What is Arch Linux?

In the world of technology, everyone is looking for the best operating system for their goals and activities, fortunately, with the advancement of technology, a good answer has been provided for every need, And users can choose their desired option from thousands of options, but to make the right choice, they need to be more informed.

With its various distributions, the Linux operating system is the most popular and widely used operating system that users choose for desktop and server environments. The topic of today’s article is ArchLinux, which you may be familiar with or may be hearing about for the first time, but if you have searched for Arch Linux, you must be looking for a useful and comprehensive article that explains everything about Arch Linux.

What is ArchLinux? It is one of the GNU/Linux distributions that is modern, simple, practical, user-centric, and flexible. The Arch Linux operating system is minimalistic and light and aims to attract more experts and users of Linux to this distribution; although most Linux distributions are known for simplicity and ease,  but Arch Linux aims to provide an integrated operating system with the ability to customize different parts.

We decided to introduce you to what is Arch Linux operating system and the advantages and reasons for using this operating system, and who should use the Arch Linux operating system, so if you are looking for a comprehensive article about Arch Linux, accompany us.

What is ArchLinux?

ArchLinux is an open-source, free, independent Linux distribution released in March 2002 by Judd Vinet, inspired by CRUX; This is a light, simple, modern distributed operating system with a minimal and user-centered nature that allows you to customize and control the system a lot so that users can customize different parts of the system while benefiting from an integrated system.

This feature may be disturbing and difficult for beginners, but it is very enjoyable for professionals, and because of this, it has gained a lot of popularity in the technology community.

ArchLinux is built to be simple and light and defines simplicity as the absence of changes and plugins and unnecessary complexity, Which allows users to design the operating system according to their needs; such a nature was called a subtle and minimalist approach. Of course, Pay attention that the concept of simplicity in this operating system was from the developer and programmer’s point of view, not the user’s.

Arch has introduced the idea of do-it-yourself (DIY) to users. With the facilities it provides, it has tried to provide enough freedom for the personalization of users so that they can allocate their resources based on their needs and any decision is the responsibility of the user.

So that the user can choose all the features and change the system according to their needs; as a result, the system’s speed increases, and users can use hardware resources more optimally. With the help of this feature, transferring from any operating system to Arch Linux is attractive and exciting.

Arch Linux is a GNU/Linux distribution created for simplicity, optimization, modernity, practicality, user-centeredness, and versatility and is intended for computers with x86-64 architecture and processor; also, Arch Linux repositories contain libre and nonfree softwares, and Arch Linux has the default Arch Linux kernel, which includes nonfree proprietary blobs.

ArchLinux has the Pacman package manager, which is dedicated to installing, removing, and updating software packages. Arch Linux differs from major distributions such as Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, Kali, Fedora, Centura, RHEL, and SUSE with its package management system and philosophy. Is.

This operating system always provides users with the latest updates. It has the latest available kernel, and it is a rolling release system, which means that you install this operating system only once and then receive its updates.

History of Arch Linux

In March 2002, Judd Vinet developed the Arch Linux operating system simply and efficiently, inspired by the CRUX simplistic distribution. The first official version of Arch Linux 0.1 was released on March 11, 2002, compatible with the 32-bit x86 architecture, but supporting x86_64 was introduced in April 2006.

Vinet developed Arch Linux inspired by distributions such as Slackware, BSD, PLD Linux, and CRUX, but the lack of a package manager program was a major problem for him; as a result, he decided to write a dedicated package manager for Arch Linux called Pacman to control and check the installation, removal, and updating of software packages automatically.

The management of the Arch Linux project was under the responsibility of Vinet until October 1, 2007; after that, he handed over the leadership and control of the project to Aaron Griffin due to his busy schedule.

For some reason, Aaron Griffin handed over the project management to Levente Polyak on February 24, 2020, and Arch Linux announced in January 2017 that it no longer supports the i686 platform and the last ISO with i686 support was released in February of the same year.

8 reasons why Arch Linux is superior compared to other Linux distributions

Every popularity has a reason, and if Arch Linux has its fans, then it must have achieved features that set it apart from other operating systems. We will talk to you about these features and the distinction of Arch Linux.

1. Customization capability

As we mentioned at the beginning, Arch Linux, as a DIY (do-it-yourself) operating system, allows the user to customize the smallest details and all the user’s desired features.

After loading the ISO file for installation, the user can freely monitor and control various functional aspects, which is a fundamental distinguishing feature of Arch Linux.

It should be noted that installing the clean version of the Arch Linux operating system does not have windows management tools and the desktop environment by default, and the user must choose and build his desired environment from the ground up.

Customize different parts of the operating system with different features and components. Arch Linux is a lightweight distribution because it does not have any predefined programs by default. Also, the possibility of deleting programs and non-functional items and delegating authority to the user introduces the Arch Linux operating system as a flexible, powerful, and highly available platform.

Note: Of course, to install Arch Linux and simplify the installation process, you can use GUI installers such as Anarchy and Zen installer, which are compatible with this operating system.

2. New, up-to-date, and advanced technology

Arch Linux uses a model for releasing updates that provides direct access to the latest versions and immediately provides users with each update after it is released.

Since this operating system is a rolling release, it is always updated with the latest corrections and new features, and you no longer need to worry about incompatibility or partial failure of your system with updates because it is compatible with any updates, and for this reason, this operating system has become one of the stable Linux distributions.

It is also interesting to know that it is not necessary to know the versions to receive the updates; just use the Pacman-Syu command and easily install the updates and enjoy the latest features. Arch Linux creates a good experience for those interested in using the latest features.

3. Arch Linux User Repository (AUR)

Another distinguishing feature of Arch Linux is the Arch User Repository (AUR). This distribution includes a community-driven repository, which is controlled and supported by the user community, which contains package descriptions (PKGBUILDs) and allows a package to be compiled from source using makepkg and then installed by pacman.

Users can access that package in the user repository before the package is added to the arch Linux main repository; as a result, users can access a world of new software.

The AUR was created with the goal of organizing and sharing to be able to organize new community packages, and it speeds up access to popular packages in Arch community repositories.

4. Valuable Arch Wiki

Arch Linux is the best distribution among Linux fans to provide comprehensive and reliable documentation and resources.

We did not exaggerate the definition of Arch Linux documentation that is available to users because it contains a level beyond this distribution, and it provides a vast library of documents about Arch Linux, its Derivatives and related facts, installation guides, and tutorials so that when you encounter a problem with the system, you can easily find a working solution from Arch Wiki.

5. Arch Linux responds to different purposes

Pacman, as a packet manager specifically responsible for managing Arch packages and has high flexibility so that in addition to installing binary packages in Arch repositories, it can also support installing binaries compiled from source by makepkg.

As a result, Arch Linux acts as a bridge between distributions that ignore users’ convenience due to the ability to compile binary files from the source through settings and distributions that provide the possibility of installing binary packages through the package management system, it works.

6. Familiarity and a better understanding of Linux

The main pleasure of working with Arch Linux is felt after installing the clean version of this operating system; Because all the changes and decisions are the responsibility of the users, and it has a complex installation process that is done in a completely command-line environment, of course, this complexity may be difficult and daunting for beginners, but for professionals, it is considered an advantage that more Familiarize themselves with the Linux environment.

Through this operating system, you can get acquainted with the concepts of display managers, chroot, network configurations, and many other useful concepts of Linux and learn new tips; for example, using the network manager can be a new experience for many users, which allows Creates manual network configuration.

In addition to these features, Arch Linux has increased its capabilities by providing security tools and penetration testing by the Black Arch repository for those in the cyber security field.

Of course, you can look for simpler and faster solutions compared to Arch Linux, but if you want to gain experience and know the reason for some problems and how to solve them in the Linux environment, Arch Linux and its vast knowledge base is a good option for starters.

7. originality

Unlike other distributions such as Ubuntu, which is based on Debian, the arch Linux operating system was created from the ground up, independent of any Linux distribution. Surely you are familiar with Debian by now; this distribution of Linux is known as the mother of Linux distributions from which most of the distributions originated, the article what is Debian will familiarize you more with this operating system, But the Arch Linux operating system was created entirely independently and did not originate from any distribution.

8. flexibility

Working with Arch Linux is very pleasant in addition to its complexities. it is a very flexible operating system that you are able to change it as you like, Also You are free to add the required features by choosing modules from the time of its installation.

As a result, you don’t have to put up with a bulky set of unnecessary apps by default. The flexibility of this operating system is a great advantage.

Disadvantages of Arch Linux operating system

Although this operating system has unique capabilities, it is unsuitable for beginner users who want to learn about Linux.

But if you want to use this operating system and you don’t have enough familiarity with the Linux environment, it is better to try it on a virtual machine first and then install it on the system after gaining the skills.

The next option for beginners can be to use simpler distributions based on Arch Linux. For example, Arcolinux and Manjaro can be mentioned as the simplest Arch Linux distributions. Manjaro is one of the user-friendly distributions with a simple user interface for beginners and has a set of ready-made software that will be useful for users’ daily tasks.

Also The Arch Linux operating system has a complicated and time-consuming installation and repair process, and you can’t always trust that the software in the AUR is safe and up-to-date.

Who should use Arch Linux?

Arch is very technical at its core, and professional and highly knowledgeable technical users can get the best out of it due to the DIY nature of this operating system.

With technical knowledge, sufficient skills, and an active user community, arch Linux can be optimized for various purposes and customized according to needs.

ArchLinux emphasizes its superiority over other Linux distributions by having the unique features of Pacman and AUR because these features are only available in the Arch Linux operating system and its distributions.

The BlackArch repository is one of the repositories that can be added to Arch Linux and benefit from its security tools, one of the most popular repositories among cyber security specialists.

What is black arch Linux?

A penetration testing distribution based on Arch Linux provides a set of security tools for penetration testers and security researchers. This repository has 2812 security tools that can be installed individually or in groups.

This distribution is open source and compatible with existing Arch Linux installations. Also, with arch Linux installations, you can use Parrot OS and Kali Linux; You are probably familiar with Kali Linux by now and are aware of its wonderful uses; if not, our article on what is kali Linux explains everything about this operating system that you can use with its uses and Get to know the capabilities of Kali Linux and know what facilities it provides to users.

What is the Arch Build system?

ABS, which stands for Arch Build System, is a Ports-like program that can compile sources into installable binary packages using Pacman.

By creating a branch of shell scripts called PKGBUILD, ABS can modify and compile all official Arch packages and supports rebuilding the entire system using modified compiler flags.

It should be noted that the makepkg tool can also be used to create pkg.tar.gz packages from unofficial sources.

FAQ

Summary

Arch Linux is a Linux distribution created for simplicity, user-centeredness, optimization, and versatility, which is different from all Linux distributions and is recommended for professionals with high knowledge because they can benefit from its advantages and its possibility of customization to optimize different goals.

You can also get the best results from this Linux distribution on the server. If you want to use Arch Linux on a Linux VPS after getting familiar with this operating system, In that case, you can order a Linux VPS with the Arch Linux operating system by visiting our purchase page.

I hope you have thoroughly familiarized yourself with the Arch Linux operating system and be aware of its advantages and disadvantages in this article. If you have any questions about Arch Linux, share them with us in the comments section.

Thank you for being so cooperative.