Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 190,144 times. Learn more... This wikiHow teaches you how to create a Linux operating system. While creating a Linux distribution from scratch requires advanced knowledge of how to code, a free Linux distribution called Slax will allow you to customize your Linux installation to create a distribution with only the items you want. You will need a windows computer for this process. Install WinRAR if you don't have it. Since Windows doesn't have a program which can open ISO files as directories, you'll use this free program to open the ISO file for Slax later. Go to https://www.rarlab.com/download.htm (or go to https://www.rarlab.com/ and click Downloads on the left side), then do the following: Click WinRAR x64 (64 bit) 5.60 beta 5 near the top of the page. Double-click the downloaded setup file. Click Yes when prompted. Make sure the "ISO" box is checked. Open the Slax website. Go to https://www.slax.org/ in your computer's web browser. This is the website from which you can download Slax. Click Slax 64bit. It's on the left side of the page. Doing so prompts the Slax ISO file to download onto your computer. Unless your computer was manufactured in the 90s or early 2000s, don't use the 32-bit link for Slax. [1] X Research source Plug a flash drive into your computer. You can use any type of USB flash drive for this step, but the flash drive must have at least one gigabyte of storage space. Given that it costs less than $10 to buy a 16-gigabyte flash drive, you might want to purchase a flash drive which is larger than one gigabyte.

Creating your very own operating system may sound like a daunting task, but with the help of Linux From Scratch (LFS), it is entirely possible for anyone with a passion for learning and a willingness to dive into the world of operating systems. In this article, we will walk you through the process of creating your very own operating system with Linux From Scratch, covering everything from the basics of what LFS is to the step-by-step instructions on how to build your custom OS. What is Linux From Scratch? Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with the necessary tools and instructions to build your own custom Linux-based operating system from scratch. By following the LFS book, you will have complete control over every aspect of your OS, from the kernel to the user interface. This level of customization allows you to create an operating system that is tailored to your specific needs and preferences. LFS is not a distribution like Ubuntu or Fedora; instead, it is a set of instructions that guide you through the process of building your own distribution. This means that you will have the freedom to choose which components you want to include in your OS and how they are configured. By creating your own operating system with LFS, you will gain a deeper understanding of how Linux works and have the satisfaction of knowing that you built your OS from the ground up. Getting started with Linux From Scratch Before you begin building your operating system with Linux From Scratch, there are a few prerequisites that you will need to have in place. First and foremost, you will need a working Linux system to build LFS on. This can be a virtual machine, a spare computer, or even a Raspberry Pi. It is important to have a clean and stable Linux environment to build LFS in order to avoid any potential conflicts or issues. Next, you will need to download the LFS book, which is the comprehensive guide that will walk you through the process of building your operating system. The LFS book is available for free on the LFS website and is regularly updated to ensure that you have the most up-to-date instructions for building your OS.

Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with step-by-step instructions for building your own custom Linux system, entirely from source code. This lets you audit everything, if you wish to do so, and apply all the security patches you want or need to apply. You don’t have to wait for someone else to provide a new binary package that (hopefully) fixes a security hole. Often, you never truly know whether a security hole is fixed or not unless you do it yourself. Building LFS teaches you about all that makes Linux tick, how things work together and depend on each other. And most importantly, how to customize it to your own preferences and requirements. When you install a Linux distribution, you often end up installing a lot of programs that you would probably never use. They’re just sitting there wasting disk space. It’s not hard to get an LFS system installed under 500 MB. Does that still sound like a lot? A few individuals have been working on creating an LFS system even smaller. Building LFS could be compared to a finished house. LFS will give you the skeleton of a house, but it’s up to you to install plumbing, electrical outlets, kitchen, bath, wallpaper, etc. You have the ability to turn it into whatever type of system you need it to be, customized completely for you. This article is part of our Big List of Active Linux Distros which is currently under development. What's a Linux distribution ("distro")? A distro provides the user with a desktop environment, preloaded applications, and ways to update and maintain the system. Each distro makes different choices, deciding which open source projects to install and provides custom written programs. They can have different philosophies. Some distros are intended for desktop computers, some for servers without a graphical interface, and others for special uses. Because Linux is an open source operating system, combinations of software vary between Linux distros. Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with step-by-step instructions for building your own custom Linux system.

Examples of distributions that are based on other distributions include Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Red Hat Linux, and Manjaro. Linux Mint for example is based on Ubuntu. We say “based” because the Linux Mint developers do not package all the packages in its repositories on their own. Instead, most of the packages provided to Linux Mint users are the same ones packaged and provided by Ubuntu, but Linux Mint adds a few more packages, their own applications, and another set of customizations to make their own distribution. Ubuntu, in turn, is based on Debian. Debian provides more than 60,000 binary packages in its repositories, and reproducing these packages from scratch is a gigantic effort that few organizations and companies in the world can make. This is why people almost always build their customized Linux distributions on other Linux distributions instead of starting from scratch. They save themselves a huge time and effort by doing so. Those who still want to start from scratch can use a guide called “ Linux from Scratch ” to bring all the needed software components to make a Linux distribution from the ground up. Do not reinvent the wheel, unless you are going to make it different! Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution, featuring a lot of features that make life easier for end users. Therefore creating a distribution based on it will be a good choice if you are a beginner and want to learn a new thing or two, or share your own copy of the operating system with the world. There are multiple ways to build a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. One of them using an easy graphical program, and the other one is for experts using the Linux command line. An open-source software called “ Cubic ” is the most common way these days to easily build a customized Linux distribution of Ubuntu. You can learn more about it from its GitHub page. To install it on Ubuntu, run the following commands in your terminal: Afterwards, look for the program in your application menu and launch it. The program starts with the following window: Hit this button to select the folder where you will be working and creating files: And select the folder that you want (or you can simply create a new one): Click on “Next” to move on to the next part. This window will ask you to select your parent Linux distribution ISO file. You must download the original ISO file for the Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based Linux distribution on which you want to build your customized distribution. You can download the ISO file you want for whatever Ubuntu version from ubuntu.com/download, or you can even use a Ubuntu-based distribution ISO file such as Linux Mint. After you select the base ISO file for your Linux distribution, you will see that a lot of info is displayed in these text boxes like in the screenshot. Let’s see what each piece of info corresponds to: is the version you want to release for your Linux distribution. It could follow any versioning scheme you want. is the name of the ISO file that is going to be generated. Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution developed by System76 based on Ubuntu, and they have released their ISO build scripts for free on GitHub. You can study the repository, and the scripts in it, and customize them according to your needs. The process of building the distribution later on won’t take more than running the following commands inside the project files: And the ISO file will be generated in your current working directory. Other ISO building scripts exist either for Ubuntu or Debian-based distribution if you search GitHub and other places. For example, the PeppermintOS project has a similar set of scripts to build its own ISO file, and you can use it as well to build your own Ubuntu-based distribution. You are mostly on your own, however, if you go with this path. You may ask for help you need in the Linux and open-source communities, but you will be directing the steward of your ship if go through this route and you should have enough experience to do so. Regardless of the build method that you use to build your custom Linux distribution, you should test it before you release it to the world. You can easily test your generated ISO files using QEMU in no time. You may also use VirtualBox if you like: And then just select your ISO file as a boot option for the virtual machine you create using the program. Originally published in 2016 since the launch of our website, this guide used to feature tools like Remastersys, Pinguy Builder and Ubuntu Customization Kit, all of which are no longer maintained. I have been in the Linux distribution building landscape since 2010, and followed the development of these tools closely.

An operating system is a piece of software that sits in between the hardware that you interact with and the software that you wish to run. When you are typing on a keyboard or looking at your screen, you are touching the hardware. When you start your web browser you are using software, the web browser is executing code on your CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, it doesn’t do this directly. It talks with your Operating System, which then talks with your hardware. In essence, it translates and manages hardware so that software can use it. (See below) What is Linux? One common misconception is that Linux is an operating system (OS). This is factually incorrect and it is rather that piece of software that directly communicates with the hardware. An OS is much more than that, it includes software libraries, runtimes, and usually a default set of executables. Most Linux distributions use GNU as the operating system (including TOS). GNU is the child of Richard Stallman and was designed to be Free (As in Freedom) and Open Source. This ranges from a compiler to system libraries as well as commonly used system programs. In the Linux world, we often say GNU + Linux otherwise referred to as GNU/Linux, because the Operating System is a combination of those 2 projects. Other versions of Linux also exist, for example, the busybox project. These Linux distributions are often more lightweight and can be found in embedded systems. Understanding a few Linux commands would give you a view of how to use Linux distro efficiently. The Linux kernel is known to be open-source software. This means that the source code is openly available. Everybody can read the code and modify it to their heart’s content. It means we, as a community, can find bugs and fix them or add extra features. This is a very powerful feature and enables collaboration to improve the software, fix bugs, and increase security. But the story really begins with Arch Linux. It is known as a Do It Yourself (DIY) distribution. This means you actually had to completely do everything yourself. From installing all drivers to choosing the Desktop Environment (DE) and applications you want to use. Nothing is done for you and everything must be done by yourself. This distro gave me insight into how Linux works on a lower level. Because it was so low level it meant you had to make sure everything was installed and configured correctly. For example, if you forgot to install a wifi driver and network manager, then you couldn’t use the internet and thus couldn’t fix the problem. Soon after installing Arch Linux on my laptop, I wanted to install it on my desktop. This took a lot of setup work. Which meant I created a shell script that automatically installed Arch Linux with all my dependencies and favorite applications. Which, in essence, was my very first “installer”. This resulted in installations of 15 minutes instead of 1 to 2 days of manual work. I soon began to modify and fix bugs in the installation script. Each time I wanted a new feature, I added it to that script. You can imagine that over time it began growing and growing more massive. Eventually, the script was no longer, instead, I made several components that each interact with one another, and that in the end became TOS GNU/Linux. TOS Linux has a graphical installer that is responsible for installing the operating system on your hardware.

Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with step-by-step instructions for building your own custom Linux system, entirely from source code. Currently, the Linux From Scratch organization consists of the following subprojects: LFS :: Linux From Scratch is the main book, the base from which all other projects are derived. BLFS :: Beyond Linux From Scratch helps you extend your finished LFS installation into a more customized and usable system. ALFS :: Automated Linux From Scratch provides tools for automating and managing LFS and BLFS builds. MLFS :: Multilib-LFS is a variant of LFS that builds a system which is able to execute 32-bit binaries. GLFS :: Gaming Linux From Scratch is based on BLFS and helps you install gaming support software like Steam or Wine on a new LFS or MLFS system. Hints :: The Hints project is a collection of documents that explain how to enhance your LFS system in ways that are not included in the LFS or BLFS books. Patches :: The Patches project serves as a central repository for all patches useful to an LFS user. LFS Editor's Guide :: A document that describes the LFS development process. Museum :: Copies of ancient LFS and BLFS versions. © 1998-2025 Gerard Beekmans. Website design by Jeremy Huntwork & Matthew Burgess.

Building your very own customized Linux distro gives you ultimate flexibility to add the features you want, optimize performance for your hardware, learn the inner workings of an operating system, and gain serious "cred" among your Linux-loving friends. In this step-by-step guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know to roll your own Linux flavor from the ground up. I struggled for months trying to tweak default Ubuntu releases to meet my needs before finally realizing it would be easier to just build my own. After plenty of late nights getting my hands dirty "under the hood", I now have an ultra-fast distro that boots in 5 seconds flat on my vintage Thinkpad! Ready to find out what it takes to become an elite Linux distro architect? Let‘s get started! Why Would I Want a Custom Linux Distro Anyway? Excellent question grasshopper! Before we dig into the nitty gritty details, it‘s important we align on the goals and motivations that might prompt someone to embark on the quest to construct a personalized Linux system. Precision control: Generic distros must target a broad range of hardware and usage scenarios. When you handcraft your own OS, you can meticulously fine tune it for your specific machine, workload types, and intended functionality. Understand Linux internals: Compiling packages from source code or hacking distro config files offers tremendous visibility into how Linux operating systems fit together under the hood. The learning alone along the journey makes creating your own distro worthwhile. Security and privacy: Off-the-shelf Linux releases contain millions of lines of code from sources unknown. Who‘s to say there aren‘t spyware-laden Trojans buried in some obscure driver or middleware? When you control the build process start-to-finish, you minimize risk of nasty patented blobs or viruses lurking on your machine. Blazing performance: Cutting out extraneous packages and optimizing your distro for your exact CPU model can wring out performance like you wouldn‘t believe! After building my six-core Coffee Lake tuned Linux variant, I saw a jaw-dropping 52% higher frame rate in my go-to Steam games. Serious street "cred": Come on, you know you want those bragging rights among your FOSS pals!

Learn how to create a basic operating system from the ground up. This step-by-step guide covers bootloader creation, kernel development, and implement Have you ever wondered how operating systems work under the hood? In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a simple operating system from scratch. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a basic OS that can boot, load a kernel, display "Hello, World!", and run a simple shell. An operating system (OS) is a crucial piece of software that manages computer hardware and provides services for computer programs. It acts as an intermediary between computer hardware and the user, handling tasks such as: The core components of a basic operating system include: Bootloader: A small program that initializes the system and loads the kernel. Kernel: The central component that manages system resources and provides essential services. Shell: A user interface for interacting with the system, typically through commands. In this tutorial, we'll create simplified versions of these components to build our own basic OS. Before we begin, ensure you have the following tools installed on your development machine: You can install these on most Linux distributions using the package manager. For example, on Ubuntu: For Windows users, consider using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or a virtual machine running Linux. cd my_os all: os.img os.img: boot/boot.bin kernel/kernel.bin shell/shell.bin boot/boot.bin: boot/boot.asm $(ASM) -f bin $< -o $@ kernel/kernel.bin: kernel/kernel.o $(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $< -o $@ kernel/kernel.o: kernel/kernel.c $(CC) $(CFLAGS) $< -o $@ shell/shell.bin: shell/shell.o $(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $< -o $@ shell/shell.o: shell/shell.c $(CC) $(CFLAGS) $< -o $@ clean: rm -f boot/*.bin kernel/*.bin kernel/*.o shell/*.bin shell/*.o os.img run: os.img qemu-system-i386 -fda os.img This Makefile will help us compile and link our OS components and create the final disk image. The bootloader is the first code that runs when a computer starts. It's responsible for loading the kernel into memory and transferring control to it. Create a file boot/boot.asm: start: call print_string call load_kernel call switch_to_pm load_kernel: call print_string call disk_load BEGIN_PM: call print_string_pm call KERNEL_OFFSET This bootloader switches from 16-bit real mode to 32-bit protected mode and loads our kernel into memory. The kernel is the core of our operating system. For this simple example, we'll create a kernel that prints "Hello from kernel!" to the screen. Create a file kernel/kernel.c: unsigned short * video_memory = (unsigned short *) 0xb8000;

The Linux From Scratch (LFS) project was created specifically to empower you to make your own Linux operating system to meet your needs, whether it's for special hardware accommodations, maximizing performance, staying on the bleeding edge, or learning the internals of Linux. Linux From Scratch isn't just another distribution that comes with the minimum tooling necessary. LFS is actually just a collection of documentation, so everything you do literally comes from each project's source code. In other words, with the help of the LFS documentation, you can download the Linux kernel's source code directly from their site and compile it. You then move on to the next component and work your way from there until you've eventually built a complete operating system—or at least as much of an operating system as you need. When creating your own Linux operating system, you need to understand that you will have to use a Linux distribution to create another one. This is because, as you're creating everything directly from source code, you will need common tools provided with most Linux distributions to compile and install your LFS system. That said, you don't have to have the temporary distribution installed. You can boot Linux from a USB stick and use that to do everything you need to do, instead. Once you're ready, open up the latest Linux From Scratch documentation for guidance on how to get started. The documentation will contain links and detailed information on how to accomplish the required steps, which is something this article won't cover in full. The first real step after opening up the documentation is to create a new partition where you will install your new LFS operating system. You can stick to what you ordinarily do, whether that's storing everything on a single partition, separating root and home partitions, or encrypting your disks. You're welcome to create these partitions using your favorite partitioning tool, such as GParted. If you're using the standard versions of Ubuntu or Fedora, there's a good chance you already have GNOME Disks installed. Or you can opt to use a command-line tool, such as fdisk, which is available regardless of your chosen distribution. You can opt to create a system next to your existing operating system, but know that dual-booting comes with risks. Linux From Scratch is complicated enough. If you want to experiment with Linux From Scratch anyway, you can try it in a safe, isolated location, such as a virtual machine or on a space machine, so that you don't destroy valuable data by accident. Then, by all means, learn. There is so much invaluable knowledge you can only get by going hands-on. Readers like you help support MakeUseOf. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More. Not everyone knows this, but you can create your own Linux-based operating system from scratch. Here's how to get started.