Devuan

Overview

Devuan is a Debian-based Linux distribution focused on providing a free, stable, and lightweight operating system that doesn't rely on the systemd init system. It inherits Debian's software ecosystem and stability, but allows users to choose their own init system, such as sysvinit or OpenRC. Devuan's core philosophy is "Init Freedom," aiming to avoid the complexity and monolithic dependencies of systemd. As a community-driven project, Devuan is suitable for servers, desktops, and embedded devices. As of August 2025, the current stable version is Devuan 5.0 "Daedalus," based on Debian 12 "Bookworm." The testing version "Excalibur" is based on Debian 13 "Trixie" (released on August 9, 2025), but has not yet been officially released.

History and Development

Devuan's origins can be traced back to 2014, when a group of Debian developers expressed dissatisfaction with Debian's adoption of systemd as the default init system. Systemd was criticized as being too monolithic, violating the Unix philosophy (which emphasizes modularity and simplicity), and leading to over-dependence on a single piece of software. This group of developers, including some veteran Unix administrators (Veteran Unix Admins), decided to fork Debian and create the Devuan project. The project name, "Devuan," combines "Debian" and "Veteran Unix Admins," symbolizing its adherence to traditional Unix principles.

Devuan's Development History:

• 2014: Project launch. Initially a fork of Debian, focused on removing systemd dependencies.
• 2015-2017: Early releases. A beta version was released, and in 2017, the first stable release, Devuan 1.0 "Jessie," was released, based on Debian 8.
• 2018: Devuan 2.0 "ASCII". Based on Debian 9 "Stretch", introduces more init system options.
• 2020: Devuan 3.0 "Beowulf". Based on Debian 10 "Buster", with enhanced community support.
• 2021: Devuan 4.0 "Chimaera". Based on Debian 11 "Bullseye", with optimized installation and software compatibility.
• 2023: Devuan 5.0 "Daedalus". Based on Debian 12 "Bookworm", the current stable release with long-term support.
• 2024-2025: Excalibur testing. Based on Debian 13 "Trixie", changes to the usrmerge file structure are being implemented and are expected to be released after 2025. The next testing release will be "Freia", based on Debian 14 "Forky".

Devuan follows the Debian release cycle, naming its releases after characters from "Toy Story" (e.g., Daedalus, Excalibur). It's a completely community-driven project with no commercial entity controlling it, maintained and developed through GitLab and forums.

Key Features

Devuan's design emphasizes freedom, compatibility, and simplicity. Its core features are as follows:

• No systemd init system: By default, it uses sysvinit, a traditional, modular init system. Alternatives such as OpenRC and runit are supported, allowing users to choose between them during installation, avoiding the complexity of systemd.
• Highly compatible with Debian: The software repository is based on Debian, removing systemd dependencies. Using the APT package manager, it supports tens of thousands of packages, including desktop environments such as XFCE, KDE, MATE, and LXQt.
• Release structure: It offers stable releases (with 5 years of long-term support), testing releases (Excalibur), and rolling releases (Ceres). Installation options include live ISOs, netinstall, and server images, supporting architectures such as x86_64 and ARM.
• Free Software First: Adhering to GNU principles, main, contrib, and non-free repositories are provided. Users are free to modify and redistribute.
• Lightweight and Flexible: Minimal installation requires low resources, making it suitable for older hardware, servers, and embedded systems. The community provides documentation, forums, and IRC support.
• Recent Update: Introduced usrmerge support in Excalibur, improving file system compatibility.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Initialization Freedom: Users can avoid potential issues with systemd, such as logging and dependency chains, and choose a system more in line with the Unix philosophy.
• Stability and Compatibility: Inherits Debian's reliability and rich ecosystem, making it suitable for production environments and providing LTS support.
• Lightweight and Efficient: Low resource usage, suitable for servers and low-end devices, and a simple installation process.
• Community-Oriented: No commercial interference, emphasizing user participation and promoting open source innovation. - Migration-Friendly: A direct migration from Debian is possible, with an upgrade path supported.

Limitations

• Small Community: Compared to Debian or Ubuntu, support resources (such as documentation and third-party tutorials) are limited, and problem solving may require forum-based assistance.

• Software Compatibility Issues: Some applications that rely on systemd (such as GNOME for full functionality) may require additional configuration or may be unavailable.

• Lagging Release Cycle: As a fork, version updates may be slightly slower than Debian; Excalibur has not yet been released, despite Debian 13.

• Learning Curve: Users accustomed to systemd will need to adapt to management methods like sysvinit.

• Hardware Support: While extensive, some cutting-edge hardware drivers may require manual addition.

Summary

Devuan, a Debian fork that criticized systemd, successfully brought freedom of choice and simplicity to the Linux distribution. From its fork in 2014 to its current stable ecosystem, it provides a reliable alternative for users seeking traditional Unix principles. With its systemd-free design, Debian compatibility, and community support, Devuan excels in the server and embedded space, despite facing challenges with community size and compatibility. With the upcoming release of Excalibur, it will continue to evolve, maintaining the promise of "Init Freedom." If you're interested in a specific version or installation, visit the official website to download the latest images.