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According to Omgubuntu, Canonical is moving forward with an ambitious plan to integrate ntpd-rs, a Rust-based rewrite of the Network Time Protocol (NTP), as the default time synchronization client for Ubuntu. To facilitate this transition, the company has committed 40,000 euros in annual funding to the Trifecta Tech Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing memory-safe software projects.
Timeline for Rust integration
The rollout of ntpd-rs is scheduled to occur in phases across upcoming Ubuntu releases. The new client will first be made available for testing in Ubuntu 26.10, which is slated for release in October. Following the testing phase, Canonical intends for ntpd-rs to become the primary time sync client and server by the launch of Ubuntu 27.04.
The transition is designed to be comprehensive, eventually replacing several existing utilities including:
- Chrony
- linuxptp
- gpsd
Security and memory safety goals
While the underlying mechanism of checking in with internet time servers remains unchanged, the shift to Rust is driven by a desire for enhanced security. Ubuntu previously updated its time sync stack in version 25.10 by replacing systemd-timesyncd with Chrony and adding Network Time Security (NTS). The move to ntpd-rs continues this trend of hardening the operating system against vulnerabilities.
The Trifecta Tech Foundation chair, Erik Jonkers, noted that the funding will support long-term reliability and the development of necessary components like AppArmor rules. This partnership builds on a successful history between Canonical and the foundation, which previously co-sponsored the development of sudo-rs. That project was adopted as the system default in Ubuntu 25.10 and carried over to the 26.04 LTS release.
The broader 'oxidation' strategy
Jon Seager, Ubuntu VP of Engineering at Canonical, stated that the company is "excited to deepen our already productive relationship with the Trifecta Tech Foundation to make these transitions viable for the wider ecosystem." This move aligns with Ubuntu’s broader strategy to "oxidize" the distribution by replacing legacy C-based components with Rust. Although the change will be largely invisible to the average user, Canonical views the investment as a necessary step toward providing a more stable and secure foundation for its users.