Distro Release

What's new in FreeBSD 15.1, out now

The update includes improvements to the find command, better choices for the kernel scheduler, and a smooth cloud installation experience.

Jordan Gloor

Jordan Gloor

— 2 min read
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The FreeBSD logo and name on a green-to-blue background.

The FreeBSD Project announced today the release of FreeBSD 15.1, the first point release since FreeBSD 15 arrived in December 2025. It adds several small but important upgrades and fixes.

But wait, what is FreeBSD? A Unix-like operating system descended from the Berkeley Software Distribution, FreeBSD is a popular choice for web servers and embedded systems. It uses its own kernel rather than the Linux kernel.

What's new

  • Boot-time kernel scheduling: A new tunable called kern.sched.name lets you select a kernel scheduler when booting.
  • Unicode 17.0.0: The Unicode implementation has been upgrade to version 17, which was released in September 2025 and adds 4,803 with the scripts Sidetic, Tolong Siki, Beria Erfe, and Tai Yo.
    • It also adds new emoji like Sasquatch 🫈, a treasure chest 🪎, and an orca 🫍.
  • Extended attribute searching: The find command now lets you search for extended attributes using the -xattr and -xattrname primaries.
    • Extended attributes of a file include metadata like comments, tags, and access control information.

What's getting better

  • Wireless Linux networking: The the wireless networking suite in LinuxKPI, a compatibility layer for Linux utilities, has been upgraded to be compatible with Linux kernel 7.0.
  • Updating cloud images: FreeBSD's pkg package management software is now included in VM and cloud images, meaning system packages can be updated on first boot.

What's going away

  • OCI builds: Since sponsorship from Oracle's cloud business has evaporated, FreeBSD 15.1 is not available as an Oracle Cloud Infastructure application.
  • Scheduled removals: The lpr printing suite, the bsdlabel package, and the fdisk utility are all being removed at or before FreeBSD 16.0. You're advised to find alternatives now to avoid issues in future upgrades.

Zooming out

Why this update matters: FreeBSD is one of the most popular BSDs, and the fact it's not based on the Linux kernel means the free and open source OS ecosystem stays diverse.

My take: I'm curious about why the FreeBSD wasn't able to get support from Oracle's cloud business, and I wonder if it has to do with Oracle's shift in spending toward AI.

Diving in

The fineprint: You can read the full FreeBSD 15.1 release notes to learn more. There's a lot I didn't cover.

Get it now: You can find FreeBSD 15.1 images available on the FreeBSD downloads page. Notably, FreeBSD is one of the few distributions offering support for RISC-V and several other lesser-known computer architectures.

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