Ubuntu is preparing for another deep-system security upgrade under the hood.
As part of its broader initiative to "oxidize" the operating
system,
Canonical has announced plans to adopt ntpd-rs—a modern, Rust-based
rewrite of the Network Time Protocol (NTP)—as the default time
synchronization client for Ubuntu.
To accelerate this transition, Canonical has officially stepped up as a Gold
Sponsor of the Trifecta Tech Foundation, the non-profit
organization steering the development of ntpd-rs. By committing
€40,000 annually, the Ubuntu publisher is directly funding
memory-safe software projects designed to fortify critical internet
infrastructure.
Image Credit: CanonicalThe Roadmap: When is the Switch Happening?
While your Ubuntu system will continue to keep its clock accurate by checking in with time servers over the internet, the backend engine handling that process is changing. Canonical has laid out a clear timeline for testing and implementation:
-
Ubuntu 26.10 (October 2026): The Rust-based
ntpd-rsdaemon will become available for public testing, giving enthusiasts and enterprise administrators a chance to evaluate its stability. -
Ubuntu 27.04 (April 2027): If all goes smoothly,
ntpd-rswill officially become the default time sync client and server for the entire distribution.
According to Jon Seager, Ubuntu VP of Engineering at Canonical, the
long-term vision spans far beyond a simple client swap. Eventually, this
Rust implementation is slated to
completely replace legacy components like
chrony, linuxptp, and gpsd across
various time-syncing use cases.
Double Down on Memory Safety and Distro Security
This isn't the first time Canonical has re-engineered Ubuntu’s time
stack. Back in Ubuntu 25.10, the engineering team swapped out
systemd-timesyncd in favor of Chrony while
introducing Network Time Security (NTS) to securely authenticate time
servers.
The upcoming migration to ntpd-rs shares that identical goal:
drastically reducing the system's attack surface. By
replacing the core daemon with a codebase written entirely in Rust, Ubuntu
natively mitigates severe, legacy vulnerabilities related to memory
management.
Trifecta Tech Foundation chair Erik Jonkers highlighted that Canonical's €40,000 funding injection will ensure long-term stability and security across their software ecosystem. This includes finalizing the necessary plumbing for a smooth Ubuntu integration, such as tailoring native AppArmor rules to securely confine the new daemon.
Part of a Wider Rust Revolution
If this strategic shift sounds familiar, it’s because Canonical has
successfully executed this playbook before. The company has a deep, ongoing
relationship with the Trifecta Tech Foundation and previously co-sponsored
the development of sudo-rs. Ubuntu 25.10 adopted that
Rust-based sudo replacement as the system default, which
successfully carried over as a foundation for the stable Ubuntu 26.04 LTS
release in April.
For the average user, this upcoming time sync overhaul will go entirely unnoticed during day-to-day desktop usage. Your system clock will simply stay accurate, just as it always has. However, for Canonical and the broader Linux ecosystem, trading out aging infrastructure for memory-safe alternatives is an invaluable milestone for future-proofing server, cloud, and desktop security.
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