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Chimera Linux

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Chimera Linux
Screenshot of Chimera Linux with default GNOME 44.2 desktop environment
DeveloperChimera Linux developers
OS familyLinux / BSD hybrid (Unix-like)
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Latest releaseRolling release / 20 December 2025; 45 days ago (2025-12-20)[1]
Repositoryhttps://github.com/chimera-linux/
Marketing targetGeneral purpose
Update methodRolling release
Package managerapk-tools, cports, flatpak
Supported platformsx86-64, aarch64, loongarch64, ppc64le, ppc64, PowerPC, RISC-V
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
UserlandBSD
Default
user interface		GNOME Shell, FreeBSD's Almquist shell[2]
Official websitechimera-linux.org

Chimera Linux is an independent (i.e. has no upstream distribution), general-purpose, rolling-release Linux distribution built from scratch.

It distinguishes itself from traditional Linux systems through a coherent system design approach based on careful component selection, prioritizing correctness of implementation and reduced complexity over the incremental evolution of existing GNU/Linux conventions and aims for reproducible system configuration.[3][4]

This is achieved by combining the Linux kernel with a FreeBSD-based userland utility suite named chimerautils,[5] the musl C library, the LLVM/Clang toolchain, the Dinit init/service manager, apk-tools and its own Python-based package build infrastructure (cports), providing binary packages and reproducible source builds while remaining largely compatible with software written for GNU/Linux except where adaptations are needed for musl libc and Dinit instead of glibc and systemd. The result is a non-GNU Linux distribution that is functionally equivalent to GNU/Linux systems and compatible with flatpak.

Design and architecture

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Chimera Linux running inside Distrobox, showing the FreeBSD Almquist shell

The defining feature of Chimera Linux is a set of pragmatic choices that deviate from traditional Linux distribution assumptions about which components are used. The aim is to make Linux, as a complete operating system, leaner without limiting its functionality—or, as its original developer q66 puts it, to achieve 90 percent of the outcome with just 10 percent of the complexity. In selecting components, particular attention is paid to code quality and the correctness of their implementation.

A core aspect of this approach is that the individual system components and their integration into a complete operating system are intentionally rethought simultaneously rather than in isolation. By doing so, Chimera Linux avoids the classic chicken or the egg problem common in core system development: whether a new component shall be adapted to an existing system, or an existing system shall be reshaped to accommodate a new component.

This design philosophy results in the following technical choices:[6][7]

  • LLVM with Clang as the primary toolchain, instead of GCC
  • musl as the system C library, replacing glibc
  • mimalloc as the memory allocator, as musl's allocator is regarded as somewhat slow
  • Dinit as the init system, instead of systemd
  • FreeBSD userland tools, rather than GNU coreutils
  • turnstile, a work in progress effort to create a session/login tracker to serve as a fully featured alternative to the logind subproject from systemd[8]
  • doas from OpenBSD for privilege escalation, instead of sudo
  • Wayland and as long as viable X11 as the display protocols
  • PipeWire for audio and multimedia
  • Alpine Package Keeper v3 for software compiled for Chimera Linux
  • Flatpak for closed source software that is not built against musl libc
  • Several bootloaders, among them Limine, GNU GRUB, systemd-boot and Das U-Boot
  • OpenZFS is available as a filesystem option

These decisions are not eternally binding. If a better solution for a component becomes available, replacement is an option.

A strict default security model, employing the in-development Dinit init system and the FreeBSD userland are some of the more radical approaches. Such changes would have been very hard for a distribution with an existing user base.[6][9][10][11]

By combining the Linux kernel with a BSD-derived userland and non-GNU core components, Chimera Linux provides an alternative leaner and cleaner implementation of the Linux OS architecture while remaining compatible with existing Linux software.[6] Together with the LLVM toolchain this distribution provides an alternative to the common GNU-based systems, without explicitly excluding GNU tools or GPL licensed software in general.

Chimera Linux follows a rolling release model.

chimerautils

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chimerautils is Chimera Linux' userland utility suite that replaces the GNU coreutils used on most other distributions. Its upstream is FreeBSD and its version number corresponds to the versioning of FreeBSD releases. The tools are complemented with utilities added by Chimera to offer the same functionality as the GNU coreutils do.


Package management

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Alpine Package Manager (apk) installing neovim

APK and cports

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Native software for Chimera Linux is distributed exclusively using APKv3 (Alpine Package Keeper 3 a.k.a. apk-tools) from Alpine Linux.[7] Nonetheless, Chimera does not re-use Alpine packages. It rather uses its own novel Python-based package build system cports inspired by xbps-src and initially to a lesser extent by abuild.[6]

As of March 2025, Chimera Linux was already using APKv3, at a time when this version was not yet adopted by Alpine Linux itself.[9]

Flatpak

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Because Chimera Linux uses musl instead of glibc, some proprietary and closed-source applications that assume glibc compatibility cannot run without additional measures. To address this limitation, Flatpak is included in the distribution.

Flatpak allows applications to bundle their required runtime libraries and run in a sandboxed environment, making proprietary software such as Steam available on Chimera Linux.

Desktop environments

[edit]

As of January 2026, the Chimera Linux repositories provide the following desktop environments:

History

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Chimera Linux was started in 2021 by former Void Linux maintainer “q66”.[9][7]

The project entered its alpha stage on 11 June 2023, marking the point at which it considered itself suitable for early adopters, with a more stable infrastructure and expanding repositories.[12]

The beta phase began on 27 December 2024, when the package management tools were tagged as release candidates, indicating the transition from alpha to beta quality.[13]

Live image version 20251220 introduced a text-based installer.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "New Images". Archived from the original on 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  2. ^ https://github.com/chimera-linux/chimerautils/blob/master/src.freebsd/sh/TOUR
  3. ^ https://lwn.net/Articles/1004324/
  4. ^ https://archive.fosdem.org/2023/schedule/event/chimera_linux/
  5. ^ https://github.com/chimera-linux/chimerautils
  6. ^ a b c d "Chimera Linux - About". Chimera Linux. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Alden, Daroc. "Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop [LWN.net]". lwn.net. LWN. Archived from the original on 30 March 2025. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  8. ^ https://github.com/chimera-linux/turnstile
  9. ^ a b c Proven, Liam (13 February 2023). "Chimera – a Linux that isn't GNU/Linux". The Register. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Chimera Linux met BSD-userland en dinit in plaats van systemd komt in maart uit". Tweakers (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  11. ^ "A Non-GNU Linux Distribution Built With LLVM & BSD Software Aims For Alpha Next Month". Phoronix. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  12. ^ https://chimera-linux.org/news/2023/06/entering-alpha.html
  13. ^ https://chimera-linux.org/news/2024/12/entering-beta.html
  14. ^ https://distrowatch.com/?newsid=12674
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