openSUSE Leap is compatible with SUSE Linux Enterprise; this gives Leap a level of stability unmatched by other Linux distributions and provides users the ability to migrate to an enterprise offering. openSUSE is sponsored by SUSE Software Solutions Germany GmbH and other companies, and like other Linux distros it is created as a community project and freely available. Leap uses the same sources and binaries as SUSE Linux Enterprise, which gives it full compatibility. This level of stability provides users the ability to migrate to an enterprise offering and gives large development teams confidence to optimally run and test workloads that can be lifted and shifted to SUSE Linux Enterprise Linux for long-term maintenance. The Linux kernel used in Leap is kept updated with patches and backports to support new hardware as needed.
Leap Major Release (15.x) extends maintenance and support until a successor. Leap 15’s lifecycle fully aligns with SUSE Linux Enterprise. There is a projection as of March 2021 that Leap 15 will extend to Leap 15.5. The previous major version of Leap, 42, was supported for more than 36 months, while the current major version of Leap, 15, now stands well beyond 36 months of security and maintenance support as stated above.