Just like any ordinary computer, Raspberry Pi also requires the operating system to perform different operations. Raspberry Pi has its own official Raspberry Pi OS which is most used with it. But the Raspberry Pi devices also provide great compatibility and support for other operating systems too. Due to the small size of Raspberry Pi only lightweight operating systems are well compatible with Raspberry Pi. In this guide, we will list the best lightweight operating systems for Raspberry Pi.
Best Lightweight Operating Systems for Raspberry Pi
There are so many operating systems available that can be downloaded on Raspberry Pi to make things more productive. Below is a list of some of the best lightweight OS for Raspberry Pi:
- Diet Pi
- Alpine Linux
- RISC OS
- Arch Linux ARM
- Tiny Core Linux
- Puppy Linux
Let’s look into the specifications of each.
1: Diet Pi
DietPi is based on Debian Linux. It is also available for Odroid boards, Pine boards, and the ASUS Tinker Board in addition to the Raspberry Pi. Diet Pi is the fastest Raspberry Pi OS. It automates the installation and setup procedure for you and provides precise enhancements that are properly specified for your framework type. Diet Pi comes with a product utility for presenting developed programs and can be installed on a 2GB SD card. With such a light framework, larger cards provide more restriction, yet capacity may be optimized for your enterprise. DietPi is a lightweight distribution of Debian that is compatible with all Raspberry Pi board variants.
Follow the article for installation.
2: Alpine Linux
Alpine Linux prioritizes security; all userland binaries are written as Position Independent Executables (PIE) to prevent stack smashing. Alpine Linux is a lightweight, musl libc library and BusyBox utilities–based Linux system that is network-focused. IP telephony, network monitoring, and intrusion detection are all valuable Alpine Linux apps. Furthermore, this distribution is suited for containers because it serves as the base for the Docker default image.
3: RISC OS
This is an alternative operating system to Linux that may be installed on a Raspberry Pi. RISC OS was the first operating system based on ARM architecture and is a non-Linux OS, and it is still useful today. RISC OS is lightweight and can be used on several devices. You’ll only need 119MB of space on your microSD card, but you need a 2GB card. As RISC OS is a little different than Linux-based OS so you’ll get a chance to learn some new commands. The user interface can initially be a little tense due to the absence of a “begin” button or dock. Applications are grouped together with a prefix in work area organizers when everything else is equal. In the meantime, make sure you are using a three-button mouse to run the RISC operating system; an interactive wheel will work as a center button.
Arch has been a popular alternative to Raspbian and Raspberry Pi OS for a long time, and for good reason. This version of 32-bit Arch Linux that is geared toward ARM has all the features and functions you would expect from an operating system for the Raspberry Pi. The final product is a wonderful distro with the Xfce desktop. It works fast and smoothly, and it’s perfect for all the Raspberry Pi projects you might want to run. It also provides full access to the GPIO pins which allows great control for users.
Installation Process
5: Tiny Core Linux
Tiny Core Linux’s Raspberry Pi version is compact. It is only 90MB in size. Tiny Core Linux is not a pre-packaged operating system like other distributions, but rather a set of tools for building your own. It’s great for learning Linux on the Raspberry Pi and for building bespoke systems or appliances because of its adaptability, tiny footprint, and latest kernel and set of programs. With this OS users will need to download and install their own email client, text editor, web browser, and other software due to which it is a highly customized OS.
6: Puppy Linux
Raspup, a Pup Linux derivative, is yet another incredibly light operating system for the Raspberry Pi. Raspup, which is available for all Raspberry Pi models, emulates the Little Puppy Linux experience on the Raspberry Pi. This means that if you do not save your meeting at the end of the meeting, the subsequent boot will act as a completely new institution.
Although it has certain drawbacks, it is useful for protection and keeps the working framework light. If you have introduced bundles, however, you should save meetings to proceed to the software on future boots.
Installation Process.
That’s all for this guide I hope now you have a good number of lightweight OS choices to choose from. Now let’s move towards the conclusion.
Conclusion
The official operating system of Raspberry Pi is Raspberry Pi OS. But there are several other lightweight operating systems that are small in size and are highly compatible with Raspberry Pi. The list of the best operating systems along with their specifications is discussed in the article; some of them are Debian Linux based while others are non-Linux operating systems.
