A performance and security operating system on a clean Arch Linux base. It ships a native package manager, a live arsenal of security tools, a tuned kernel, fail-closed anonymity, and a Control Center that runs the whole machine.
Kernel, package manager, tools, privacy, and the desktop are built together and tuned together, tested on real hardware before every release. Every card below is engineering specific to ArxOS, verified working on this exact system.
Compiled native code handles the heavy paths: a repeated search or lookup returns in milliseconds, and an install runs the real transaction at full native speed, with a live per-package view instead of a wall of scrollback.
linux-arxos carries a responsive scheduler, full preemption, a high timer rate, and faster networking compiled in, so the tuning survives every update instead of living in a fragile dotfile you have to reapply.
The base install is lean with a default loadout of essential tools. Pull the full 2,858-tool arsenal only when a job needs it.
Full-disk encryption, a command guard that vets every command, and fail-closed anonymity compiled into the kernel itself. anond proves the kill switch, Tor, and DNS pin are all actually up before it ever reports active.
Offense, defense, and forensics share one tuned base, so you switch tasks without switching computers.
arx's foreign-package installer scans every .deb/.rpm maintainer script for danger before it runs, auto-imports the AUR's missing GPG signing keys instead of failing cold, and every browser ships wired so WebRTC and DNS cannot quietly route around your anonymity. No other distro does all three.
Each part is an ArxOS-native tool, self-updating, tested on the machine before it ships. No grab-bag of unmaintained scripts.
One command for the official repositories, the AUR, and local .deb / .rpm / .AppImage files. It self-heals keyring, mirror, and database errors, and shows a clean per-package loader while it works.
A native app that runs the whole system: live stats, updates, the arsenal, kernels, direct CPU control, a live network panel with port hardening, and privacy, all in one glass deck.
2,858 security tools, organised by category. Grab a ready loadout (default, top 10, or the full set) or install a single category live, with the repository set up on the fly and torn down when it finishes.
Two ArxOS kernels on the latest base: a responsive default and a real-time build. Live patching, kernel-level privacy primitives, and fast device access are compiled in.
Whole-system anonymity, fail-closed: the kill switch is armed before Tor and removed last, DNS is pinned to Tor, IPv6 is dropped, and an optional i2p overlay rides alongside. It proves each layer before it reports active.
A zero-trust command guard scans every command before it runs and blocks the dangerous ones, so a bad paste or a hostile script does not get a free shot.
Firefox, Waterfox, and Brave ship pre-patched: WebRTC cannot leak your real IP even through a transparent proxy, built-in DNS-over-HTTPS is off so lookups defer to anond's Tor-pinned resolver instead of quietly bypassing it, and every telemetry and tracking channel is closed. Reapplied automatically after every browser update.
Both share the same tuning and the same tools. They differ in one thing: how they handle timing. The default is installed and starts on its own; the real-time build sits next to it, ready at the boot menu.
The daily driver. Balanced, fast, and responsive for desktop use, security work, and servers: high throughput with low latency. This one starts by default.
Use it for almost everything.
Hard real-time timing. Predictable, bounded response for radio, SDR, and wireless capture, where a late sample is a lost sample. It trades a little raw throughput for timing you can count on.
Use it for RF, SDR, and live signal work.
arx remembers what it reads and refreshes the moment your package databases change, so a repeated search or lookup returns in milliseconds with results that stay exactly correct.
Measured on ArxOS against the standard Arch tools on the same package databases. The first search of the day matches the standard tool; every repeat after it is near-instant.
# update the system, the kernel, and the ArxOS tools, in one step $ arx update # ask for several at once. arx finds each one for you: $ arx install obs vlc google-chrome arch repo (2) obs vlc AUR (1) google-chrome (build from source) proceed? [Y] all found [s] select [n] stop # grab a whole category of security tools, live $ arx weapons install default
arx installs from the official repositories and the AUR without any extra helper. Ask for several packages at once and arx sorts them for you: what is in the repositories, what needs building, and what was not found. You choose how to proceed.
The ArxOS look carries all the way through: the boot splash, the menu, the lock screen, the desktop, the terminal, and the native Control Center that runs the whole system. Tap any shot for the full view.
ArxOS runs on any 64-bit PC from the last decade, and on virtual machines. These are comfortable minimums; more memory and an SSD make it noticeably snappier.
New to Linux? Follow these in order. You will download one file, put it on a USB stick, boot from it, try ArxOS live, then install it. It takes about twenty minutes, most of which is the computer copying files.
The ISO is one file (about 7.6 GB) that contains the whole operating system. Download it from the ArxOS releases, then, on the same page, download the SHA256 checksum next to it.
sha256sum arxos-*.iso (or shasum -a 256) and check the number matches the checksum file. On Windows: certutil -hashfile arxos.iso SHA256. If they match, the file is intact.This "flashes" the ISO onto an 8 GB or larger USB stick and makes it bootable. It erases everything on the stick, so use an empty one. Pick whichever tool matches your current computer.
ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip on Windows or ventoy-x.x.xx-linux.tar.gz on Linux.
tar -xf ventoy-*.tar.gz on Linux).
Ventoy2Disk.exe (Windows) or sudo ./VentoyGUI.x86_64 (Linux) from the extracted folder.
arxos.iso onto it, wait for the copy to finish, and eject safely. Done..AppImage executable: chmod +x balenaEtcher-*.AppImage, then run it).
arxos.iso.
rufus-x.x.exe. Double-click it; there is no installer.
arxos.iso.
lsblk (Linux) or diskutil list (macOS) and note what is listed.
/dev/sdb or /dev/disk3. Match it by size.
sudo umount /dev/sdX* on Linux, diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN on macOS.
sudo dd if=arxos.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync. Replace /dev/sdX with the whole disk, no partition number.
sync and unplug. Writing an 8 GB image takes several minutes with no output until it finishes.qemu-system-x86_64 -enable-kvm -m 4096 -smp 2 -cdrom arxos.iso -drive file=arxos.qcow2,format=qcow2, or use virt-manager's GUI. VirtualBox: New VM (Linux, Arch 64-bit), 4 GB RAM, 30+ GB disk, then Settings → Storage → attach arxos.iso to the optical drive. VMware Workstation Player: New VM → "Installer disc image file (ISO)" → point at arxos.iso; choose "I will install the OS later" first if the wizard does not recognise ArxOS, then attach the ISO. In all three, boot the VM straight into the live desktop, same as real hardware.Leave the stick plugged in and restart the computer. As it powers on, tap the boot-menu key repeatedly until a menu appears, then choose the USB stick (it often shows the brand name, or "USB"). Running in a VM instead? It boots straight from the attached ISO, so skip to the next step.
F12, Esc, F10, or F9. To reach firmware settings it is often Del or F2. If Windows loads instead, restart and try the next key. In firmware, turn Secure Boot off if the USB will not start.ArxOS starts straight into a full live desktop running entirely off the USB stick. Nothing on your computer has changed yet. Look around, open the terminal, test your Wi-Fi and touchpad. When you are ready, double-click Install ArxOS on the desktop.
The installer walks you through a few short screens: language, region and keyboard, then the disk. Choose Erase disk for a clean install, and tick Encrypt the system to protect the whole disk with a passphrase. Create your user, review the summary, and start. The computer copies the system across; this is the part that takes a little while.
When it finishes, remove the USB stick and restart. If you turned on encryption, you will be asked for your disk passphrase as the machine starts. Then the login screen appears: sign in with the user you created, and you are on your own ArxOS desktop, ready to work.
Do this before anything else. The ISO is a snapshot from build day; running an update brings the system, the kernel, and every ArxOS tool fully current the moment you log in. Open a terminal and run arx update, or open the Control Center and use the Update panel, then Update everything.
ArxOS is built in the open by Stingray Labs, and each release is made complete before it ships. Follow the build, read the docs, and grab the ISO when your download is ready.
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