# cleverca22/not-os

An operating system generator, based on NixOS, that, given a config, outputs a small (47 MB), read-only squashfs for a runit-based operating system, with support for iPXE and signed boot.

Repository: https://github.com/cleverca22/not-os
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/not-os
Language: Nix
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-07-06T11:48:18+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 73/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 91, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3743, "days_push": 58, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1009, forks 42 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:12.744541+00:00)

## What it is
not-os is an operating system generator based on NixOS that, given a configuration, produces a small (~47 MB) read-only squashfs image with a kernel, initrd, and runit-based init. It supports iPXE network booting with cryptographic signature verification and is automatically built and boot-tested via Hydra.

## Use cases
- generate a minimal read-only linux os from a nix config
- build a small embedded os image with nix
- network boot a signed os image over ipxe
- create a tiny nixos-based appliance image
- verify cryptographic signatures on boot images
- run a minimal os in qemu for testing

## When to choose
- you want a tiny, reproducible, read-only OS built declaratively with Nix
- you need secure network booting with signed images for embedded hardware
- you're already in the NixOS ecosystem and want minimal embedded images

## When to avoid
- you need a full general-purpose desktop or server OS with package management at runtime
- you're not familiar with Nix and want a conventional distro
- you need a writable root filesystem or systemd-based init

## Facets
- artifact type: infra-config
- maturity: active
- function: infrastructure-as-code, embedded, security, build-tool
- domain: operating-systems, embedded-systems, infrastructure-as-code, security
- platform: embedded
- tags: nixos, nix, squashfs, runit, ipxe, signed-boot, minimal-os, os-generator, linux

## Member repositories
- cleverca22/not-os (main) score 73

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:12.744541+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 2026-08-30T07:12:01.843221+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/cleverca22/not-os (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:12.744541+00:00, sha 69c99bf5361b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.