, and non-free components.

Debian supports a wide range of architectures and hardware platforms, including x86, ARM, ARM64, MIPS, PowerPC, and s390x. It uses three main release streams: stable, testing, and unstable (sid). Stable releases emphasize reliability and are supported with security updates; testing is a pre-release stage; unstable contains the most current packages.

The project is community-governed, with decisions made by developers and teams. Leadership is provided by an elected Debian Project Leader, and governance involves technical committees and policy groups. Debian maintains a formal Constitution and a set of policies that guide packaging, licensing, and distribution.

As a base for many other distributions, most notably Ubuntu, Debian has had a significant influence on the wider Linux ecosystem. It is widely used in servers, desktops, cloud environments, and embedded systems, praised for its extensive software repository, strong security practices, and commitment to free software.