DietPi lean server distribution
Going Lean

© Lead Photo by Patricia Serna on Unsplash
The DietPi minimalist distribution improves the performance of the Raspberry Pi and other single-board computers as servers and desktops and comes with more than 200 specially chosen applications and services.
Since the first appearance of the Raspberry Pi more than 10 years ago, many hardware vendors have followed the idea of an inexpensive computing powerhouse on a small board. Companies such as Asus, Odroid, and Pine64 all jumped on the single-board computer (SBC) bandwagon, naturally increasing the number of operating systems (OSs) for these boards. Most of the OSs are based on the ARM architecture and can now be found in various sectors of home computing and industrial applications.
The Debian-based Raspberry Pi OS is a very useful desktop replacement, and many Linux distributions offer their own offshoots for the Raspberry Pi. For example, LibreELEC is a media center, and gamers will enjoy RetroPie and Batocera. The lean, minimalistic DietPi is a great choice for small servers, older Raspberry Pis, and virtual machines. Thanks to carefully considered scripts, the set up is a convenient process.
From Debian
DietPi first entered the digital world in 2014. The purist operating system was initially built on Raspbian (today's Raspberry Pi OS). It now builds directly on Debian and supports numerous SBCs and architectures. In addition to x86_64, ARMv6, ARMv7, AArch64, and RISC-V, the project supports virtual machines such as VMware/ESXi, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, Parallels, UTM, and Proxmox. Besides images for virtual machines, you will find images for the Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Pine64, Radxa, Allo, Asus, NanoPi, Orange Pi, and the VisionFive RISC-V board [1].
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.