Raspberry Pi Distributions For Server
Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer that is useful for a lot of work. Considering how useful a Raspberry Pi is, it is important to choose the right operating system for it. You can do a lot of things with Linux but an OS specially configured for a specific purpose can save you considerable time and effort.
Ubuntu Server is one of the best Raspberry Pi server distributions out there. It supports the Snap package system, which comes loaded with tons of pre-configured server applications. It also benefits from Canonical, the corporation behind Ubuntu, ensuring that the OS gets regular software patches and broad support for many server applications like Plex, Docker, NextCloud, Apache, and Nginx. Ubuntu is based on Debian, so Ubuntu Server users on Pi can also use software intended for Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian.
Raspberry Pi OS is the official Raspberry Pi foundation operating system. It comes with a desktop and many useful applications. The Lite version of the OS is slimmed-down and comes with a terminal console interface instead of a Desktop environment. Raspberry Pi OS is Debian, so it is great for running as a server OS on the Raspberry Pi and supports all Raspberry Pi server applications that run on Debian ARM. The Lite release of Raspberry Pi OS is the basis for many server apps on RPi so 99% of server apps will run on it.
OpenMediaVault is a Raspbian-based Linux distribution that allows users to create a NAS (network-attached storage) server with a web GUI. It is easy to use and works on the Raspberry Pi 4 as well as older models. Since the distro is built on Raspbian, users also benefit from running traditional Pi server apps that are supported. The web GUI allows users to quickly set up even advanced Linux server operations.
DietPi is a minimal release of Raspberry Pi OS. It is great for older Raspberry Pi devices. It is fully functional and comes with everything from Raspberry Pi OS but with much lower overhead.