# netbootxyz/netboot.xyz

Your favorite operating systems in one place.  A network-based bootable operating system installer based on iPXE.

Repository: https://github.com/netbootxyz/netboot.xyz
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/netbootxyz
Homepage: https://netboot.xyz
Language: Jinja
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: ipxe, netboot, linux, installer, install, boot, provisioning, pxe, operating-systems, tftp, dhcp, baremetal, pxeboot, liveos, menu, ansible, docker, netbootxyz, homelab, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-24T05:05:42+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 89/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 71, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4021, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 119, "gap_med": 56.0, "n_releases_24m": 11}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 12193, forks 840 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:51.990931+00:00)

## What it is
netboot.xyz is an iPXE-based network bootloader that presents a menu of operating system installers, live distros, and rescue tools that are fetched over the network at boot time. It ships as ISO, USB, and PXE/EFI images and can be self-hosted via Docker and Ansible.

## Use cases
- install linux over the network without usb sticks
- pxe boot operating system installers on a homelab network
- boot a rescue or live distro from one bootloader
- provision bare metal servers via dhcp and tftp
- try different linux distros from a boot menu
- set up a default network boot option for my lan
- attach an iso remotely to install an os on a server

## When to choose
- you want one boot medium that can install or boot many operating systems
- you manage multiple machines or a homelab and want network-based provisioning
- you need rescue and live environments available without carrying install media
- you want a self-hostable PXE menu with UEFI and BIOS support

## When to avoid
- you need fully offline installation with no network access
- your network blocks DHCP/TFTP or HTTP boot traffic
- you need a single specific OS installer with custom preseeding beyond what the menu offers
- you require air-gapped or compliance-restricted provisioning pipelines

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: deployment, cli, self-hosted, developer-tools
- domain: operating-systems, self-hosted, infrastructure-as-code
- platform: cross-platform, self-hosted
- tags: pxe-boot, ipxe, network-installer, bare-metal-provisioning, bootloader, tftp, dhcp, homelab, os-installer, rescue-tools, devops, automation, linux, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- netbootxyz/netboot.xyz (main) score 89

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:51.990931+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 2026-08-29T17:14:50.767027+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/netbootxyz/netboot.xyz (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:51.990931+00:00, sha 138c4e5839d1)
  - homepage: https://netboot.xyz (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:52.453497+00:00, sha 00b7ed2a6a86)
  - site_page: https://netboot.xyz/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:11:52.456392+00:00, sha ec2430893313)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.