Chimera Linux

Chimera Linux is a Linux distribution striving for the minimum complexity of system configuration while retaining and expanding on the flexibility common to general purpose Linux based systems.

Chimera Linux

Screenshot of Chimera Linux with default GNOME 44.2 desktop environment
Developer	Chimera Linux developers
OS family	Linux (Unix-like)
Working state	Current
Source model	Open source
Latest release	Rolling release / 20 April 2025; 24 days ago (2025-04-20)[1]
Repository	https://github.com/chimera-linux/
Marketing target	General purpose
Update method	Rolling release
Package manager	apk-tools, cports
Platforms	x86-64, aarch64, loongarch64, ppc64le, ppc64, PowerPC, RISC-V
Kernel type	Monolithic (Linux)
Userland	BSD
Default user interface	GNOME Shell, Almquist shell
Official website	chimera-linux.org

It uses musl as its libc implementation, userland tools from FreeBSD, and dinit as its init system.^[2][3]

For package management it uses apk-tools from Alpine Linux,^[3] but Chimera does not re-use Alpine packages, but instead uses its own novel package build system.^[2]

The distribution has no upstream and defines itself as "independent" from this perspective.

History

Chimera Linux was started in 2021^[4] by former Void Linux maintainer "q66".^[3]

Features

Chimera Linux makes use of userland components from FreeBSD, and the musl C library in-place of the GNU coreutils and glibc respectively.^[2]

A strict default security model, employing the in-development dinit init system and the FreeBSD userland are some of the more radical approaches. Such changes would have been very hard for a distribution with an existing user base.^[2][4][5][6]

Core userland from FreeBSD, and the LLVM toolchain are employed. In this the distribution provides an alternative to the common GNU-based systems, without explicitly excluding GNU tools or GPL licensed software in general.

Re-thinking of the core components common across Linux distributions and re-thinking of their integration into an operating system are stated as intentionally pursued at the same time. This approach allows to skip the 'chicken and egg' problem of core system components development: If to interface a newly updated component to an "old" system or adapt a system to a "new" component instead.

Other features

• LLVM as the toolchain of choice (instead of the GCC toolchain)
• musl with mimalloc as the system C library (instead of glibc)
• dinit as the init system (instead of systemd)
• FreeBSD userland (instead of GNU coreutils)
• GNOME desktop environment using Wayland for display and PipeWire for the audio stack

Packages

Chimera Linux uses Alpine Package Keeper (apk) from Alpine Linux for its package manager utility. As of March 2025 Chimera Linux uses the upcoming version 3 of apk, not currently used by Alpine Linux.^[4]