postmarketOS is an Alpine Linux-based distribution primarily developed for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Its goal is to extend the useful life of consumer electronics by providing a conventional open source Linux environment that is not tied to the device manufacturer’s software lifecycle.
The distribution targets mainline or close-to-mainline Linux kernels wherever possible. Its latest stable release is v26.06, based on Alpine Linux 3.24. Development also continues through the rolling edge channel. The project cautions that postmarketOS remains aimed mainly at Linux enthusiasts rather than users expecting the polish of Android or iOS.
Key Features
- Offers several mobile-oriented interfaces including Phosh, Plasma Mobile, GNOME Mobile and Sxmo.
- Provides additional interfaces for desktop-style devices, including GNOME, Plasma Desktop, COSMIC, Sway and Xfce.
- Uses Alpine Linux as its underlying distribution and APK for package management.
- Offers stable releases every six months alongside the rolling edge development channel.
- Supports both systemd and OpenRC, with the preferred service manager depending on the selected user interface.
- Provides
pmbootstrapfor configuring, building and installing postmarketOS images. - Maintains device ports in different support categories reflecting their maintenance status and hardware functionality.</li
| Working state: | Active |
| Desktop: | Phosh, Plasma Mobile, GNOME Mobile, Sxmo, GNOME, KDE Plasma, COSMIC, Xfce |
| Init Software: | systemd, OpenRC |
| Package Management: | APK |
| Release Model: | Fixed, Rolling |
| Platforms: | aarch64, armv7, x86_64 |
| Home Page: | postmarketos.org |
| Developer: | postmarketOS community |
| This article is part of our Big List of Active Linux Distributions. |
What's a Linux distribution ("distro")? |
| A distro provides the user with a desktop environment, preloaded applications, and ways to update and maintain the system. Each distro makes different choices, deciding which open source projects to install and provides custom written programs. They can have different philosophies. Some distros are intended for desktop computers, some for servers without a graphical interface, and others for special uses. Because Linux is an open source operating system, combinations of software vary between Linux distros. |
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