PaganOS (PaganLinux)

PaganOS (PaganLinux) is an independent Polish GNU/Linux distribution built from the ground up — from the kernel and system libraries, through the toolchain and package manager, to the packages in our own repository.

Built from scratch — so everyone can understand their system.

The project follows the Linux From Scratch (LFS/BLFS) methodology, but it is not an image or a fork of an existing distribution. Recipes, builder configuration and the build process are developed and maintained as part of PaganOS.

Philosophy

Transparency — the process can be followed from the recipe and source, through the build log, to the GPG signature of a package.
Sovereignty — our own repository, package manager and build process.
No unnecessary software — the default system is lightweight and predictable.
Education — the code, recipes and build process help explain how a modern operating system works.

System requirements

Architecture: x86_64.
Memory: at least 2 GB RAM for the live session; 4 GB or more is recommended for comfortable XFCE and installer use.
Disk: at least 8 GB of free space for an installation; 20 GB or more is recommended.
Boot mode: BIOS or UEFI. UEFI is recommended on modern computers.
Graphics: an Xorg/Mesa-compatible graphics adapter. Software rendering may be used in the live session if no hardware driver is available.

GPT and partitioning

GPT is the default and recommended partition table. When using the automatic “Erase disk” option, Calamares creates a GPT partition table. In UEFI mode, the installer automatically adds an EFI System Partition and mounts it at /boot/efi.

When booting in BIOS + GPT mode, create the following partition manually:

a bios_grub partition,
at least 8 MiB in size,
unformatted,
with the BiosGrub flag enabled.

On UEFI systems, bios_grub is not needed — an EFI System Partition formatted as FAT32 is required instead. These requirements apply to installation from the official ISO; actual disk usage depends on the selected packages and user data.

System and components

The XFCE edition of PaganLinux includes, among other components:

XFCE 4.20 — a lightweight desktop environment,
systemd — system initialization and service manager,
fish — the default user shell,
Calamares — the graphical system installer,
PAG — the native package manager,
the PaganOS stable repository.

`pag`

Our package manager supports:

package installation, updates and removal,
dependency resolution,
GPG and SHA256 verification,
transaction rollback,
Flatpak integration.

`pagbuild`

A tool for building individual packages in an isolated chroot. It supports Meson, CMake, Autotools and other build systems.

`pagsync`

Manages the build queue, scans recipes, builds dependencies, generates repo.json and signs artifacts.

`PAGBUILD.yaml`

A readable recipe format describing the source, SHA256 checksum, dependencies, build steps and packaging steps.

Security and trust

Sources are verified using the SHA256 checksum stored in the recipe.
Packages and the repository index are signed with GPG.
The pag client verifies signatures before installation — a missing or invalid signature causes the package to be rejected.
Builds run in an isolated chroot environment.
Build logs and diagnostics can be made available to administrators and the community.

Toolchain

The system is built following the LFS/BLFS methodology and uses, among other components:

GCC and LLVM/Clang,
glibc 2.44,
Rust, Go, Python and Perl,
the Linux kernel,
the x86_64 architecture.

Quick start

Download and installation

Download the ISO from the project website, write it to a USB drive using Ventoy, balenaEtcher, Rufus or dd, and boot the computer from USB.

After starting the live session:

launch Calamares from the desktop icon or by running calamares,
select the target disk and partitioning method,
for automatic installation, choose “Erase disk”,
in BIOS + GPT mode, create a bios_grub partition manually,
complete the installation and reboot the computer.

Package repository

After installation, refresh the repository index:

sudo pag sync
sudo pag upgrade

Install a package:

sudo pag install nano

Packages are available in the PaganOS stable repository.

Community and contribution

report missing packages and bugs,
help with translations,
review recipes and source code,
write documentation and guides.

PaganOS is developed together — every contribution matters.