# Athena-OS/athena

Athena OS is a Arch/Nix-based distro focused on Cybersecurity. Learn, practice and enjoy with any hacking tool!

Repository: https://github.com/Athena-OS/athena
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/athena-os-athena
Homepage: https://athenaos.org
Language: Vim Script
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: cybersecurity, hacking, learning, linux, os, payload, pentesting, security, security-tools, archlinux, athenaos, infosec
Last push: 2026-08-24T16:18:46+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 83/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 53, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1541, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 156, "gap_med": 167, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1266, forks 108 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:11.146814+00:00)

## What it is
Athena OS is an Arch/Nix-based Linux distribution focused on cybersecurity and penetration testing, available as ISO, Docker images, and WSL images. It bundles up-to-date hacking tools with a user-oriented, performance-optimized setup for InfoSec professionals, bug bounty hunters, and students.

## Use cases
- set up a pentesting linux distro with preinstalled hacking tools
- run a cybersecurity os in docker or wsl on windows
- learn ethical hacking and practice security tools
- get an arch-based alternative to kali linux for bug bounty work
- spin up a lightweight infosec environment with latest tool packages

## When to choose
- you need a ready-made pentesting environment with current security tools
- you want kali-like tooling on Arch/Nix foundations or inside WSL/Docker
- you are learning cybersecurity and want curated hacking tools out of the box

## When to avoid
- you need a general-purpose daily-driver desktop OS
- you require long-term-stable enterprise support rather than rolling releases
- you are not comfortable with Arch/Nix-based systems

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: security, penetration-testing, developer-tools, self-hosted
- domain: security, penetration-testing, operating-systems, developer-tools, education
- platform: windows, self-hosted
- tags: pentesting-distro, arch-linux, nixos, infosec, bug-bounty, wsl, hacking-tools, linux-distribution, linux, docker

## Member repositories
- Athena-OS/athena (main) score 83

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:11.146814+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T05:03:45.227827+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/Athena-OS/athena (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:11.146814+00:00, sha 7f507809b112)
  - homepage: https://athenaos.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:15:34.009138+00:00, sha 87d9c7b82517)
  - site_page: https://athenaos.org/en/getting-started/manifesto (fetched 2026-08-29T12:15:34.017985+00:00, sha 1a6729e28cbb)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.