Artix Linux is what Arch looks like without systemd. The distribution replaces it with a choice of init systems and service supervisors, including OpenRC, runit, s6, and dinit, and it maintains its own repositories of system packages alongside broad compatibility with the wider Arch ecosystem. Everything else follows the Arch pattern: rolling releases, the pacman package manager, and a preference for minimal, transparent configuration. Installation media range from console-only base images to editions with desktops such as KDE Plasma and Xfce already set up. Artix attracts users who care about init freedom as a technical or philosophical matter, and it doubles as a practical classroom for learning how service management works when systemd is not underneath. Trying it in an OpenFactory browser VM lets you poke at an alternative init system without repartitioning anything you own.
Select a version of Artix Linux to try online:
| Rolling: | |
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| Current: | |
| 20260402: | |
| 20250407: | |
| 20240823: | |
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Need Artix Linux for more than a quick browser preview?
The buttons above launch an ephemeral browser VM, perfect for kicking the tires. Paid plans unlock the things you'd actually use it for:
- ✓Persistent VMs you can SSH into and customize
- ✓Snapshots, your own packages, a downloadable ISO
- ✓Fleet deployment to your own machines (on-prem or cloud)