I love using Debian. I think it is so interesting that so many distros have been or currently are based on Debian. While I prefer vanillia Debian, I wanted to list all of the Debian based distros (non-Ubuntu) I know of and categorize them based on what makes them unique.
Daily Drivers (Ease of use):
LMDE - Linux Mint + Debian, no Ubuntu, Mint polish
MX Linux - MXTools is helpful
Deepin - Beautiful, preconfigured desktop, from China.
Peppermint_OS – Lightweight, cloud integrated, snappy
Neptune - Polished KDE Plasma on stable Debian w/newer kernels.
SpiralLinux – Pure Debian with modern defaults (Btrfs, ZRAM).
SolydXK – Simplified XFCE/KDE desktops for stability.
Lingmo OS / Mauna Linux / Br OS - Recent, beautiful desktops (China/Brazil)
Modern/Atomic (Immutable):
Vanilla OS - Atomic updates, can run Fedora/Arch apps via Apx.
blendOS - Atomic, lets you choose DE (KDE, XFCE, etc), can install applications from other Linux distros.
Nitrux - Immutable, no systemd (OpenRC), Maui shell, immutable, heavy reliance on AppImage
High Performance and Gaming:
Siduction - Rolling release based on Debian Sid.
SparkyLinux - Great for gaming, newer drivers.
PikaOS - Gaming with high-performance kernel opimizations.
Multimedia/Creative:
AV Linux (MX Edition) – Preconfigured w/low-latency kernel for audio production.
Minimalist:
BashCore - Ultra minimalist, branding free CLI environment.
Slax - Modular, tiny, runs from a USB stick.
Performance and Old Hardware (Lightweight):
antiX - No systemd, runs on a toaster (256MB RAM)
CrunchBang++ (#!++)- Minimalist, Debian + Openbox, continuation of original Crunchbang.
BunsenLabs - minimalist OpenBox, keyboard centric.
Window Maker Live - 90s NeXTSTEP look, fast, retro.
Puppy Linux (DPup) - Runes entirely on RAM, fast.
Elive - Enlightenment desktop, high-end looks for 20 year old hardware.
Damn Small Linux - Stays under 700MB.
wattOS - Low power consumption and simplicity.
Q4OS – Trinity desktop, can mimic Windows XP/7.
Commodore OS Vision - Retro computing aesthetic.
Security, Privacy, and Stealth:
Qubes OS - Isolates everything inside Xen VMs, has Debian and Fedora as default templates.
Tails - Amnesic "Snowden" OS, leaves no trace on hardware.
Whonix - Extreme privacy via dual-VM gateway/workstation.
Kodachi - Hardened, pre-routed live OS alternative to Tails.
Septor – Surf the web anonymously.
Kicksecure - Hardened Debian layer (the base for Whonix).
IT and SysAdmin Toolbox:
Kali Linux/Parrot OS - "Hackerman" suites for penetration testing.
GParted Live/Dr. Parted - Disk partitioning
Grml/Finnix/Knoppix - "Oh Shit Buttons", emergency ktis for broken PCs.
SysLinuxOS/Kaisen - Built for network admins and system integrators.
Servers, Cloud, and Self Hosting:
Proxmox VE - Server, machine host for VMs
TrueNAS Scale - NAS, built for ZFS storage and applications.
OpenMediaVault - Turns old hardwrae into NAS
umbrelOS/StartOS/YunoHost - self-host your own cloud.
Univention (UCS) - Professional Debian for corporate identity mangement.
Network & Radio Engineering:
Live Raizo – Specialized lab environment for network admins to simulate and experiment with complex network topologies (integrated with GNS3).
Skywave Linux – Built for Software Defined Radio (SDR) and shortwave enthusiasts. Preconfigured with specific drivers and software needed to communicate on the airwaves.
VyOS – Network OS for routers and firewalls.
Embedded, IoT, and Media:
Raspberry Pi OS - OS specifically for Raspberry Pi
DietPi - lightweight, optimized base for hobbyist boards.
OSMC - Turn hardware into dedicated Kodi media center.
LinuxCNC - Controls heavy machinery and 3D printers.
Mobile Distros:
Mobian - Debian for phones and tablets.
PureOS - FSF endorsed, famous for Librem 5 convergence.
Droidian - Allows Debian to run on standard Android hardware.
LuneOS - Spiritual successor to Palm webOS.
FuriOS – OS for the FuriLabs FLX1, includes Waydroid.
Philosopy and Geopolitics:
Devuan - Protest against systemd
Endless OS/Emmabuntüs - Built for schools and developing world.
Astra/BOSS/Pardus/UOS - State sponsored distros (RU,IN,TR,CN).
openKylin - Community version of China's Kylin OS.
You could also consider Debian Pureblends, like Debian Med and Debian Edu.
Did I miss any? Please let me know, I will edit the list. Thank you!
#Debian #GNULinux #GNU #Linux #Privacy #SysAdmin #Tech #OpenSource #LMDE #LinuxMint #Mint #MXLinux #Deepin #PeppermintOS #antiX #SparkyLinux #BunsenLabs #Elive #AVLinux #NeptuneOS #KaliLinux #Kali #Tails #Whonix #Proxmox #OpenMediaVault #GRML #FINNIX #Knoppix #RaspberryPi #Pi #VyOS #Devuan #PureOS #Nitrux #EndlessOS #Emmabuntüs #Siduction #Bashcore #VanillaOS #TrueNAS #TrueNASScale #WindowMakerLive #Neptune #blendOS #crunchbang #Mobian #Droidian #FuriOS #LuneOS #Slax
Bryan (he/him) 🇺🇸 🏳️🌈
Leszek Lesner
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