The State of Immutable Linux
5 hours ago
- #Linux
- #Distributions
- #ImmutableOS
- Immutable Linux distributions aim for predictable and scoped changes, not 100% immutability.
- Flatcar Linux uses A/B partitions with read-only USR partitions and overlay mounts for user changes.
- Fedora CoreOS and Silverblue use ostree (git for filesystem) with rpm-ostree for package overlays, but bootc is replacing it.
- Kairos is a meta-distro that packages filesystems as .img files in containers, using cloud-init for customization.
- MicroOS uses btrfs snapshots for flexible rollbacks, maintaining a traditional Linux feel.
- Bottlerocket is AWS's container OS, API-driven with no SSH, similar to Talos but AWS-specific.
- NixOS focuses on reproducibility, not immutability, with versioned, isolated changes via flakes.
- Talos Linux runs entirely in memory (UKI), API-driven, with no traditional root filesystem, focusing on declarative state.