Debian 13 with KDE Plasma Desktop

Azure Operating Systems

Debian 13 trixie with the full KDE Plasma desktop over RDP: no default password, remote desktop switched off until you turn it on, and a TLS certificate generated on each machine at first boot.

Base

Hardened build

minimal ports, security patches applied at build time

Access

Unique credentials

generated on first boot, readable only by root

Verified

Boots working

services pass a health gate before release

Support

24/7, 365 days

by email and live chat, 24 hour response SLA

Overview

Debian 13 with KDE Plasma Desktop is the cloudimg Debian 13 trixie base with Debian's own KDE Plasma 6.3 desktop added, the same task-kde-desktop selection Debian's installer offers, together with the SDDM display manager and the xrdp remote desktop server. You connect with any RDP client, the xrdp login box appears, and you sign in with your own Linux account to a full Plasma session running on the virtual machine, with the Plasma launcher and panel, Dolphin file manager, Konsole, Kate, System Settings and System Monitor ready to use.

Plasma 6 uses Wayland on a local screen, but a remote desktop needs an X11 session, so every RDP connection starts Plasma's own X11 session with its kwin_x11 window manager, which Debian 13 still ships. Everything the image adds comes from Debian's main archive, on the same security update stream as the rest of the operating system, and xrdp is at the Debian security release that fixes CVE-2025-68670. A signed in Plasma session uses about 1.4 GB, so Standard_B2ms is recommended. It suits full featured Linux cloud workstations, graphical development and administration tools that should run close to your cloud resources, training labs, and a secure jump desktop reached only through an SSH tunnel. Debian 13 carries security support from the Debian Security Team followed by Debian LTS, to June 2030.

Why the cloudimg image

cloudimg builds the desktop so that a new machine exposes nothing but SSH. Remote desktop ships switched off, no account has a password, and the RDP server cannot be enabled until you have set your own, because xrdp signs you in with your ordinary account password rather than a credential of its own. At first boot each machine generates its own TLS certificate and xrdp key, so nothing is shared between machines or baked into the image, and the root login and outbound proxy options in xrdp are switched off. Every build proves a real RDP sign in lands in a working Plasma X11 session that stays up, and that a wrong password is refused. The desktop is installed without the extras a cloud server does not need, xrdp is the only remote access server, in guest sleep is disabled so the desktop cannot strand the machine, and Debian's LLMNR listener is off. It is fully patched at build time, unattended security updates are armed, SSH stays key only, and the image comes with a tested deployment guide and 24/7 support.

Common uses

Full featured Linux cloud workstations with the KDE Plasma desktop over RDP
Graphical development and administration tools close to your cloud resources
Training labs and secure jump desktops reached through an SSH tunnel

See it running

Real screenshots taken while testing this image against its deployment guide.

Debian 13 with KDE Plasma Desktop screenshot 1

Debian 13 with KDE Plasma Desktop screenshot 2

Debian 13 with KDE Plasma Desktop screenshot 3

Debian 13 with KDE Plasma Desktop screenshot 4

Overview

Why the cloudimg image

Common uses

See it running

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