# termux/proot

An chroot-like implementation using ptrace.

Repository: https://github.com/termux/proot
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/termux-proot
Homepage: https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/PRoot
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: linux, proot, termux, ptrace
Last push: 2026-08-22T22:34:47+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3664, "days_push": 11, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1121, forks 266 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:39.930220+00:00)

## What it is
Termux's patched fork of PRoot, a user-space implementation of chroot, mount --bind, and binfmt_misc built on ptrace. It lets unprivileged users run arbitrary directory trees as a root filesystem, e.g. Linux distributions inside Termux on Android without rooting the device.

## Use cases
- run a Linux distribution inside Termux without root
- use an arbitrary directory as a new root filesystem
- bind-mount files elsewhere in the filesystem hierarchy
- run programs built for another CPU architecture via QEMU user-mode
- fake root user id so package managers work in a chroot

## When to choose
- you need a chroot-like environment on Android or without root privileges
- you want to run foreign-architecture binaries transparently through QEMU user-mode
- you are a Termux user installing Linux distros via proot-distro

## When to avoid
- you need real privilege escalation or kernel/hardware access - PRoot only fakes root
- you need full virtualization or container isolation guarantees
- you need high performance for syscall-heavy workloads, since ptrace interception adds overhead

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: file-system, security
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools
- platform: cli
- tags: proot, ptrace, chroot, termux, user-space, rootless, qemu-user, virtualization, command-line, linux, android

## Member repositories
- termux/proot (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:39.930220+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 2026-08-30T06:41:02.360794+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/termux/proot (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:39.930220+00:00, sha bf5ffae8068d)
  - homepage: https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/PRoot (fetched 2026-08-29T12:44:44.563787+00:00, sha d495f6bc4cb2)
  - site_page: https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Termux_Wiki:About (fetched 2026-08-29T12:44:44.573651+00:00, sha dfd63b7c4e48)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.