Linux Distro & Flavors Lists

This is not an unabridged list of all the Linux versions in existence. It does however contain most of the popular and more common distributions. The list is in alphabetical order. There is a brief description of each one, and the boxes are clickable to go to the site to read more about it or download it.

CREDIT : Some descriptions were taken from Wikipedia or vendors websites.

AlmaLinux OS - Forever-Free Enterprise-Grade Operating System
An Open Source, community owned and governed, forever-free enterprise Linux distribution.

A 100% community owned and governed alternative CentOS as a Red Hat Enterprise Linux rebuild. Governed by the AlmaLinux OS Foundation.

index | Alpine Linux
Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

Arch Linux

Arch Linux is an independently developed, x86-64 general-purpose Linux distribution that strives to provide the latest stable versions of most software by following a rolling-release model. The default installation is a minimal base system, configured by the user to only add what is purposely required.

BlackArch Linux - Penetration Testing Distribution
BlackArch Linux is a lightweight expansion to Arch Linux for penetration testers.

A cybersecurity-focused OS based on Arch Linux. It is designed to test security and run penetration tests. It includes window managers preconfigured, but no desktop environment.

The CentOS Project

Community-supported Linux distribution originally based on RHEL and well suited for servers. Now sponsored by Red Hat.

Home Clear Linux* Project | Clear Linux* Project

Clear Linux OS is an open source, rolling release Linux distribution optimized for performance and security, from the Cloud to the Edge, designed for customization, and manageability.

CSI Linux – A Complete Cyber Forensics Platform
A Complete Cyber Forensics Platform

CSI Linux is a very customized distro with a very strong emphasis on OSINT & Digital forensics. Awesome Distro!

Debian -- The Universal Operating System

Debian Linux is a distribution that emphasizes free software. It supports many hardware platforms. Debian and distributions based on it use the .deb package format[2] and the dpkg package manager and its front ends (such as apt or synaptic).

deepin - deepin Linux Operating System
Provide a safe, reliable, beautiful and easy-to-use operating system to meet the different usage scenarios of global users and provide a better choose.

A Debian-based Chinese Linux Distribution developed by Wuhan Deepin Technology Co.

The thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and macOS ⋅ elementary OS
The thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and macOS

The thoughtful, capable, and ethical replacement for Windows and macOS. Basically a Mac OSX clone.

EndeavourOS
A terminal-centric distro with a vibrant and friendly community at its core

EndeavourOS is an Arch-based distro that provides an Arch experience without the hassle of installing it manually for both x86_64 and ARM systems. After installation, you’re provided with a lightweight and almost barebones environment ready to be explored with your terminal, along with our home-built Welcome App as a powerful guide to help you along.

Fedora Linux
An innovative platform for hardware, clouds, and containers, built with love by you.

Fedora is a community supported distribution. It aims to provide the latest software while maintaining a completely Free Software system

The FreeBSD Project
FreeBSD is an operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms.

FreeBSD is an operating system used to power modern servers, desktops, and embedded platforms. A large community has continually developed it for more than thirty years. Its advanced networking, security, and storage features have made FreeBSD the platform of choice for many of the busiest web sites and most pervasive embedded networking and storage devices.

Garuda Linux Official website
Garuda Linux is an appealing Arch Linux based Distro with BTRFS (modern filesystem), Linux-zen kernel, auto snapshots, gaming edition and a lot more bleeding-edge features.

Welcome – Gentoo Linux
The website of Gentoo, a flexible Linux distribution.

Gentoo is a distribution designed to have highly optimized and frequently updated software.[117] Distributions based on Gentoo use the Portage package management system with emerge or one of the alternative package managers.

The GNU Operating System and the Free Software Movement
Since 1983, developing the free Unix style operating system GNU, so that computer users can have the freedom to share and improve the software they use.

GNU is an operating system that is free software—that is, it respects users' freedom. The GNU operating system consists of GNU packages (programs specifically released by the GNU Project) as well as free software released by third parties. The development of GNU made it possible to use a computer without software that would trample your freedom.

Kali Linux | Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking Linux Distribution
Home of Kali Linux, an Advanced Penetration Testing Linux distribution used for Penetration Testing, Ethical Hacking and network security assessments.

Kali Linux is an open-source, Debian-based Linux distribution geared towards various information security tasks, such as Penetration Testing, Security Research, Computer Forensics and Reverse Engineering.

KDE neon
KDE neon is the latest and greatest of KDE community software packaged on a rock-solid base.

Focused on the development of KDE. The emphasis is on bleeding edge software packages sourced directly from KDE and offers programmers early access to new features, but potentially at the cost of greater susceptibility to software bugs.

KNOPPIX - Live Linux Filesystem On CD

Knoppix itself is based on Debian. It is a live distribution, with automated hardware configuration and a wide choice of software, which is decompressed as it loads from the drive

Kubuntu | Friendly Computing

An official derivative of Ubuntu Linux using KDE instead of the GNOME (or Unity) desktop environment used by default in Ubuntu.

Home - Linux Mint
Linux Mint is an elegant, easy to use, up to date and comfortable desktop operating system.

Linux Mint synchronizes its release-cycle with Ubuntu's long-term support, and is tailored to user-friendliness for desktop users. Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is Mint's Debian stable based version. Its purpose is to use Debian base packages/kernel under the hood should Ubuntu ever disappear. It's also used by Mint developers to develop their Cinnamon desktop.

Mandriva Linux is open-source distribution (with exceptions), discontinued in 2011. The first release was named Mandrake Linux and based on Red Hat Linux (version 5.1) and KDE 1 in July 1998. It had since moved away from Red Hat's distribution and became a completely separate distribution. The name was changed to Mandriva, which included a number of original tools, mostly to ease system configuration. Mandriva Linux was the brainchild of Gaël Duval, who wanted to focus on ease of use for new users. The last stable version was in 2011. Mandriva's developers moved to Mageia[115] and OpenMandriva.

Manjaro
This page provides an overview of Manjaro Linux, an open source operating system designed for ease of use. Learn about its features, installation, and support options. Get the most out of Manjaro Linux with the latest news, downloads, and tips from our helpful community.

Based on Arch Linux, using its own repositories and ships with either Xfce, Plasma, GNOME, or the CLI as the default desktop environment. Additional community-driven editions are available that use MATE, Cinnamon, Openbox, Awesome, i3, BSPWM, or Budgie as a base.

Nitrux — #YourNextOS — Boldly Different
Nitrux is a Linux desktop distribution based on Debian. With NX Desktop built on KDE Plasma 5 and MauiKit Applications using OpenRC.

Powered by Debian, KDE Plasma and Frameworks, and AppImages.

Nix & NixOS | Reproducible builds and deployments
Nix is a tool that takes a unique approach to package management and system configuration. Learn how to make reproducible, declarative and reliable systems.

Declarative Linux distribution with atomic upgrades and rollbacks built on top of Nix package manager. Any package build is able to be freely edited and rebuilt from source. An official binary cache is also available for unmodified packages.

Oracle Linux
Learn how to optimize and secure your infrastructure with virtualization, management, cloud native computing tools, all included with Oracle Linux operating environment.

Supported by Oracle. Aims to be fully compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Parrot Security

A Linux distribution based on Debian used by penetration testers. An Alternative option to Kali Linux. Both are excellent.

The Boomer Distribution » PCLinuxOS

A rolling release Linux Live CD distribution. Originally based on Mandrake 9.2. Later rebased on Mandriva 2007.

Peppermint OS – The Linux Desktop OS

A light-weight LXDE distribution for cloud applications through its own Ice Framework using the Chromium Web Browser. Based on Lubuntu

Pop!_OS by System76
Imagine an OS for the software developer, maker and computer science professional who uses their computer as a tool to discover and create. Welcome to Pop!_OS.

Pop!_OS is an operating system for STEM and creative professionals who use their computer as a tool to discover and create. Unleash your potential on secure, reliable open source software. Based on your exceptional curiosity, we sense you have a lot of it. I personally am running this on my high end home laptop, where I run Kali on my field laptop I keep in my vehicle.

Qubes OS: A reasonably secure operating system
Qubes is a security-oriented, free and open-source operating system for personal computers that allows you to securely compartmentalize your digital life.

Focused on security for desktop users. Based on an "ancient" Fedora release which is said to be upgraded under YUM.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a stable, proven foundation that’s versatile enough for rolling out new applications, virtualizing environments, and creating a more secure hybrid cloud.

Split into Fedora Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The last official release of the unsplit distribution was Red Hat Linux 9 in March 2003.

Rocky Linux
Rocky Linux is an open enterprise Operating System designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Enterprise Linux.

A Linux distribution that is currently in development by the CentOS founder, Gregory Kurtzer, aims to be compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Open Source Solutions for Enterprise Servers & Cloud | SUSE
Modernize your infrastructure with SUSE Linux Enterprise…

Comes in two variations. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (previously branded Novell Linux Desktop) is a desktop-oriented Linux distribution supplied by SUSE and targeted at the enterprise market. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is a server-oriented Linux distribution targeted at the business market.

Tails - Home

It is a portable operating system that protects against surveillance and censorship.

Tsurugi Linux | Digital Forensics, Osint and malware analysis Linux Distribution
Welcome to TSURUGI Linux world a DFIR open source distribution to perform your digital forensics analysis and for educational purposes

Tsurugi Linux many have not heard of, like CSI Linux, very heavy emphasis on DFIR, Forensics and OSINT.

Enterprise Open Source and Linux | Ubuntu
Ubuntu is the modern, open source operating system on Linux for the enterprise server, desktop, cloud, and IoT.

Ubuntu is a distribution based on Debian, designed to have regular releases, a consistent user experience and commercial support on both desktops and servers. It is one of the most well know distributions.

homepage

An official derivative of Ubuntu using the Cinnamon desktop environment.

Ubuntu MATE | For a retrospective future
A community developed, Ubuntu based operating system that beautifully integrates the MATE desktop. Ubuntu MATE is a stable, easy-to-use operating system with…

Ubuntu MATE is a stable, easy-to-use operating system with a configurable desktop environment. It is ideal for those who want the most out of their computers and prefer a traditional desktop metaphor. With modest hardware requirements it is suitable for modern workstations, single board computers and older hardware alike. Ubuntu MATE makes modern computers fast and old computers usable.

VyOS – Open source router and firewall platform
Open source router and firewall platform

Free routing platform. Because VyOS is run on standard amd64, i586 and ARM systems, it is able to be used as a router and firewall platform for cloud deployments. Ubiquiti and other networking equipment vendors use this distro or a base to start with.

Zorin OS - Make your computer better.
Discover the alternative to Windows and macOS designed to make your computer faster, more powerful, secure, and privacy-respecting.

Zorin OS is the alternative to Windows and macOS designed to make your computer faster, more powerful, secure, and privacy-respecting.

The Official Penguin Linux Logo