i found similar two question on Askubuntu that are 3-4 year old.
What is the difference between minimal, desktop & server Editions?
and
Is using Ubuntu Minimal any different from Server?
But this ubuntu page says
Before 12.04, Ubuntu server installs a server-optimized kernel by
default. Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu
Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into
linux-image-generic.
so, i want to know whether there is difference between minimal and server or not ? if yes , then what parameter differ them and which one is better for server deployment ?
i am using Ubuntu 14.04.3.
Best Answer
The Minimal version is a desktop installation, but with a reduced size installer. This means that you need to download all of the required packages during installation. Further information here.
The Server version has a lot less packages, when fully installed, as it doesn't have all of the extra desktop stuff such as GUIs for file managers etc.
The page that you've quoted, is saying there's no difference in the kernel between server and desktop versions.
The Server installation is the recommended one for server deployment.