TrueNAS 26 "Halfmoon" Roadmap: OpenZFS 2.4, LXC Containers, and Ransomware Protection

iXsystems published its TrueNAS plans for 2026 on February 4, 2026, outlining the next major release of its open-source NAS and storage platform. TrueNAS 26, codenamed "Halfmoon," is targeting a public beta in April 2026. The release represents a shift to an annual cadence and bundles several infrastructure-relevant upgrades that address long-standing requests from the homelab and enterprise NAS communities alike.

The Linux kernel version underpinning TrueNAS 26 will be 6.18 LTS, providing extended hardware support and the performance improvements introduced in the 6.x kernel series. Pairing with Linux 6.18 LTS gives the platform a stable, long-term foundation consistent with iXsystems' support commitments. The kernel upgrade also enables broader hardware compatibility for newer network cards, NVMe controllers, and storage HBAs.

OpenZFS 2.4 and Hybrid Pools

The OpenZFS upgrade to version 2.4 is among the most operationally significant changes in the Halfmoon release. OpenZFS 2.4 introduces hybrid pool support, which allows a single pool to combine flash storage and spinning disk in a more flexible vdev topology than was previously possible. The practical benefit is cost optimization: administrators can place high-IOPS, latency-sensitive data on flash where performance matters while using dense HDD vdevs for bulk capacity, all within a single pool managed as a unified namespace. This is particularly relevant for mixed-workload NAS deployments that need both fast random I/O for databases or virtual machines and inexpensive bulk storage for backups and archives.

TrueNAS 26 will also introduce native LXC container support. This is significant because it provides a clear migration path for users still running TrueNAS CORE, the FreeBSD-based predecessor, which used a custom Jails implementation for running containerized applications. The CORE-to-SCALE transition has been a friction point for users with extensive Jails deployments, and native LXC support in Halfmoon addresses that gap with a Linux-native equivalent. The platform will also expand TrueNAS WebShare with integrated search and additional functionality.

Ransomware Detection and Release Cadence

TrueNAS 26 will incorporate built-in ransomware detection and protection as a platform-level feature. NAS devices have increasingly been targeted by ransomware operators who recognize that a compromised NAS can encrypt both the primary data and any local backup copies simultaneously. Moving detection into the storage platform itself, rather than relying on endpoint agents, gives administrators a layer of protection at the point where data is written. Specific implementation details for the ransomware protection feature have not yet been fully documented ahead of the April beta.

iXsystems is formalizing a shift to an annual release cadence with TrueNAS 26. This aligns with how many enterprise storage platforms manage major version releases and gives administrators a predictable upgrade window each year. The April 2026 beta date allows for several months of community testing before a stable release. Users currently running TrueNAS SCALE on Cobia or Dragonfish should monitor the migration documentation as it develops, particularly around LXC container compatibility with existing application configurations.