I Found an Unchangeable Linux Distro That Never Breaks and Is Easy to Use

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ZDNET Highlights

• SaturnOS is an immutable Linux distribution.
• With blue/green deployment, the OS will never break.
• You can download and use SaturnOS for free.

Operating system security has always been a hallmark of Linux. With the introduction of immutable distributions – CoreOS, launched in 2013, was the first – no other operating system could come close to the level of security provided by Linux.

I welcome any opportunity to test new immutable Linux distros. Over the weekend, I found out saturnios,

Also: Immutable Linux Offers Serious Security – Here Are Your 5 Best Options

SaturnOS is an Arch-based Linux distribution that is immutable and includes Flatpak integration. Key features of this new OS include:

• Immutable core with blue-green deployment
• flatpak application management
• Advanced security with AppArmor profiles, firewall configuration, and full-disk encryption
• Performance optimizations like dynamic swap file creation and Nvidia GPU support

What is blue-green deployment?

Using the btrfs subvolume, the system maintains two complete system states – labeled “blue” and “green”. Only a single state is active at any time, so atomic updates and rollbacks can occur with the highest level of reliability.

For example, if you are using a blue environment, the update is applied to the green environment and then tested. You can then switch from the blue to green environment during the reboot. In other words, you will always have a working instance of your OS without any failures.

Also: What is immutable Linux? Here’s Why You Would Run an Immutable Linux Distro

If something goes wrong in one environment, reboot and switch to the other.

Open a terminal and issue the command sudo shani-deploy and watch the magic happen. The command performs the following functions:

1. Downloads updates for the disabled environment.
2. Applies the update without affecting the active environment.
3. Configures the bootloader to use the updated environment.
4. Ensures immediate rollback capability if the update does not work properly.

Because it is an immutable system that leverages a blue/green approach, applications are managed in two ways:

• Flatpak for desktop apps
• Containers for development apps

Also: 7 Linux Commands I Can’t Live Without After Spending 20 Years in the Terminal

I ran the sudo shani-deploy command and it took a total of 7 minutes and 40 seconds. Please note that I’ve only been testing the distribution for a few days, so there isn’t much installed. If I had installed a lot of applications and saved a lot of data, that time would probably have been much longer. However, the command ran flawlessly, and I could switch from one environment to the other on the next reboot.

how is shanios

You can download a version of ShaniOS with GNOME or KDE Plasma. I went the KDE Plasma route and found the UI to be quite beautiful. The developers have made changes to KDE Plasma so that it looks unique but still functions the same as the default desktop environment.

Also: 5 Linux Distros That Work a Little Out of the Box, but Are Worth the Effort

You’ll find the desktop menu in the top left corner (as opposed to the bottom left), and the theme is nice and attractive. The preinstalled applications list includes Vivaldi, OnlyOffice, Warehouse (for Flatpak app management), ColorPaint, Pods (container management), and more. Although this may not be an exhaustive list of pre-installed apps, you can always launch KDE Plasma’s Discover app and install any additional software you need. Since Flatpak is included in Discover, you’ll get a ton of apps to install.

Apart from the attractive KDE Plasma theme, the first thing that impressed me was how fast SaturnOS performs. I’ve used several invariant Linux distributions before, but I don’t remember testing any that performed as well as this distribution.

I also tested the blue/green environment. When using azure environment, I ran the command sudo shani-deploy. When the deploy command finished, I rebooted and selected the green environment. Everything was flawless. I was also cautioned to test the apps to make sure they worked as expected – which they did.

While running green environment, I created and saved a file in the Documents directory. I then ran the sat-deploy command, but was alerted that there was a boot mismatch and the system expected to boot blue but found it was running green.

Ideal distro for new users

Then I remembered that the OS had alerted me to test the applications to make sure they work, and then reboot to apply everything. I followed the instructions, and the changes were applied to the blue environment, resulting in everything working exactly as expected.

Also: I install these 11 apps on every new Linux system, and you should too – here’s why

This system is really impressive. In fact, SaturnOS has made me think that immutable Linux distributions can be the ideal choice for new users because they are so bulletproof. And with the blue/green deployment plan, SaturnOS could be the best of the best.

I highly recommend giving this immutable Linux distribution a try and see if it doesn’t impress you as much as it impressed me. hold either Gnome Or kde plasma edition, install it on an additional computer (or as a virtual machine), and experience this fantastic operating system.