The LWN.net Linux Distribution List
You have found the LWN.net Linux Distributions List. LWN has been tracking Linux distributions since 1999. Early versions of the list consisted of links on the side bars of the weekly Distribution page. By 2001 the list had grown to fill both sidebars of the weekly page, often trailing far below any actual mid-page content. So the list was moved to a flat file and released on October 11, 2001.
The next major release was on February 7, 2002. Additional information was added to each entry, and in the process links were fixed, entries moved to different categories and dead distributions were removed. Minor revisions have been made almost every week since then. A table of contents was added on May 9, 2002. There have been no major releases since then, however new distributions are added when found, dead distributions are removed when found, and link checking remains an ongoing (low-priority) process. Many thanks to Andrew Cater for a massive link-checking effort that took place in May 2020, resulting in a smaller and more up-to-date list.
We once hoped that this list would move to a searchable database, however that now seems unlikely to happen. We do hope you will enjoy this celebration of Linux diversity, with distributions large and small, specialized and generalized, old and new.
Maintenance of this list ends December 31, 2021.
Table of Contents
Leading Distributions
Leading distributions have usually been around for a while and are well-established. They generally support several architectures and are translated into multiple languages. Some come from companies that supply service and support contracts for their products, others are community projects.
Also well-known
There is often a fine line between «leading» and «well-known» distributions. Some might consider a few of these to be «leading» distributions.
Non-technical desktop
These are designed to be user-friendly, easy to install distributions with plenty of desktop applications.
Search Distributions
For more flexible search options and filters, please visit our Advanced Search section.
If you are looking for an article, tutorial or feature, please use our Article Search page.
Search the DistroWatch database for distributions using a particular package. If you are looking for a distribution with the latest kernel, select «linux» from the drop-down box below and type the version number into the text box next to it. Please note that the best way to obtain the GNOME version is by searching for «nautilus», while KDE Plasma is represented by the «plasma-desktop» package. Apache 2.x is listed as «httpd». As for versioning, if no version number is provided, this page will return any recent versions of the selected package. It is also possible to perform searches for distributions which do not contain a specific package. This returns a list of distributions where the given package is not present on the installation media.
The package version search offers the ability to search for packages which are close to a specific version, exactly equal to a specific version, greater than or less than a given version. The second field in the search form allows visitors to switch between these relations. Most people will probably want to use the like option as it will search for packages close to a given version. When no version is specified, like finds packages close to the latest version.
This page can be used to display all distributions which contain a specific package or version of a package. We also have search pages which display a side-by-side comparison of all packages between two distributions. We also provide a package which shows the version of a selected package in all active distributions.
Have fun and let us know how we can improve the search engine!
This section allows you to search for a particular distribution based on certain criteria. Select the criteria from the drop-down and check boxes below and hit the Submit Query button to get a list of known distributions that match your choice.
The following distributions match your criteria (sorted by popularity):
1. Gentoo Linux (56)
Gentoo Linux is a versatile and fast, completely free Linux distribution geared towards developers and network professionals. Unlike other distros, Gentoo Linux has an advanced package management system called Portage. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of BSD ports, but is Python-based and sports a number of advanced features including dependencies, fine-grained package management, «fake» (OpenBSD-style) installs, safe unmerging, system profiles, virtual packages, config file management, and more.
2. Calculate Linux (108)
Calculate Linux is a Gentoo-based family of three distinguished distributions. Calculate Directory Server (CDS) is a solution that supports Windows and Linux clients via LDAP + SAMBA, providing proxy, mail and Jabbers servers with streamlined user management. Calculate Linux Desktop (CLD) is a workstation and client distribution (with a choice of Cinnamon, KDE Plasma, LXQt, MATE or Xfce desktops) that includes a wizard to configure a connection to Calculate Directory Server. Calculate Linux Scratch (CLS) is a live CD with a build framework for creating a custom distribution.
3. Redcore Linux (125)
Redcore Linux explores the idea of bringing the power of Gentoo Linux to the masses. It aims to be a very quick way to install a pure Gentoo Linux system without spending hours or days compiling from source code, and reading documentation. To achieve this goal, Redcore provides a repository with pre-built binary packages which receives continuous updates, following a rolling release model.
4. Linux From Scratch (148)
Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with the steps necessary to build your own custom Linux system. There are a lot of reasons why somebody would want to install an LFS system. The question most people raise is «why go through all the hassle of manually installing a Linux system from scratch when you can just download an existing distribution like Debian or Redhat». That is a valid question which I hope to answer for you. The most important reason for LFS’s existence is teaching people how a Linux system works internally. Building an LFS system teaches you about all that makes Linux tick, how things work together, and depend on each other. And most importantly, how to customize it to your own taste and needs.
5. Funtoo Linux (168)
Funtoo Linux is a Gentoo-based distribution developed by Daniel Robbins (the founder and former project leader of Gentoo Linux) and a core team of developers, built around a basic vision of improving the core technologies in Gentoo Linux. Funtoo Linux features native UTF-8 support enabled by default, a git-based, distributed Portage tree and Funtoo overlay, an enhanced Portage with more compact mini-manifest tree, automated imports of new Gentoo changes every 12 hours, GPT/GUID boot support and streamlined boot configuration, enhanced network configuration, up-to-date stable and current Funtoo stages — all built using Funtoo’s Metro build tool.
6. CRUX (188)
CRUX is a lightweight, Linux distribution for computers running on 64-bit x86 processors. The distribution is targeted at experienced Linux users. The primary focus of this distribution is «keep it simple», which is reflected in a simple tar.gz-based package system, BSD-style initscripts, and a relatively small collection of trimmed packages. The secondary focus is utilization of new Linux features and recent tools and libraries.
7. Exherbo (217)
Exherbo is a source-based Linux distribution inspired by the flexibility found in Gentoo Linux (among others). Designed primarily for developers and advanced users who are expected to take an active role in the development of the distribution, Exherbo offers a decentralised development model, original code, and a fast and flexible package manager called Paludis.
8. T2 SDE (225)
T2 is an open-source system development environment (or distribution build kit if you are more familiar with that term). T2 allows the creation of custom distributions with bleeding-edge technology. Currently, the Linux kernel is normally used, but the project is expanding to Hurd, OpenDarwin and OpenBSD. T2 started as a community driven fork from the ROCK Linux Project with the aim to create a decentralised development and a clean framework for spin-off projects and customised distributions.
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