Built on Arch Linux

ARXOSa security operating system.

ARXOS is for offensive and defensive security work. It uses a clean Arch Linux base. It adds a designed desktop, a package manager, a set of security tools, and a tuned kernel.

What it is

One integrated system. Not a set of packages.

Each part of ARXOS works with the other parts. ARXOS has its own identity. It is not a copy of another system.

Fast

ARXOS runs at native speed. It uses little CPU and memory when it is idle. Heavy code is compiled, not scripted.

Small by default

The base install is small. It includes a set of top security tools. You install the full tool set only when you need it.

Private

ARXOS checks each command before it runs. The kernel adds anonymity features. The default settings are safe.

Tuned kernel

The kernel uses the latest base. The same hardware runs faster and keeps more of your privacy.

How we build

Built with intent. Every choice earns its place.

ARXOS follows one clear order: speed first, then a light footprint, then features, then safe defaults. When two designs conflict, we choose the stronger one, even when it is harder to build.

Performance first

Native speed with no lag you can feel. Heavy work is compiled, not scripted. If a feature would slow the system, we redesign it.

Quiet when idle

Low CPU, memory, and power at rest. The system reacts to events instead of polling in the background.

Safe by default

The safe choice is the default choice. Commands are checked before they run, and privacy is built in, not added later.

Proven, not promised

Every part runs on real hardware and in a virtual machine before it ships. There is no hidden layer under ARXOS.

The kernel

Two kernels. Pick the one your work needs.

ARXOS ships two kernels. They 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 is installed next to it, ready to pick at the boot menu.

linux-arxos default

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.

linux-arxos-rt real-time

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 and SDR, wireless capture, and live signal work.

Choosing a kernel

You do not have to choose up front. linux-arxos is the default and starts every time. To run the real-time kernel, pick linux-arxos-rt from the boot menu; the next start returns to the default unless you set it yourself. Both are the same ARXOS underneath, so your tools and settings work the same on either.

Why the ARXOS kernel

Both builds share the same tuning: a responsive scheduler, faster networking, the full offensive and defensive tool support, and kernel-level privacy. Security fixes can be applied to the running kernel without a reboot. The same hardware runs faster and keeps more of your privacy.

Why ARXOS

One system for red, blue, and everything after.

Offense, defense, and forensics on the same machine, tuned so the tools run at full speed and the battery lasts.

Red and blue, together

Attack tools and defensive forensics share one base. The kernel carries what both sides need, so you switch tasks without switching machines.

Built for the tools

The features your tools expect are already in the kernel: raw capture and injection, transparent proxy, tracing, sandboxing, and device access. You spend your time on the work, not on fighting the system.

Fast and frugal

Native speed with a low idle draw. Extra features load only when used, so a laptop runs quiet and cool through a long day in the field.

Private by default

Full-disk encryption, anonymity built into the kernel, and safe defaults. Your work stays yours, on the wire and on the disk.

See it

One identity, from first boot to the desktop.

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.

One command

arx. One command for the system and the tools.

arx
# 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

# local files work too: .deb, .rpm, .AppImage, .tar
$ arx install ./app.deb

One package manager. Everything in reach.

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.

  • Official repositories and the AUR, built in. No second tool to install.
  • Reads .deb, .rpm, .AppImage, and archive files, not just Arch packages.
  • Checks AUR build files for risky patterns before it builds them.
  • Repairs keyring, mirror, lock, and database errors on its own.
  • Updates the system, the kernel, and the ARXOS tools together, and keeps itself current.
Performance

Fast on the first run. Instant on the next.

arx remembers what it reads and refreshes the moment your package databases change, so a repeated search or lookup returns in milliseconds and the results stay exactly correct.

9ms
A repeated package search
the standard tool: ~310 ms, every time
~34×
Faster on repeated searches
with the exact same results
10ms
A repeated package lookup
the standard tool: ~285 ms
1
Tool for repos, the AUR, and local files
no extra helper to install

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.

Follow the build.

ARXOS is in development. The team makes each release complete before it publishes the release. The download opens when ARXOS is ready.