Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Linux From Scratch VS Dinit

Compare Linux From Scratch VS Dinit and see what are their differences

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Linux From Scratch logo Linux From Scratch

Linux From Scratch (LFS) is a project that provides you with the steps necessary to build your own...

Dinit logo Dinit

Dinit is a service supervisor with dependency support which can also act as the system "init" program.
  • Linux From Scratch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-02
  • Dinit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-06

Linux From Scratch features and specs

  • Educational Experience
    Linux From Scratch (LFS) provides an in-depth educational experience, allowing users to learn firsthand how a Linux system is built from the ground up. This deep understanding of Linux internals can be invaluable for system administrators and developers.
  • Customization
    LFS offers complete control over the software components and configurations, enabling users to build a system that meets their specific needs and preferences without unnecessary extraneous software.
  • Optimized Performance
    By compiling the system from scratch, users can optimize it for specific hardware, potentially achieving better performance than with pre-packaged distributions.
  • Minimal Footprint
    LFS allows users to create a minimal system with only essential packages, reducing the attack surface for security vulnerabilities and resource usage.

Possible disadvantages of Linux From Scratch

  • Time-Consuming
    Building a Linux system from scratch is a time-intensive process, requiring significant effort and attention to detail, which can be a barrier for users with limited time.
  • Complexity
    The process requires a good understanding of Linux and its subsystems, making it challenging for beginners or those unfamiliar with manual system setup and configuration.
  • Lack of Standard Support
    LFS does not have an official support community or professional support services like popular distributions, requiring users to rely on forums or their ingenuity.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Keeping an LFS system up-to-date with new packages, patches, and security updates involves significant ongoing effort, as package management is manual.

Dinit features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Dinit is designed to be a lightweight system service manager, which means it consumes fewer resources compared to more comprehensive init systems. This makes it suitable for systems where resource usage is a critical concern.
  • Simple Configuration
    Dinit offers a relatively straightforward configuration, making it easier for users to set up and manage services compared to other complex init systems.
  • Fast Startup
    Due to its minimalist design, Dinit can provide quicker system startup times, which is beneficial in environments where boot speed is important.
  • Parallel Service Starting
    Dinit supports parallel starting of services, which can improve system boot times by allowing multiple services to be started simultaneously.
  • Dependency Management
    Dinit has built-in support for specifying dependencies between services, ensuring that services are started in the correct order.

Possible disadvantages of Dinit

  • Limited Features
    As a lightweight init system, Dinit may lack some of the advanced features found in more full-featured systems like systemd, such as extensive logging and sophisticated networking service management.
  • Smaller Community
    Dinit has a smaller user and developer community compared to widely adopted init systems, which can result in fewer resources, tutorials, and community support.
  • Less Mature
    Being a newer system, Dinit may not have gone through as extensive testing and usage in production environments as older init systems, potentially leading to undiscovered bugs or edge cases.
  • Compatibility
    Dinit might not be compatible with some existing scripts and services designed for more established init systems, requiring additional effort to migrate or maintain compatibility.
  • Limited Distribution Support
    Dinit may not be officially supported by many Linux distributions out of the box, requiring manual installation and configuration.

Linux From Scratch videos

Linux From Scratch 7.5 First Impressions

More videos:

  • Review - Linux From Scratch 8.2 - Episode 1: Host System
  • Review - Why should we learn Linux from scratch? | Linux From Scratch (for beginners) LFS-EP-01

Dinit videos

SystemD Runit Dinit OpenRC Boot Time #Void #Arch #Artix #Alpine #Linux

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to start services using dinit.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Linux From Scratch and Dinit)
Linux
100 100%
0% 0
Monitoring Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Operating Systems
100 100%
0% 0
Log Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Linux From Scratch should be more popular than Dinit. It has been mentiond 22 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Linux From Scratch mentions (22)

  • Unix Recovery Legend
    I got to know UNIX (or rather Linux) about 12 years later. And TBH, I wasn't very impressed. I was like "oh, you have to do all that on the console". That's how green I was :D But then it caught me, and about a month later it was more "WOW, you can really do everything on the conole!" What eventually helped me to really get into things was Linux From Scratch. If anyone wants to learn how a modern system works... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • I Like Makefiles
    Take https://linuxfromscratch.org/ for a spin and see that Makefiles work fine; last a long time. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Installing Gentoo has been the hardest most rewarding experience with Linux
    Should have tried https://linuxfromscratch.org/ instead. Gentoo is mostly just BLFS and ALFS from there, with more available packages, and centralized 'USE FLAGS' ( https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/USE_flag ) which could be considered one of Gentoos USPs. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Warm Welcome to Linux P2
    As a non-computer (hardware, software etc) specialist like myself who has hobbies in computers, I wanted a challenge. Trying their luck with Linux From Scratch (LFS) and beyond as just random. As someone who completed the journey on a whim, it was worthwhile as I got to see a system built. The course takes about a week with trial, error, and sheer willpower. It is like a coming-of-age tale; complete it once and... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Planning to install Gentoo to learn how OS in general and Linux in particular really works
    Well, it depends on what your aim is. If you want a Linux-based system that can be used as a daily driver, then Gentoo is certainly a reasonable choice. But if you're not particularly interested in using the system once you've finished installing, then Linux From Scratch is probably more appropriate. Gentoo is not primarily an educational tool, whereas Linux From Scratch is. Source: about 3 years ago
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Dinit mentions (11)

  • Linux from Scratch Ends SysVinit Support
    I wrote up some issues with service reliability here https://github.com/andrewbaxter/puteron/?tab=readme-ov-file#origin-story Design-wise, I think having users modify service on/off state *and* systemd itself modify those states is a terrible design, which leads to stuff turning back on when you turn it off, or things turning off despite you wanting them on, etc. (also mentioned higher up) FWIW after making... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • are there any good reasons for me to avoid systemd
    Still, I applaud efforts like s6 and Dinit as competition is a good thing in general. I hope they'll continue to be improved upon until they've become viable alternatives to systemd for most users. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Gentoo 66 init or dinit
    You can download dinit from github https://github.com/davmac314/dinit. (also read everything about it) Do a simple make && make install which should install it to /sbin/dinit No need to remove systemd or openrc. /sbin/init should be symlinked to whatever init system you use. Read the instructions on dinits page. All the services go into /etc/dinit.d. And you can "dinitctl enable servicename" to enable it. I... Source: about 3 years ago
  • A discussion about the Ultimate Linux Desktop
    It got mass-adopted while being imperfect, so that's to be expected. Thankfully its inception and the criticism that followed have paved the way for the likes of dinit and s6. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Run a script when connection is established and ready?
    I use dinit do manage services on my home server. One of them is Caddy, that shares TLS/SSL cert state with my remote server by using Redis on said remote server. However, since this means that I need to have established a remote connection first before starting Caddy, I would like to know of a method to check if tailscale has in fact finished connecting. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Linux From Scratch and Dinit, you can also consider the following products

Garuda Linux - Garuda Linux is an appealing Arch Linux based Distro with BTRFS (modern filesystem), Linux-zen kernel, auto snapshots, gaming edition and a lot more bleeding edge features..

s6 - s6 is a small suite of programs for UNIX, designed for process supervision. It can be used as an init system, or as separate supervision components.

Redcore Linux - Redcore Linux is a Linux distribution based on the Arch Linux operating system.

runit - runit is a cross-platform Unix init scheme with service supervision, a replacement for sysvinit...

Anarchy Linux - A distro that helps setting up a Archlinux system.

systemd - systemd is a replacement for the init daemon for Linux (either System V or BSD-style).