Colin Percival Released Desktop FreeBSD Images for AWS

The new Amazon Machine Images provide a remote desktop environment for FreeBSD, enabling graphical access to cloud instances.

Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Computers

Colin Percival Released Desktop FreeBSD Images for AWS

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Colin Percival has released new FreeBSD Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) that include the KDE desktop environment, Chromium, and LibreOffice. These images are now available on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and support connections via the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

Why it matters

This release aims to lower the barrier to entry for new users interested in FreeBSD by providing a familiar graphical interface within a cloud-hosted environment. The effort focuses on simplifying the discovery and adoption of the operating system by standardizing its deployment on Amazon Web Services.

The images are optimized for the m7i-flex.large instance type. While the Amazon wizard may incorrectly suggest using port TCP/22, users must configure the instance for TCP/3389 to establish a connection via the Remote Desktop Protocol.

The players

Colin Percival

A software developer and FreeBSD contributor known for his work on cloud security and system architecture.

Amazon Web Services

A subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals and companies.

The details

Users launch these images as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances, which function as virtual servers running in the cloud. The desktop environment is powered by KDE, a suite of software providing a graphical user interface, while Chromium and LibreOffice allow for web browsing and document editing. Remote access is achieved through the Remote Desktop Protocol, a proprietary protocol that allows a user to connect to another computer over a network connection.

September 24, 2026: Colin Percival announced the availability of the new FreeBSD desktop images.

The Tech Race

This effort marks a departure from typical server-side FreeBSD deployments, which are traditionally managed via command-line interfaces. By aligning with the Amazon Web Services Free Tier, these images extend the reach of FreeBSD into competitive cloud environments where users prioritize immediate, graphical usability.

Users can immediately deploy these FreeBSD instances via the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud platform. The images are compatible with the Amazon Web Services Free Tier, making them a cost-effective option for testing FreeBSD in a desktop-ready configuration.

The takeaway

This release provides a straightforward path for users to experiment with FreeBSD in a GUI environment without needing local hardware. Developers should watch for future updates to the Amazon Web Services Console that might clarify the correct configuration for Remote Desktop Protocol ports.