 | |
 Screenshot of Chimera Linux with default GNOME 44.2 desktop environment | |
| Developer | Chimera Linux developers |
|---|---|
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source |
| Latest release | Rolling release / 14 February 2025; 2 months ago (2025-02-14)[1] |
| Repository | https://github.com/chimera-linux/ |
| Marketing target | General purpose |
| Update method | Rolling release |
| Package manager | apk-tools, cports |
| Platforms | x86-64,aarch64,loongarch64,ppc64le,ppc64,PowerPC,RISC-V |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| Userland | BSD |
| Default user interface | GNOME Shell,Almquist shell |
| Official website | chimera-linux |
Chimera Linux is aLinux distribution striving for the minimum complexity of system configuration while retaining and expanding on the flexibility common to general purpose Linux based systems.
It usesmusl as itslibc implementation, userland tools fromFreeBSD, and dinit as itsinit system.[2][3]
Forpackage management it uses apk-tools fromAlpine Linux,[3] but Chimera does not re-use Alpine packages, but instead uses its own novel package build system.[2]
The distribution has noupstream and defines itself as "independent" from this perspective.
Chimera Linux was started in 2021[4] by formerVoid Linux maintainer "q66".[3]
Chimera Linux makes use of userland components from FreeBSD, and themusl C library in-place of theGNU coreutils andglibc respectively.[2]
A strict default security model, employing the in-development dinitinit system and theFreeBSD userland are some of the more radical approaches. Such changes would have been very hard for a distribution with an existing user base.[2][4][5][6]
Core userland from FreeBSD, and theLLVM toolchain are employed. In this the distribution provides an alternative to the commonGNU-based systems, without explicitly excluding GNU tools orGPL licensed software in general.
Re-thinking of the core components common across Linux distributions and re-thinking of their integration into an operating system are stated as intentionally pursued at the same time. This approach allows to skip the 'chicken and egg' problem of core system components development: If to interface a newly updated component to an "old" system or adapt a system to a "new" component instead.
Chimera Linux uses Alpine Package Keeper (apk) from Alpine Linux for its package manager utility. As of March 2025 Chimera Linux uses the upcoming version 3 of apk, not currently used by Alpine Linux.[4]
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