Best Linux distros of 2021 for beginners, mainstream and advanced users

1

Nitrux OS

The distro also supports and encourages the use of AppImages, which makes it straightforward to install additional apps. In fact, Nitrux plans to switch all its graphical apps to AppImages eventually. All the AppImages are launched in a firejail sandbox, which makes Nitrux more secure out of the box than your typical desktop Linux.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 8 social mentions

2

Zorin OS

The Zorin OS project began in 2008 with the sole intention of making Linux user-friendly. Its developers wanted to make Linux accessible to regular users and they did this by introducing familiarity in the user interface.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 151 social mentions

3

Pop!_OS

Pop!_OS also encrypts your installation by default and while it ships with minimal apps, you can flesh your installation using its custom intuitive app store called Pop!_Shop, which in addition to the regular desktop apps also includes the likes of Steam, Lutris, and GameHub.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 450 social mentions

4

Linux Kodachi

Kodachi equips with all kinds of security-centric and privacy-enhancing apps along with a whole lot of regular apps to enable you to use the distro as your daily driver. Its custom desktop is designed so as to not overwhelm first time users and gives you access to all the apps while still being intuitive.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution

5

Rescatux

If you are an advanced user, you can bypass Rescapp and launch the rescue tools directly from the command-line interface to save time. The Rescatux project also hosts lots of guides and instructional videos to help inexperienced users.

#Backup And Disaster Recovery #Utilities #Preinstallation Environment 1 user reviews

6

Parrot OS

Parrot Security is a wonderful penetration testing and vulnerability assessment distro that can do a lot more than some of its more popular peers like Kali Linux.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 5 social mentions

7

OpenMediaVault

#Cloud Computing #Cloud Storage #Storage 10 social mentions

8

Porteus

While you can carry and use virtually all Linux distros from a USB drive, Porteus is one of the few that’s been designed specifically for this use case.

#Linux #Linux Distribution #OS & Utilities 5 social mentions

9

Manjaro

Arch Linux is one of the most versatile distros that follows a rolling release model. It also has one of the most cumbersome and involved installation processes. Manjaro offers all the goodness of Arch in distro that’s easy to install and can be used straight out of the box.

#Operating Systems #Linux #Linux Distribution 123 social mentions

10

Puppy Linux

Puppy Linux is one of our favorite distros for resurrecting old machines and putting them back into active duty. The project is in fact a family of distros, each based on a different underlying distro. For instance, there’s one based on Ubuntu and another based on Slackware.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution

11

Arch Linux

Arch Linux is one of the most versatile distros that follows a rolling release model. It also has one of the most cumbersome and involved installation processes. Manjaro offers all the goodness of Arch in distro that’s easy to install and can be used straight out of the box.

#Linux #Linux Distribution #Operating Systems 256 social mentions

12

Solus OS

Solus is a general purpose rolling release distro that can be used for all sorts of regular desktop tasks. In fact, it pitches itself as an ideal platform for developers.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 6 social mentions

13

NethServer

For instance, using NethServer you can set up a web filter, a mail server, file server, web server, firewall, VPN, a Slack-like team chat, and several other services. The best part is that you can deploy and configure just about every aspect of your server through a an intuitive browser-based interface.

#Cloud Computing #Perimeter Security And Firewalls #Cloud Storage 1 social mentions

14

OPNsense

With OPNsense you can display a captive portal, shape traffic, detect and prevent intrusions, as well as setup a Virtual Private Network (VPN), and lots more. You can manage all these services from an intuitive, modern, web-based multilingual and well documented user interface, which is a pleasure to use.

#Operating Systems #Linux #Perimeter Security And Firewalls 94 social mentions

15

Raspberry Pi OS

There are several distros for the Raspberry Pi, however the best starting point has to be the Raspberry Pi OS, which is the official distro of the Raspberry Pi and for good reason.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 2 social mentions

16

Ubuntu Server

In some aspects, the Ubuntu Server edition is just as popular as the desktop version. Ubuntu produces both LTS and non-LTS releases of the server just as with the desktop.

#Cloud Computing #Cloud Storage #Storage 3 social mentions

17

Debian

Earlier known as Raspbian, the Debian-based distro, uses a lightweight customized LXDE-based desktop environment that uses the Openbox window manager. The custom desktop doesn’t just save resources for other crucial tasks, but also looks elegant and inviting.

#Linux #Operating Systems #Linux Distribution 66 social mentions

EasyOS uses containers to create a secure, yet easy to use and manage distro. Interestingly, it doesn’t use any of the existing container technologies like LXC and Docker, and instead uses its own home-brewed solution. This helps it isolate individual apps and can even run complete distros with minimal overhead.

#Operating Systems #Linux #Linux Distribution 1 social mentions