 Visitor Reviews |
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Reader supplied reviews for Void
Average rating
9.1 from 276 review(s)
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-22
Country: Hungary
Votes: 57
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Void is what Arch was originally meant to be a decade or so ago, when I first tried it. It's a lean and mean rolling release distro that follows the KISS principle. It's also rock solid. No wonder many call it a stable rolling release distro: it offers the best of both worlds. Installation and configuration can be a bit messy, but having the documentation at hand and some tutorials can mitigate the pain. Speaking of which: both the documentation and the community is pretty good. The only thing that would make it better is BTRFS logical volume management in the TUI installer and a bigger repository (we can get around the latter, though).
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Version: current
Rating: 3
Date: 2026-04-15
Country: Sweden
Votes: 0
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I tried Void for the first time earlier this year and used it until the beginning of this month, so roughly about three months. What I can say is that it is definitely a distro that deserves more love for what it sets out to do, but in its current state, it is hard to stick with unless you are okay with putting in some effort to fix things along the way.
I ran into several performance issues, as well as some problems getting the system to recognise connected devices like my external SSD and Bluetooth mouse. Even though the resource usage looked relatively low on paper, the system often felt sluggish with certain programs, which is something I had not experienced before on other systems using the same setup and configurations.
These, along with a few smaller annoyances, gradually wear down the overall experience. In the end, that is what made me decide to move away from it, at least for now. Maybe I will give it another shot in the future when I have more time to deal with these kinds of issues. For now, though, it just does not quite cut it.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-14
Country: United States
Votes: 37
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A distribution that deserves much more!
The Void distribution is one of the fastest, lightest, most cleanly designed Linux distributions I've had the pleasure of using. Everything is trim, efficient, and surprisingly fast.
The core philosophy is unusual: unlike many mainstream distributions, Void is not based on Debian, Ubuntu, or Arch — it is built from scratch, offering a clean, bloat-free experience. That independence is rare and genuinely matters.
The custom build package manager is fast and very reliable.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-13
Country: Venezuela
Votes: 9
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Se ha vuelto moda, más no popular. A pesar de congeniar perfectamente con arranque dual, vbox, entre otros.
El desenvolvimiento con las apps y correcciones de las mismas han hecho crecer la comunidad de void.
El apoyo comunitario en este SO es el pilar que garantiza su estabilidad; a diferencia de otras distribuciones, Void no se pierde en burocracia, sino que ofrece documentación directa y soluciones prácticas. Para quien busca un sistema rolling release sin las complicaciones de systemd, Void se posiciona como una alternativa minimalista, veloz y, sobre todo, sumamente predecible.
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Version: current
Rating: 9
Date: 2026-04-12
Country: Brazil
Votes: 8
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I switched from Cachy after systemd's birthDate update. The main reasons I picked Void were: 1. its init system, runit; and 2. its independence and custom package manager, XBPS.
I found the installation difficult, especially for beginners, due to the number of tweaks I had to do after using void-installer. However, because of this, not only did I learn more about my Linux system (even if it took me a few days to properly install it without breaking the whole thing), but I also found that it had little to no bloat. Only essential packages.
Runit boots faster than systemd. From what I noticed, Void was using less RAM and CPU than Cachy or Arch, even when running the same Flatpak packages, and its EFI partition was less than a MB.
XBPS doesn't download in parallel unlike pacman, but it was still fast and only took a few extra milliseconds.
There are not many options for mirrors close to where I live, but this isn't a huge problem if you're in Europe or North America.
Despite being a rolling release, it is really stable, and not once have I had a problem with a package breaking.
The Wiki was easy to understand but lacks a lot of entries. Because of that, I had to look elsewhere for some configs I had to do with PipeWire.
In the end, if you want a systemd-less, stable, rolling-release, and independent Linux distro, then Void is for you.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-08
Country: Brazil
Votes: 49
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I switched from Debian after almost 20 years. I did a lot of research for a new distribution because I don't want to keep switching all the time.
I've used Slackware, Debian, and several others, some I installed just out of curiosity.
Void was a great satisfaction. It had been a long time since I felt in control of a Linux distribution.
Fast, stable, and the XBPS package manager is incredible.
For those who work with servers, Void offers considerable stability.
There are problems, obviously (with any system), but with Void I realized there's no need to spend hours researching to solve a problem. It's simple, easy, and at the same time, robust, stable, and performs very well.
So far, after a year of using Void, I haven't encountered any of those situations where the problem seems like witchcraft that has to be magically solved by digging up a command on the internet.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-29
Country: United States
Votes: 33
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Over the years I have tried many different Linux distros. I was looking for something lightweight, that did not require compiling everything I wanted. Void hit the nail on the head. Between its very minimal non X release and well populated repository this distro was exactly what I was looking for. The bonus is that Void is systemd free and instead uses runit. This keeps system memory use low and provides an easy way to start services. Since the non X release is so minimal it is very easy to create your own unique environment and configure a system for you.
If you have a low spec PC you want to bring back to life, or just want to create a custom environment to fit your workflow I recommend Void.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-20
Country: Indonesia
Votes: 25
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I run Void Linux alongside Debian 13 and Fedora 43 on a ThinkPad X1 Gen 9, with Debian managing the primary UEFI boot order. My workload is focused on academic writing and research, not benchmarking or gaming, so all three systems feel equally fast and responsive in practice.
Void stands out through its use of runit. It feels similar to driving a manual transmission car rather than an automatic: more direct, more engaging, and more revealing of what is happening under the hood. That sense of control is what drew me to it.
Installation was more manual than Debian, and I initially relied on YouTube guides, but it was not as difficult as expected. Void has also been stable despite being a rolling release.
I encountered an S3 suspend issue on XFCE that disappeared after switching to KDE.
I also ran a simple stress experiment. I opened Firefox with around 170 tabs, LibreOffice Writer, Netflix, and Chromium with a dozen tabs. RAM usage reached about 14.7 GB, with ZRAM at 8 GB on a 15 GB system. Despite pushing the system close to its limits, Void did not crash and remained responsive. This gave me a clearer picture of how stable the system is under heavy memory pressure.
Looking at the EFI partition was also revealing: Debian uses around 8 MB, Fedora about 18 MB, while Void only uses roughly 140 KB. The contrast reflects a noticeably leaner approach in how the system is structured.
I will keep Void and Debian in my system for the long term. Viva Void!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-19
Country: France
Votes: 12
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I've been using mostly Ubuntu variants over the last 15 years.
I found Void to be the best option for a liberated chromebook (Lenovo n23 in my case) - runit works great, the package manager is awesome, great documentation, ships with a recent Xfce 4 which makes the touchscreen working, blazing fast startup considering it has only 4 gb ram.
I dont feel ready yet to use it as my daily driver, mainly because of my weird audio setup, and apt package equivalents.
Related to hardware, and none to the distro: chromebook keyboard miss a meta key, which is very disturbing. Mind the DEs and programs you want to use on them.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-15
Country: Germany
Votes: 27
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Fast, stable, and the XBPS package manager is incredible. Coming from MX Linux after they ditched multiple init systems on the same ISOs, now I've seen the will bring it eventually back. Anyway Void Linux is on antoher level. It runs smoothly and as stable as a debian-base distro and all the advantages of Arch Linux.
For me as a user I've started only 4 years ago with Linux Mint MATE like 6 months than going for more than 2 years to MX Linux Xfce which was excellent and still is. Only few months I've tried Arch Linux and it's just not for me because I find systemd not my stile and AUR overwhelming for my needs and for sure I don't need to be on the bleeding edge I'd rather use older stable software and that's were Void Linux comes into scene as a STABLE ROLLING REALEASE DISTRO wet dream no systemd but runit (simpler and better) no bleeding edge and XBPS is simply better than Pacman in my opinion.
My choice was between Artix Linux and Void Linux and for sure Void was the right choice
Void is exactly the mix that I need, less is more how people say
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-14
Country: Indonesia
Votes: 0
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##Void Linux on a ThinkPad X1 Gen 9: A Practical Experience##
My main laptop is a ThinkPad X1 Gen 9 (Intel i5-1145G7). On this machine I run several Linux systems side by side: Debian and Fedora, along with Void Linux. Debian currently controls the primary UEFI boot order, while Fedora and Void maintain their own independent boot entries. This arrangement allows me to compare how each system behaves on the same hardware. Performance is not the differentiating factor for me. I do not run industrial benchmarks or gaming workloads. I primarily use my computer for writing academic papers and general research work. In that context Debian, Fedora, and Void all feel equally fast and responsive on this laptop.
My interest in Void Linux comes from its different technical foundation. Void is an independent distribution that does not use systemd and instead relies on the **runit** init system. The installation process is more manual than Debian’s installer. I had to watch a few YouTube guides to understand the steps the first time. However, the process was not as difficult as I initially expected. Once the structure becomes clear, the installation feels more procedural than complicated.
Runit is often described as fast, and maybe it is. But what draws me to runit is something more personal. Using it reminds me of the difference between driving a **manual transmission car and an automatic one**. Automatic transmissions are convenient and efficient, but manual control gives a more direct sense of what the machine is doing. The knobs, the shifting, and the mechanical feedback create a more authentic experience. Working with runit produces a similar feeling. Managing services through `/etc/sv` and symbolic links exposes what is happening under the hood. For many users this level of detail may not matter, but for me it creates a stronger connection to the system itself. That sense of understanding is one of the reasons I have grown to appreciate runit as Init system.
At one point I also looked at the contents of the EFI partition. Debian occupies about **8 MB**, Fedora around **18 MB**, while the Void entry is only about **140 kilobytes**. The difference is striking. Those numbers seem to reflect a broader design philosophy: fewer layers and fewer components between the firmware and the operating system.
As a rolling release distribution, Void has also been remarkably stable in my experience. Updates have never broken the system. It is difficult for me to make a strong comparison here because Fedora 43 and Debian 13, which I also use on the same laptop, have felt equally stable in daily use.
My experience was not completely smooth. One persistent issue involved **S3 suspend behavior**. When running the XFCE desktop environment, the system would not reliably enter suspend automatically based on idle timers. Something in the power management chain appeared to block the transition to S3 sleep. I spent time investigating the problem by checking power management settings, looking for processes that might prevent suspend, and examining system behavior. The system never clearly exposed the cause. I was nearly becomes frustrated. I am not a tech guy, I will not punish you for my lacking of diagnostic capacity.
However, switching the desktop environment produced an interesting result. After replacing **XFCE with KDE**, Void immediately began recognizing the suspend timers correctly. The same hardware and operating system started entering S3 sleep as expected. This suggests that the interaction between the desktop environment and the power management stack can significantly influence suspend behavior. In this case, KDE interacted with the system in a way that allowed the sleep timers to function normally.
Thank you Void Developers for your serious hard work. Really 10/10 for you guys!
Iwan Pirous
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-03
Country: Romania
Votes: 78
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I've been using Linux for the last 25 years, starting with slackware 8 in early 2000's. I loved the free spirit of slackware, but I was overwhelmed installing everything from source. I've then done some distro hopping until Void. I've turned into Void searching Linux distros systemd free, but I found much more than that. Very fast and reliable package manager, never had an issue with updates. I am using now Void as daily driver, I am amazed of its speed and stability, probably thanks to having less than 10 services running! (and I am using Sway on Wayland). Now I've compiled linux kernel 7.0.0.rc1-1 without issues and it runs even smoother. And this is important for me. I need my apps to open in less than 2 seconds, this is my benchmark. And I've achieved that on an old HP Probook 450 G5 with Void linux. The installer might not be suited for beginners, but that adds up to the simplicity of the OS. I love it and I do not intend to switch any time sooner away from it.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-01
Country: United States
Votes: 19
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The best Linux for zfs support - and one of the first Linux distros to have the new zfs 2.4 major upgrade available.
I am using Void Linux on a "homebrew" network storage system, made from mostly desktop PC parts, with lots of SAS and SATA HDD's, SSD, and NVME drives. This system is a major part of my backup system.
This system has one task to do, and Void provides the lean, mean, and technically near leading edge software to handle that task ... solid and focused. For those of us who learned Unix starting with Ken Thompson's Version 6 nine-track tape, and learned C by reading the first printing of Kernighan & Ritchie's "C Programming Language" just a couple months after it went to press, Void feels right at home.
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Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-14
Country: United States
Votes: 36
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I used the Void XFCE flavor on an old Asus Chromebook for years until the Chromebook finally bit the bullet. I got a brand new Asus Zenbook OLED last year, and for a brief few months the HW was too new for me to get Void onto it.
I tried Mint/Cinnamon, but the CPU temps and fan speed were ridiculous (along with the bloated software). I moved to Ubuntu/Cinnamon, and had the same temperature issue. I moved to Kubuntu and the temperature issue went away, and I liked the interface....so as soon as I could get back onto Void, I installed Base, added specific Intel drivers for my HW, then installed KDE. It took less than an hour to install, update, and configure it to be exactly what I want, including sound, WiFi, laptop power management, and printing. While I've use Linux for a long time, I've always preferred to USE it, not work on it; I'm a long way from being a "power user". However, if you can read the Handbook, you, too, can install and build Void to your exact liking.
Boot time is just crazy. From power-on to functional desktop takes less than 30 seconds.
Daily performance can best be described as "snappy"....nothing ever lags, hiccups, or even blinks funny.
Updates are typically measured in dozens of seconds. I did install octoxbps and its notifier, and I run updates any time the notifier tells me that an update is available; usually once daily. Unlike some other versions I've played with, I never have to cross my fingers (or spend 45 minutes in a README) before running Void updates. They just work.
The only software I've personally needed from Flatpaks is Only Office. It was a cakewalk to install, and it's been fine so far.
A long time ago I was a staunch FreeBSD advocate; I liked the top-to-bottom level of detail/consistency that FreeBSD offered. But I grew tired of the limited software availability and moved to Linux. I was never able to find a Linux distro that gave me that "this is the perfect distro" vibe until I found Void. The tidy filesystem, simple init system, stability (while being a rolling release, no less!), developer responsiveness, and community support, have completely converted me.
Long Live Void!!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-08
Country: Brazil
Votes: 30
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Void Linux has been my daily driver for over a year now, after a long stretch of hopping between Arch, Fedora, and even Debian Stable, and what still surprises me is how it manages to feel like a rolling release without the constant tension. It's current, but calm.
You notice the difference right at boot. Runit brings the system up in seconds, services are just small scripts in /etc/sv, and enabling one is a simple symlink. No giant service managers, no opaque logging layers, just straightforward Unix logic. It's the first init system I've used that actually feels pleasant instead of something you fight against.
XBPS is another highlight. Updates are extremely fast, and the shared library tracking means upgrades rarely break anything. When I want custom software, xbps-src builds everything in a clean chroot and lets me install or even host my own packages without polluting the system. It gives you AUR or ports-level flexibility, but in a much cleaner, more controlled way.
I also tested the musl edition on another machine and was surprised by how light and tidy it felt. Most of my daily software works out of the box, and when something doesn't, the community is quick to patch and upstream fixes. The whole ecosystem feels small but sharp.
What really makes Void stand out is that it's built from scratch: its own package manager, build system, and init, all designed to stay minimal and transparent. Tools like xtools add a lot of power without adding bloat. After getting used to that simplicity, many other distros started to feel overly complicated.
Void didn't just replace my previous system, it made Linux fun again. If you like speed, control, and a distro that stays out of your way while still staying up to date, it's hard not to appreciate what it does.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-05
Votes: 18
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I'd been using Arch for the past 3 years until I decided to give Fedora a shot a few months ago. People always say Fedora ships new tech quickly but is more stable than Arch and breaks less. After actually living with it for a while, I'm not sure I agree. I ran into way more issues than I expected. So after that short stint, I took a deeper look at Void. I liked the whole minimalist, independent philosophy behind it, and a lot of people praise its stability, so I figured I'd try it. After a month of daily use, I honestly couldn't be happier. Running dwm + Xorg it uses a ridiculous 200–220 MB of RAM. In 2026 that's kind of wild. Even after hours of use the resource usage barely drifts, and if I close everything and go back to an idle state, it settles very close to the original footprint. It feels extremely consistent. The system is smooth, no bottlenecks, no stuttering feeling, even with several programs open pushing CPU and GPU. I also haven't had any tearing issues, which I sometimes dealt with on Arch even with a compositor. The repos have a solid package selection, I've barely needed Flatpaks, and when I did, they worked perfectly fine here. I really feel like I finally found a distro I can stick with for a long time. I'm enjoying it a lot so far, and it's absolutely worth trying if you're curious. No regrets for me.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-01
Votes: 12
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So much about Void appeals to me that talking about it might sound a bit biased. I've been using it on my personal computer and on a small local server for about a year and a half now, and its stability is simply impressive, especially considering that it has stayed solid all this time without ever needing a reinstall or breaking on me.
I absolutely love the minimalist approach the distribution takes, from the init system all the way to the packages. Basically, it will only install exactly what you tell it to. Some programs even ship without certain extra features, since those are provided by other packages that act as optional dependencies and are not strictly required for the program to run. I personally love this, because most of the time I don’t use those extra features anyway. Having them as optional makes everything much more modular and flexible, depending on whether the user actually wants that "extra" or not.
Besides being stable, it's also very fast, even on weaker systems that might struggle with certain tasks. This is noticeable right from boot time, since Void uses runit as its init system and service supervisor. Runit has a very small and clean codebase, which results in extremely fast boot times, minimal memory footprint, and practically nonexistent CPU usage.
Void also stands out by supporting more than one libc implementation, namely GNU libc and musl. Honestly, for personal use, I find musl a bit troublesome and sometimes annoying to deal with, mainly because of the level of support it gets from applications. Most software tends to favor GNU, since it is more mainstream. That said, when efficiency and resource usage are the priority, musl is amazing. I really like the idea of using it on embedded systems or small servers, which happens to be my case.
The package manager is interesting and relatively easy to learn and use, especially since its syntax is somewhat reminiscent of pacman, even though some commands are a bit more "intuitive". Nothing too surprising or wildly different from other options out there, but it definitely deserves praise for being built from scratch, like most things in Void, and for being extremely functional and fast.
You also get something similar to the AUR build system through xbps-src, which uses recipes. It's certainly not as vast as the AUR options, but it's just as functional, and creating or porting a recipe to the xbps-src style isn't difficult at all. I actually found it pretty fun to play around with.
Speaking broadly and without getting overly technical, that's basically it. Void is definitely a distribution that deserves more attention. Beyond the stability it offers, even while being a rolling-release distro, almost everything about it is different, nearly unique in a way, and yet it all works really well. My experience with it over this time has been a solid 10/10. Highly recommended.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-31
Votes: 0
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So much about Void appeals to me that talking about it might sound a bit biased. I've been using it on my personal computer and on a small local server for about a year and a half now, and its stability is simply impressive, especially considering that it has stayed solid all this time without ever needing a reinstall or breaking on me.
I absolutely love the minimalist approach the distribution takes, from the init system all the way to the packages. Basically, it will only install exactly what you tell it to. Some programs even ship without certain extra features, since those are provided by other packages that act as optional dependencies and are not strictly required for the program to run. I personally love this, because most of the time I don’t use those extra features anyway. Having them as optional makes everything much more modular and flexible, depending on whether the user actually wants that "extra" or not.
Besides being stable, it's also very fast, even on weaker systems that might struggle with certain tasks. This is noticeable right from boot time, since Void uses runit as its init system and service supervisor. Runit has a very small and clean codebase, which results in extremely fast boot times, minimal memory footprint, and practically nonexistent CPU usage.
Void also stands out by supporting more than one libc implementation, namely GNU libc and musl. Honestly, for personal use, I find musl a bit troublesome and sometimes annoying to deal with, mainly because of the level of support it gets from applications. Most software tends to favor GNU, since it is more mainstream. That said, when efficiency and resource usage are the priority, musl is amazing. I really like the idea of using it on embedded systems or small servers, which happens to be my case.
The package manager is interesting and relatively easy to learn and use, especially since its syntax is somewhat reminiscent of pacman, even though some commands are a bit more "intuitive". Nothing too surprising or wildly different from other options out there, but it definitely deserves praise for being built from scratch, like most things in Void, and for being extremely functional and fast.
You also get something similar to the AUR build system through xbps-src, which uses recipes. It's certainly not as vast as the AUR options, but it's just as functional, and creating or porting a recipe to the xbps-src style isn't difficult at all. I actually found it pretty fun to play around with.
Speaking broadly and without getting overly technical, that's basically it. Void is definitely a distribution that deserves more attention. Beyond the stability it offers, even while being a rolling-release distro, almost everything about it is different, nearly unique in a way, and yet it all works really well. My experience with it over this time has been a solid 10/10. Highly recommended.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-29
Votes: 18
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Void is definitely a very inviting distribution in many ways, and after using it for some time, you truly feel grateful for that invitation. It is lightweight, fast, and stable. Even with frequent updates and a rolling release model, it rarely breaks.
While using it, you won’t feel overwhelmed by an unnecessary flood of things you don’t need or will never use, especially because you only install what you actually want. And even better: there is no systemd. For those who value a lean system that consumes only what is necessary, Void is without a doubt the right place to be.
If I had to point out a downside, it would be the learning curve. It’s not very beginner-friendly and can be a bit intimidating at first. However, taking some time to learn it is definitely worth it. As a bonus, you’ll soon realize it wasn’t that scary after all. On the contrary, you’ll understand that with this little knowledge, you truly end up with a system that is really your own.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-28
Votes: 15
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So I dug out my old ThinkPad X240 from around 2013 (basically an elder); Core i3, 4GB RAM, no SSD. That thing was pretty much a paperweight on Windows or heavier distros. It struggled with multitasking, took forever to boot, and overheated quickly. I slapped Void Linux on it with something lightweight like XFCE or a WM (depending on my mood), and it completely blew me away! It’s like I bought a new laptop. It boots in seconds, everything feels extremely responsive, and I can keep tons of Firefox tabs, terminal sessions, and coding tools open without it even breaking a sweat. Idle RAM usage sits around 240–400MB, with no random background junk eating up resources. Runit starts services instantly, and XBPS updates are done before I can blink. Void fully revived this “weak” old laptop, it’s now my daily driver for work, programming, and just messing around. Void gives you that pure, in-control Linux vibe without the bloat. If you’ve got older hardware gathering dust or you just want something fast and different, give Void a spin. Seriously, it’s awesome and way too slept on.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-26
Votes: 0
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So I dug out my old ThinkPad X240 from around 2013 (basically an elder); Core i3, 4GB RAM, no SSD. That thing was pretty much a paperweight on Windows or heavier distros. It struggled with multitasking, took forever to boot, and overheated quickly. I slapped Void Linux on it with something lightweight like XFCE or a WM (depending on my mood), and it completely blew me away! It’s like I bought a new laptop. It boots in seconds, everything feels extremely responsive, and I can keep tons of Firefox tabs, terminal sessions, and coding tools open without it even breaking a sweat. Idle RAM usage sits around 240–400MB, with no random background junk eating up resources. Runit starts services instantly, and XBPS updates are done before I can blink. Void fully revived this “weak” old laptop, it’s now my daily driver for work, programming, and just messing around. Void gives you that pure, in-control Linux vibe without the bloat. If you’ve got older hardware gathering dust or you just want something fast and different, give Void a spin. Seriously, it’s awesome and way too slept on.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-26
Votes: 0
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I've been using Linux for years, hopping between Arch, Debian, and Fedora, but Void Linux has been a real revelation since I switched about a year ago. It just clicked in a way the others didn't. The speed is the first thing that hits you: boot times are incredibly quick thanks to runit, which skips the long waits you get with heavier init systems, and my older laptop feels noticeably snappier every day. Updates through the XBPS package manager are smooth and reliable; it's fast at syncing and installing, handles dependencies cleanly to prevent breakage, and keeps the rolling release stable without constant headaches. What makes Void truly unique is its independence: it's not based on anything else, with everything from the XBPS package system to the runit init built from the ground up by people who prioritize simplicity and efficiency. I love the option for musl libc over glibc, which makes my setup even lighter and cleaner for minimal environments. Runit itself is refreshingly straightforward, with services managed by simple shell scripts instead of complex configurations. Overall, Void delivers exactly what I want: a fast, lightweight, rock-solid system that feels custom-made without endless tinkering. It's become my go-to daily driver, and I highly recommend giving it a try if you're after something efficient and competent.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-25
Votes: 0
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I decided to try Void Linux because I usually hear very positive things about it, especially when it comes to running on older or more resource-limited machines, since it is much more minimalist and less resource-hungry than more popular distributions. After a few weeks of use, I have nothing to complain about. It is indeed very efficient in terms of resource usage, which makes it fast even on more modest hardware, while also being stable. Even though it follows a rolling release model, it has fortunately never broken for me, everything works very well, including third-party applications such as Flatpaks or AppImages. I even managed to run some lighter Steam games without any issues! I am very inclined to make it my main operating system, which will most likely happen very soon. I highly recommend this distribution, especially for those who value proper and efficient use of their machine’s resources.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0
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Void is definitely a very inviting distribution in many ways, and after using it for some time, you truly feel grateful for that invitation. It is lightweight, fast, and stable. Even with frequent updates and a rolling release model, it rarely breaks.
While using it, you won’t feel overwhelmed by an unnecessary flood of things you don’t need or will never use, especially because you only install what you actually want. And even better: there is no systemd. For those who value a lean system that consumes only what is necessary, Void is without a doubt the right place to be.
If I had to point out a downside, it would be the learning curve. It’s not very beginner-friendly and can be a bit intimidating at first. However, taking some time to learn it is definitely worth it. As a bonus, you’ll soon realize it wasn’t that scary after all. On the contrary, you’ll understand that with this little knowledge, you truly end up with a system that is really your own.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0
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So I dug out my old ThinkPad X250 from like 2013 (elder), Core i3, 4GB RAM, no SSD; that thing was basically a paperweight on Windows or heavier distros. It'd chug on multitasking, boot forever, and overheat quick. Slapped Void on it with something light like XFCE or some WM depending on my mood, and holy crap! it’s like I bought a new laptop. Boots in seconds, everything’s responsive as hell. I can have a ton of Firefox tabs, terminal sessions, coding stuff open, and it doesn’t even break a sweat. Idle RAM is sitting around 240~400MB, no random background junk eating resources. Runit starts services instantly, XBPS updates are done before I can imagine. It completely revived this "weak" old laptop, now it's my daily driver for work, programming, and just messing around. Void gives you that pure, in-control Linux vibe without the bloat. If you've got older hardware gathering dust or just want something fast and different, give Void a spin. Seriously, it's awesome and way too slept-on!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0
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So many things about Void appeal to me and draw me toward it that talking about it might sound a bit biased. I’ve been using it on my personal computer and on a small local server for about a year and a half now, and its stability is simply impressive, especially considering that it has stayed solid all this time without ever needing a reinstall or breaking on me.
I absolutely love the minimalist approach the distribution takes, from the init system all the way to the packages. Basically, it will only install exactly what you tell it to. Some programs even ship without certain extra features, since those are provided by other packages that act as optional dependencies and are not strictly required for the program to run. I personally love this, because most of the time I don’t use those extra features anyway. Having them as optional makes everything much more modular and flexible, depending on whether the user actually wants that “extra” or not.
Besides being stable, it’s also very fast, even on weaker systems that might struggle with certain tasks. This is noticeable right from boot time, since Void uses runit as its init system and service supervisor. Runit has a very small and clean codebase, which results in extremely fast boot times, minimal memory footprint, and practically nonexistent CPU usage.
Void also stands out by supporting more than one libc implementation, namely GNU libc and musl. Honestly, for personal use, I find musl a bit troublesome and sometimes annoying to deal with, mainly because of the level of support it gets from applications. Most software tends to favor GNU, since it is more mainstream. That said, when efficiency and resource usage are the priority, musl is amazing. I really like the idea of using it on embedded systems or small servers, which happens to be my case.
The package manager is interesting and relatively easy to learn and use, especially since its syntax is somewhat reminiscent of pacman, even though some commands are a bit more verbose. Nothing too surprising or wildly different from other options out there, but it definitely deserves praise for being built from scratch, like most things in Void, and for being extremely functional and fast.
You also get something similar to the AUR build system through xbps-src, which uses recipes. It’s certainly not as vast as the AUR, but it’s just as functional, and creating or porting a recipe to the xbps-src style isn’t difficult at all. I actually found it pretty fun to play around with.
Speaking broadly and without getting overly technical, that’s basically it. Void is definitely a distribution that deserves more attention. Beyond the stability it offers, even while being a rolling-release distro, almost everything about it is different, nearly unique in a way, and yet it all works really well. My experience with it over this time has been a solid 10/10. Highly recommended.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 2
Date: 2026-01-07
Votes: 0
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This review is of Void's distribution for aarch64. The main thesis is that despite claims to the contrary this distribution is not ready. Void uses the Asahi binaries so in theory it can install natively against Apple UEFI. I installed on VMWare Fusion so it didn't have to handle an actual boot just a virtualized boot. My use case is primarily playing with a Linux to go on a Qnap device in a friendly environment before configuring it in a much more hostile one. In terms of binary runtime I saw 0 errors.
First off the installer doesn't exist even obvious shell scripts. Shell scripts would run fine. But if they want hand configuration like a mid 90's distribution the config file should include all the comments. The documentation is poor for aarch64. A lot of the install requires typing things exactly with no clear idea how to modify. Worse no clear troubleshooting if things don't work. Not knowing why you are doing something means it is almost impossible to figure out what to do is something goes wrong. I had to spend a ton of time getting things to work.
XBPS (the package manager) which is supposedly the pride of Void also doesn't give clear errors. The experience is just miserable. Aarch64 isn't read.
FWIW I ended up installing Alpine for exactly the same use case and here the installation was smooth. Everything worked as it should, except possibly Wayland, and well, Wayland on aarch64 compiled with musl (an alternative C library to glibc that Void also offers, and Alpine insists on), not shocking, there were compatibility problems. So strong recommend there as an alternative for a lightweight (non-desktop ) somewhat security hardened Linux for aarch64 VMs.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 2
Date: 2026-01-02
Votes: 0
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I've been trying to decide on a lightweight distribution to run inside VMWare Fusion on a Mac. As background I started with Linux in the mid 1990s having been a SunOS, Solaris, AIX and NeXTSTEP user. I never really liked Fedora, so I didn't jump on Asahi despite being extremely impressed and greatful. I was thrilled someone else decided to pick it up, I'd heard great things about Void and was coming in fresh. Let's say I've installed Linuxes of various flavors about 200x, I'm not new to this but I am not an expert.
First off it wasn't clear what image to use. Install to VM with no emulation is not exactly an unusual use case this should have been documented. The Asahi didn't work the AArch64 did booted into the VM fine. The installer doesn't work on AArch64 for no reason so it was all manual. It was dreadful, a lot like an install in 1994 would have been when getting anything to work at all step by step was a huge challenge. I will mention they had Musl and glibc installers so promise kept on supporting both out of the box.
The sh on their boot media doesn't allow for editing. The commands they give don't work in Bash. Which, incidentally, they don't mention in the documentation. So you have to type long commands exactly perfectly. I found it infuriating to have to be providing arguments like which directory or what architecture; you booted the media and you specified the directories, in the install guide. Why would this not be scripted on the installer so I could at least edit and run a script.
The manual itself provides very little information about why you are doing things.
They want you to be directly editing things like rc.conf setting it to English. Again this should be better documented (why aren't their comments in their rc.conf if they want manual editing).
XBPS the supposed pride and joy of Void din't throw off good error messages when there were problems. It failed silently. -f for force doesn't actually force. XBPS is what I'm supposed to be loving, one of the primary reasons to use the distribution. Yet when there are problems it doesn't error properly and the documentation on getting it to work is bad.
The XFCE environment for the install doesn't have things like sound files to test configuration and drivers. If the whole point of this distribution is to allow me to adjust the kernel when it is still easy to do (i.e. in /mnt/boot/efi not the actual boot system) then include the resources to allow me to make sure everything is configured properly! Otherwise, you are just wasting yet more of my time.
And on and on and on.
Back in the 1990s we used to have "Installfests" where experienced people would help inexperienced people get Linux on their computer. It also was a good time to switch distributions RedHat user to try Debian or Slackware for example. I felt like this distribution belonged at an Installfest not on a computer in 2025. Back then distributions were dealing with an overwhelming number of problems. What is Void's excuse for lazy and sloppy?
2 C libraries, check
It was fast, check
It was not technically excellent. It is technically shoddy, poorly considered, badly maintained and badly documented.
It is not stable. It is flaky, where even slight problems cause catastrophic, undetected, and undocumented errors. No warnings, no checks, no sensible defaults...
Maybe a different experience on x86. I don't know why they didn't bother to port their configuration scripts. But I don't think it would have been different. This sort of lazy, sloppy uncaring probably goes into the packages as well. I'm giving them a 2 for having a function aarch64 at all, which most distributions don't. The XFCE environment did boot so they did migrate Asahi's work successfully.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-12-30
Votes: 30
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Void Linux is just what I was distrohoping for. If you know a bit how to set things up, this distro is your friend. Wy? because it's fast as hell, stable as rock (comparing it to rolling distros).. and clean. Although I'm a Debian fanatic, I use void as dual boot with Debian. Debian is for personal stuff and void is for tech stuff... you can't believe me if I told you that I have compiled Linux Kernel 6.18 for the first time in my life and set in void before being even shipped in void package with absolutely no issues ..
I hope that more people to try Void because it's a fantastic distro and for that to ensure its survival .. I don't know why Void has no huge reputation it deserves. I hope more people come in .. I also thank the maintainers and community of such a wonderful piece of software. I suggest that they update the documentation and add PDF guide for everything has to do with Void .. Peace and love
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 7
Date: 2025-12-24
Votes: 28
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I have successfully deployed Void Linux on one desktop and two laptops, all operating in a multi-boot configuration.
The system itself has demonstrated commendable reliability and performance. Nevertheless, a consistent challenge during installation is its tendency to overwrite the primary boot partition, thereby preventing other installed distributions from booting. The subsequent effort required to repair and reconfigure the multi-boot environment is substantial and exceedingly time-consuming.
If it is to be the only operating system installed, there will be no problems. Conversely, if integration with an existing operating system is intended, thorough deliberation is recommended.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-12-11
Votes: 25
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Three things that are important to me or have become important to me in choosing a linux distribution is simplicity, stability and cleanliness. and void linux fills all these criteria more than any linux based distribution.
1. Simplicity - xbps and runit are so much simpler and easier to use than any package manager and init system that i encountered in linux systems. runit is so transparent that this is actually the first time i opened a system monitor and understood what each process is and what it does.
2. Stability - i've used arch before and using a bleeding edge distribution feels like you're a test subject. one thing that is expected of any OS is that updates MUST NOT BREAK your system for no reason whatsoever. and the void team tries very hard not to break your system. they do not include packages that are likely to break your system in the official repo but still give you the choice to add another custom repo or build packages yourself(which is a lot simpler than you might think with xbps-src)
3. cleanliness - void doesn't assume what you need and install things for you. everything that is gonna be on your system is ultimately installed by you and you only. I like this very much because an operating system shouldn't assume what you want it should only give you the tools to install what you need(want).
Conclusion:
honestly this might be the most boring linux distribution and that is a good thing because operating systems should be boring and not get in your way.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-12-08
Votes: 25
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Void Linux comes with runit. This init system adheres strictly to the Unix principle: "Do one thing and do it well." It's tiny, fast, and only handles service supervision. Service configuration is handled by simple shell scripts (./run), making it trivial to understand and configure. It's the opposite of bloatware and leads to faster boot times.
systemd. This is a huge, tightly integrated software suite. It combines the init system, logging (Journald), networking, and many other components into one package. Critics argue this violates the Unix philosophy, making the system complex, hard to debug, and creating a monolithic dependency that is difficult to replace or modify.
Because everything is modular (runit, logging, network management), you have more control and the system is easier to audit. If something breaks, the cause is usually isolated.
systemd: Everything is heavily reliant on complex, often verbose .unit files and internal systemd protocols.
Void's package manager XBPS (X Binary Package System) is a gem. It's extremely fast and uses atomic updates. This means an update either fully succeeds or it fully rolls back, ensuring your system state is never inconsistent if the update is interrupted. It's a robust and reliable system for a rolling-release distribution. It is also way safer than other implementations like AUR.
Void is one of the most underrated distros. If you are an intermediate user, you need up to date packages and you know what UNIX/LINUX is, this distro is for you. It is also one of the few independent distros that respect users and don't treat them as beta testers for the big tech.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-11-22
Votes: 0
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I left Debian about three weeks ago to try something more up-to-date but still kind of “stable”, so I went with Void. It looked like a middle ground between something bleeding-edge like Arch and something more polished like Fedora.
But honestly? I ended up crawling back to Debian in less than a month. Things on Void tend to break way too easily, even though in theory it’s supposed to be more stable than a true bleeding-edge distro. Pretty much every update I installed during those weeks broke something, whether it was the kernel, audio, bluetooth, or some other hardware-related package. On top of that, the available mirrors are pretty unreliable, even the Fastly one that’s supposedly global.
Performance-wise, I didn’t notice much difference either. The system wasn’t any faster, didn’t use fewer resources (even without systemd, which people love to hype as a “big advantage”), and it definitely didn’t feel smoother. In the end, you basically get a more minimal, stripped-down system, but not much more than that.
So after all the headaches, I just decided to stick with Debian and manually compile the few packages I want to keep closer to upstream. It’s not the most convenient setup, but at least I keep my sanity intact.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-11-20
Votes: 18
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It's really really stable, fast, easy to understand and AFAIK the only rolling releasse distro with proper OpenZFS-Support. Even if you have to do an manual installation of ZFS on root it's totaly worth it.
I'm using it since something like 5 years or so on my company-laptop (some Gen4 i7), my homeserver (Xeon E3-1225 V2) and my media-center (Pentium Silver J5040). Updates broke the system two or three times, because sometimes dracut fails to include the DKMS-driver for OpenZFS. Then I relboot using the old kernel, generate the image again and it works.
I introduced ZFS on root while I was using Arch where updates broke quite regulary and I choose void because Arch ZFS came from the AUR and it's support was unreliable. This is fixed in Void. And Void is so stable that I basically don't need ZFS on root for rolling back system updates anymore.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-11-06
Votes: 27
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Void Linux was like a hurricane of fresh air, after using debian for god knows how long. I was initially terrified that the bare CLI version comes with basically nothing with exception of bare essentials. However it was very rewarding to build my desktop slowly. Once it was finished the results shocked me.
I'm not sure if I somehow screwed with debian or something, however compared to debian, it was night and day. Void basically uses nothing, packages are incredibly lean. I've personally seen around 5x less space usage (from 250GB to 50Gb roughly) with ram usage being basically 3x less.
Void also doesn't come with system packages that require other languages. It's all C programs. Which was very pleasing for my case due to not enjoying python or rust. Additionally runit, while hard to initially to learn how to use (compared to systemd), becomes very natural to use. I appreciated that xbps did not set any daemon I installed immiditly to run. I'm sure some people also have this issue of just wanting the daemon and not for it to run every time your system starts (I am aware I can disable after install in systemd distros, however that's just inconvenient for my case).
Package availability was just barely enough. I felt lucky that the packages I used in my old debian install were happen to be here. With big distros like arch, debian, and fedora the sheer package availability and software being catered to you is a blessing. You can just install the .aur or .rpm file and bam you are done. Unfortunately you don't have the same comforts with void, I had to dig into few .deb files and install few programs as tarballs. The community is really helpful on this front. There were a lot of information and tools to install programs that aren't packaged for void.
Lastly the community has been great. I've had the pleasure of talking to few people in #voidlinux on libera.chat. Really helpful and patient community from my experience.
Overhaul void is amazing, if it gets catered a bit more and more packages are made for it. It would be literally a no-brainer.
9.5/10
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-10-15
Votes: 53
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Been using it almost since it exists and it's just wonderful. As with any Linux distro, stuff can happen, but void is one of the stupid simple distros out there where almost anything runs. Runit is so nice to use and the package manager is just awesome and really really fast (and quite simple). Rolling updates are also very good to have and you rather have good control over updates. The setup process may look dated, but it's also dead simple.
I'm also using it on servers and it is a really reliable distro, if you don't overstretch it - wich you shouldnt, because that's what windows is doing.
Mind you: it's maybe not THE distro for beginners, also depending on the device you want to run it. In my experience it's not so superb on notebooks, but that's a linux thing anyway. Every distro has its' quirks on mobile devices.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-10-09
Votes: 0
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Void was a pretty bad experience for me in several ways. I decided to try it out one day because I’d heard some good things about it (along with a few bad ones), but not everything you hear is true; maybe it’s just personal taste, or maybe it’s just personal favoritism from people who like the distro. The documentation is okay but a bit too short and direct, leaving a lot of things unclear, and if you ever have questions, finding answers can be tough since there’s no proper forum for support, which is something people often complain about. Another thing that bothered me is how long it takes for new installation images to come out; it feels like that part doesn’t get much attention. The installation script is very minimal and kind of rough, but that’s what you get unless you want to write your own or go through the manual process. The limited number of mirrors can also be discouraging, since depending on where you live, downloads can be painfully slow, and even the Fastly CDN mirror, which is available globally, sometimes has inconsistent latency. Once installed, the system itself is decent, but I noticed some performance issues with certain packages like Firefox, although the Flatpak version worked fine, so maybe it’s something about how it’s built. Void also feels a bit like a Frankenstein distro, with lots of patches to make apps work on different architectures, which I think might hurt performance on some systems. While using it, I ran into problems where if a dependency for a running service failed, the service depending on it would just stop working because Runit, the init system, doesn’t handle that well. I also had some trouble setting up encryption, which eventually made me give up. Overall, Void feels like it doesn’t have a clear purpose; it tries to do a bit of everything but doesn’t really excel at anything. I used it for about two months, and for me, it wasn’t worth it, but if you’re looking for something different, maybe give it a shot.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-10-06
Votes: 30
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Void is great! Here's some points from their website and its associated pros and cons from my time using it. "Not a fork!" Realistically this doesn't mean much, because most forks are based off of already well established distributions. But in the basically impossible chance that something like Ubuntu disappears, not being a fork can be a plus. "Stable rolling release:" When Void updates their packages, it goes through their "continuous build system" which I'm pretty sure ensures compatibility with end users. So far nothing horribly bad has come from any updates. The recent 6.17 kernel had some iptables config disabled by default which broke my VPN program but it was quickly patched, basically within a week. I'm not too familiar with the technical details beyond that. "runit:" A very simple init system that's very down to earth. I built my VPN program from source since it wasn't in the repos and creating a service was as easy as writing a 1-line bash script, marking it as executable, and sym-linking it. Doing the same thing in systemd is beyond me. Runit also boots up extremely fast, and doesn't randomly hang for minutes at a time because something in systemd is holding up the boot process. I've had boot hangs on systemd via Arch, and Fedora in the past. Runit has no issues with my computer though. "C library diversity:" I have not tried the musl library, and don't even know what benefits it provides. "XBPS", a superb package manager, with many useful tools and simple syntax (unlike pacman flags). "xbps-src": Haven't had to use this at all actually. I have the repo cloned but haven't actually had to use it for anything. Everything I need has been available in the repositories. If you want a rolling release, and an extremely barebones install, Void is definitely worth a try.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-19
Votes: 18
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Hands down the best distro I've ever used. I started using linux last year, trying out various distros, but none of them fitted my needs. Void is really straightforward, easy to use, suprisingly and convenient. I never thought of ending up here, but Void is a true gem. I like everything of it, the installer, the philosophy, the management and xbps. The one and only problem I had was the repository, but the problem got fixed by me discovering xbps-src later on, daily driving the distro. It's a fast distribution, I use it on my laptop, I have an install that is working since november of 2024, and my pc never broke or had problems one day, whitout me causing them. (Most of the times it's me creating problems, either because I'm stubborn and I want to solve some insignificant issues, ending up nuking something. But as of now I didn't have any problems in the past year). Right now, I'm using dwm whit it and it's a really recommended experience. Fast, stable and light, I never saw I distro more complete for my needs than this one.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-18
Votes: 17
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The best linux
I have used Debian Fedora Manjaro Suse Ubuntu and others for 20 years
An today I am pleasantly surprised for this distribution
Fast, bug-free, updated packages, not bloatware, not unnecessary pre-installed apps
Easy installer,
Easy package management,
Online handbook (pdf available selecting Print then "to pdf" from your web explorer)
Few things to improve:
Missing install icon on desktop (I try xfce live version).
Missing pdf manual on desktop
You just have to see the score. Not only me point 10 to this distribution
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-16
Votes: 12
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The distribution feels transparent, neat, snappy, the only thing i find frustrating is the sensation that the quest for the holy grail distro is over, that is what happens when you enter the void, you realize that there is nothing else out there. For the longest time i used Debian, which i embraced as my own, and sometimes i tried other distros but they felt alien to me. Today i can confidently say that i have embraced void as my own.
Cons:
1-I couldn't install the b43 wireless firmware on my laptop, maybe i'll succeed later. Either way let's not blame void for the broadcom chaos with the wifi on Linux.
2-The website feels somewhat cold...and distant, it's far from being compelling.
3-The background/history of this distro and it's founder can be discouraging.
Pros:
1-Highly customizable installation, you can install void from literally almost any usb-live from any other distro (as long as it includes a web browser) which is PRICELESS, i have used several times Systemrescue live-usb to install the void rootfs using chroot, it works flawlessly. I failed to do that with Alpine.
2-It's rolling release, nothing else to add on this point.
3-It's made for minimalism, if minimalism isn't your thing i would rather suggest you to install Debian or Fedora.
4-Void, as well as Antix (and probably Alpine as well) are among the distros with the smallest RAM footprint, runit is a luxury.
5-XBPS is super neat for removing all dependencies and obsolete packages as soon as you no longer want them in your system.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-08
Votes: 9
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A promising distribution. The idea of a stable rolling release is good. The idea of systemD free is also good. That's why the rating is 10.
However, the implementation is not so smooth. I tried to open a drawing in LibreCAD and got a segfault, when flatpak's LibreCAD opens without problems. I looked at the number of unresolved bugs on GitHub and it is large. This is not some kind of AI flood, but real users have encountered problems and these problems are not being solved.
Moved from a bleedingedge distribution to a more stable rolling release, did not provide sufficient stability for my needs. Maybe this will change in the future.
xbps-src as a build system is attractive, the build scripts are somewhat similar to Arch Linux or Alpine Linux. The ability to cross-compile to another architecture is cool. However, the message that in order to build some 32-bit applications it is necessary to do so from a 32-bit system does not really fit with the concept of cross-compilation.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-06
Votes: 18
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This is a wonderful distro. Fast, efficient, clean, and simple. I've used it for a while five or six years back, but now I'm back, and I'm absolutely loving it.
The installation process is deceptively straightforward, unless you like XFCE, anyway (in which case you're golden, super easy install).
The post-install configuration is not dissimilar from other distros, aside from acclimation to the package manager, xbps, which has eight variants that I'm aware of: xbps-install, xbps-remove, xbps-query, xbps-alternatives, xbps-reconfigure, xbps-pkgdb, xbps-rindex, and xbps-src, which is a substantially more curated form of the aur. So the package management schema is quite different from other distros, but the payoff is a rolling release distro with VERY up-to-date packages, basically the same "bleeding edge" you get with Arch, but with a significant assurance of stability as well. It's like if debian and arch had a baby that didn't need to be constrained to a wheelchair. Personally, I like that the respective processes have functional distinction in this manner. It's more verbose, sure, but you're using Linux, so keyboarding is something you kinda signed on for. Much better than auditing a weird aur package that you installed because "it looked cool" at any rate.
As someone who's gotten very accustomed to the "conveniences" of systemd over the last decade, I find this distro downright refreshing. This is like a renaissance of the super neato linux that we had 20 years ago, when I started using it (I'm 40).
Void, apart from having the coolest name of a distro, is a "sweet spot", to be sure. Keep up the great work, devs and maintainers!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-29
Votes: 12
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It's been now almost five years it is my daily driver.
And I have nothing wrong to say, it never ever broke on me. It was only my own mistake if something broke, and still it's not that easy to mess up considering it's all fairly simple scripts.
My desktop install is fairly simple, but my laptop is actually a testing ground where I did LUKS 2 + UKI + secure boot + musl etc, all in one night, without too much trouble.
Documentation is kinda minimal, but it's straightforward and just work.
I do have to check more often than not the Arch wiki for more advanced stuff.
Same way that my only gripe would be the low number of packages, and sometime update being a bit slow.
But at least it's stable.
XBPS is very powerful and fast. And XBPS-SRC is quite fun to mess with, doing basic package is not hard.
If I had one request, it would be to have something similar to the AUR for XBPS-SRC
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-11
Votes: 12
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This is excellent distro for me. This distro save me a lot from hackers attack activity.
I could learn lots of Linux deep knowledge for wireless configuration with iwd, implement static IP with dhcpcd, manage screen laptop brightness through udevd rule, how to implement custom dhcpcd-hooks, setup apparmor, and the best part is how easy to rebuild custom kernel with xbp-src.
During installation only base package be installed and can configured sway later.
I do have several suggestions during installation I think we need to disable kvm loaded through kernel parameter, cause my experience is hacker will try to setup virtualization through ip vlan.
I think module 8021q,garp,mrp,stop,LLC be blacklisted first during installation.
And it would be perfect if base package provide necessary tools for kernel compilation, so that all cooking of custom hardened kernel could be done in offline mode.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-08
Votes: 18
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It’s 23 years im using Linux and I’m seriously impressed the distro works so well. I can’t complain about anything. The setup is pretty fast and simple, as well as the simple documentation. I managed to have a fully working laptop installation with Wayland, Sway, a few graphical applications and ready to develop in 1 day, without too much effort.Everything is working on kernel 6.15 mainline.
The init system is crazy fast and for desktop usage works perfectly.
Overall the best experience I had in a while.
It would be amazing to have a bigger community, because the project deserves it.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-03
Votes: 12
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Rolling and stable. Super fast, thanks to runit instead of systemd. Unix philosophy: one tiny thing for a tiny task. I am impressed.
Btw, XBPS is fantastic and blazing fast.
Sure you need to learn all the tools that make up the distro: dracula/mkinitcpio, socklog, manage your services, install bash-completipn and nano... Isn't that part of the fun? And the reason for it's speed?
I feel like I found a Linux I like and like I wanted to get back too since more than a decade. Feels like toying yet stable and fast. Some fresh air in the distro world. Awesome.
(Coming from Arch BTW.)
Congrats
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-01
Votes: 15
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There is no parallel system that eats up resources and adds lags. There are no overly complicated and cluttered services. A new log database of 32 megabytes or more is not created at each start, which significantly clogs the disk over a month of operation and reduces its resource. All this is because there is no systemd. Simple services, simple text logs, one simple fast and lightweight program - one function. The Unix ideology is a way to use limited resources more rationally.
Everything is more or less good for x86-64: the system, the most popular applications. The packages are fresh, but not bleeding edge, which significantly reduces the presence of bugs. There is a flatpack for something more specific. An alternative c-library.
The situation is not so good for 32-bit architectures: i686 and arm. Since some applications are no longer compiled for 32-bit, it disappear from these architectures. And the last working versions are not backported. So the functionality of these branches of the distribution is reduced. Flatpack runtime and applications are also no longer available for 32-bit, alas.
For a year of use, Void Linux was more stable for me than Arch. And dramatically less time consuming for system maintance.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 0
|
A pretty bad Linux distro, honestly, in many ways.
Even though it’s supposed to be a rolling release, some updates are really slow. Like, slower than some non-rolling distros. There are even packages that haven’t been updated in ages. That might not break stability, but it definitely makes you wonder about security.
It uses runit as its init system. Sure, it’s fast and lightweight, but it’s also super poor. It’s missing important stuff, like handling service dependencies properly, and overall it just feels underwhelming.
The package manager is alright. It’s fast and the syntax is nice and clean, kind of like pacman. But honestly, it’s nothing special. Doesn’t really stand out compared to what other distros offer.
The system runs fast for the most part, but a bunch of apps don’t feel as smooth as they should. Some even freeze now and then. I’ve tried the same apps on other distros, and they worked way better there. No clue why that happens here.
Probably the one thing that makes this distro interesting is that it supports an alternative libc, in this case musl. But even that didn’t impress me. Performance was way worse than what I’ve seen with Alpine, for example.
On top of all that, I ran into a bunch of driver issues. Some of my hardware and peripherals just didn’t work properly, which made using the system a pain. That’s what finally made me give up on it.
It might improve over time, but as it stands right now, it’s a big no from me.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 36
|
Rolling, yet stable distro.
Xbps is fast and easy to use, can build from source ala gentoo if like, you also can host your own package repository easily.
The distro philosophy is to KISS (keep it simple, stupid), so there is no systemd, everything is a file, it's in your face. You have a good selection of achitectures, glibc or musl.
I use it on my servers, wsl on the job laptop, my laptop, my desktop, and I never experienced any problem, so it passes the "it works on my machine" I guess...
If you like the stability of Debian, and like "being on the edge" of Arch, Void is the distro for you. Give it a try! I did out of curiosity and I am rocking it for 2 years now.
The community is great, come see us on IRC liberachat!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-06-24
Votes: 23
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Installed (glibc version) on a laptop (HP spectre 13af series) as the only OS.
The installation process was very easy and straightforward, no issues there. I used cfdisk to partition the drive and kept the previosu /home partition (Debian Trixie).
After the base system, I installed KDE Plasma+sddm (wayland) and almost all configuration from the previous system worked well, some themes were not ported yet to Plasma 6. Also some minor details regarding some qt5 applications not picking the system fonts. I think this is not a Void issue.
I would say than in less than an hour I had a usable desktop with the necessary applications for my daily use. The resources used on idle are very similar compared to my previous Debian Trixie, but I noticed an improvement in speed on booting and at application launch.
The only thing that I'm not used (yet) is the xbps-query command to search for packages, I'm still using the website to search packages and then copy the package name and install it using xbps-install. (apt is superior in this).
I got used to runit very fast, at the moment, is a lot easier than systemd.
The void handbook is also very clear and easy to understand. I used it to configure pipewire (wireplumber) and worked great on first try.
Solid distro to use daily if you know what do you want.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-24
Votes: 19
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True rolling release distro.
True systemd-free distro (not an artefact from an systemd-rotten one).
True stable distro.
True very logic and well-thinked distro.
True minimalist base system distro.
True team dedicated to the sake of their distro.
True init system built distro (runit rocks).
In one couple words : a true rock solid distro
Things are simple : I feel comfortable with Void, everything is clear and documented (not bloated, no unwanted blobs, no multiple layers of abstractions).
Void is THE distro!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-19
Votes: 12
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Void is an interesting option to the Linux standard distribution. It doesn't utilize some of the (seemingly) standard software that distros force on us. To some, this is detrimental to VOID usage, but for others it provides a freedom that many mainstream distributions lack.
Void Linux is surprisingly simple as long as the admin/user puts aside any preconceived notions of what a distro is and how it should act. Software and especially operating systems should provide the user with as much freedom as possible. This is in contrast to current policies as required by specific businesses whose primary purpose is to milk the users for as much profit as possible.
The use of VOID for the primary OS offers the user a level of control that has been taken away from many Linux distributions as well as other operating systems. It seems that developers of these distributions and OS's believe that they know how the user should operate the OS in spite of said user's experience, capability and goals. These decisions may work fine for the influx of typical users such as those migrating from more prominent operating systems. IMHO, this is the primary reason that operating systems such as Void need to be protected and nurtured.
Void offers the user a simple (yet surprisingly complex) environment so that users can get work done, whatever said work may be. However, it is not just for workaholics or even the typical office crew. Void offers access to more pleasant software types such as card-games (especially many solitaire variants), games based on board styled play such as Mahjong and a variety of other programs in which the user can spend their time. For example, the STEAM environment is an easily installed software suite. Steam provides the user access to a huge array of games usually offered on other platforms including RPG, adventure and other graphics oriented gaming types.
That said, Void Linux is not just a platform for wasting time. There is a large variety of software for the user to access including web browsers,office tools and educational programs. One of the primary areas where users tend to dwell is software development. Software development includes a very large array of programs ranging for the base operating system and desktop environments to tools useful for text editing, music and even graphic manipulation.
Sorry if I get carried away. It's just that I find Void and similar environments provide a great way of introducing new and existing users to aspects of software without forcing them to follow a specific ideology or set of ideals which may contrast with their own.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-11
Votes: 12
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Been running Void for about a year and a half now. Absolutely top distro. Not quite for beginners as you'll be missing a few apps in the repos, but it's been absolutely rock solid, fast and tweakable as desired.
I'm running Openbox and love how light and fast it is.
I was a habitual distro-hopper, with my other mainstay being Sparky (which I still sometimes use as it's great), but every time I consider trying out a new OS I can't bear facing something that doesn't work with my printer, or wine doesn't work, or there's random crashes, or it's bloated...
Void is solid, non-systemd (for those that care), fast and well documented and it stays out of my way.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-03
Votes: 10
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void aims to be a highly configurable and stable rolling release. on that it's a 10/10
it's maybe not for everybody but for someone needing a stable base to tinker arround with to get to a unique personalized linux experience, it's perfekt.
i got void on 5 different systems now, including a 32bit-netbook, an old PC of 2012 and three laptops from oldest to newest, i use a git bare repo for my dotfiles that allows me to sync my dotfiles over all these different hardware and i couldn't think of another distro where that would work as flawless as in void.
i would even pay money for void if the maintainer would let me, and there are a lot other distros i would not.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-02
Votes: 15
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For a small project that isn't community-funded (they don't accept donations, although they do seek contributors to the project code), they have a fairly good infrastructure and a medium-sized repository; considering they don't have a bug tracking system, it's extremely stable. All this is thanks to the fact that the base is simple, making it relatively easier for a small team to maintain. A clear example that sometimes less is more. For this reason, it's completely configurable, and the system rarely gets in the way.
It also has its downsides: internal disputes within the development team have resulted in certain key parts being practically abandoned. Its xbps-src compiler has bugs that haven't been fixed for many years, and in the last five years, it has barely received any improvements; in fact, it has lost some features.
The same goes for the package manager. It hasn't had many updates (most of its version changes are to force a recompile of the base during libc updates). (XBPS lacks a mechanism to force a recompile of packages when the compilation base changes.).
Runit is very simple which makes it fast and stable, but if more complex daemons are required, with multiple dependencies or startup phases, it is a pain in the ass to generate halfway functional runit services for it.
Althought that excellent distro.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-02
Votes: 5
|
Void linux
Clean fast and correct in one word super stable distribution.
When we talk about system stability and reliability,
I have been using the musl version for 3 years without any errors or problems,
nothing at all.Just regularly updating the system and that's it, no problems
The only thing I would like is for musl to be expanded with more supported applications,
for now it is a big limitation for musl. Basically you have everything you need, most of the applications are there, but...
All in all, a clean 10 from me.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-05-30
Votes: 9
|
Void is literally the definition of the suckless principle.
- Suckless init system
- Suckless package manager
- Independent
- Stable
- Rolling release
- Lightweight
- Blazing fast
- xbps-src
- Did I mention suckless?
I have tried all kinds of distro including distros that absolutely drains every bit of your soul like Gentoo, LFS (distro?), NixOS, and TinyCore. But Void stopped my uncontrollable urge to distrohop for good.
However, Void is not perfect as all things aren't. You will definitely run into a small issue every now and then. Fret not! All these issues can be resolved easily if you spend time reading documentations. Additionally, do not expect the setup process to go smoothly if you come from Arch because Void, IMO, is for advanced users. Therefore, if you are not good (yet) at troubleshooting, writing scripts, and reading docs or specs, you are in for a world of pain.
In conclusion, Void is a beast of its own league and probably is only reserved for a certain type of users.
This thing has run on my machine for 4 solid years and I just love it with all my heart.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-05-29
Votes: 9
|
Musl. This was my main and only motivation to pick up Void. I am after few years on Arch. Without it, I think it would be hard to know how and what to do to make Void up and running. What is minor problem as Void documentation, besides much less detailed to Arch, has almost complete basis for complete system. Of course you need to dig other sources to make all things up and running, but at least you have full point of start.
There are other distros with musl, I know, but Gentoo is too far for my will to spend on configuring and maintaining system, for Chimera is too early to go full for production, on test machine, sure, and others are even more obscure.
Void is right the one and only choice. And is good choice. Installation was quite easy, not much harder for me than Arch, with full root encryption I was forced to go manual way. There still left for me few major things to setup - AppArmor, Secure Boot, but most things works without much thinkering. Only thing that dont work for me and was working from start on Arch or Fedora is Qemu KVM with Secure Boot. Images made previously dont want to start. I will try to make new ones, maybe that can help.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-05-16
Votes: 15
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Best of both worlds: rolling release, but super stable at the same time. It's like Arch but without the constant implosion. Also, no systemd either so that's a nice plus. It has its own package manager with decent variety and also not a spinoff of any other distro, which is pretty rare. Installation can be daunting, especially if you don't want to use the default (Xfce) DE, but it's not as bad as Arch was back in the day and the documentation is pretty decent. Final score: 10/10, cures distrohopping.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-05-13
Votes: 12
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Void in one of the few enigmas in the World of Linux. standing out on it's own, not relying on Deb or Arch etc as a base, and it is simply genius for what has been achieved. A cutting edge (one step back from bleeding) rolling release that doesn't have a hissy fit if its not been updated for a month or so. As for the actual OS, you will need a least a solid base of knowledge, otherwise you'll probably end up with an OS that's not working as you'd like, fundamentally because the needed packages have not been installed and configured where necessary., and then you'll blame the OS rather than a lack of knowledge/good attitude. I have it on two thinkpads - one with glibc and cinnamon (ver. 6.4.2), the other with musl and lxqt (ver. 2.2). Both run like a dream, never once had an issue (thats 2+ years for cin., 1+ for lxqt) and they are a lot faster and more stable than the flagships for those 2 de's. Runit is very simple, fast, stable and secure too. Ultimately, fabulous with a bit of grunt work, one to aim for if you're new. Enjoy.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-05-10
Votes: 0
|
This distro brings a mix of feelings, but the most striking one is the clash between expectations and frustration.
Void is definitely a niche system, but the few people you usually see talking about it tend to say positive things. After using it for a few weeks, though, I ended up seeing way more negative points than positive ones, and I just can’t wrap my head around the idea of spending more time fixing the system than actually using and enjoying it. Well, I guess there are people who feel good about that and find it rewarding, but that’s not the case for me.
Starting with the installation, it’s extremely manual, and even for advanced users, it’s really tedious. There’s no kind of helper here, like a script to automate certain steps, which you do have on Arch, for example. And if you choose the TUI installer, you’ll probably end up dissatisfied with one configuration or another that gets set automatically behind the scenes, and at some point, you’ll likely need to fix it yourself — which was what happened to me. So unless you make your own script to set things up the way you want, or at least get everything working properly, be prepared for some post-install headaches.
Another issue I had was with runit, which is Void’s init system. Sometimes when I booted up, I’d end up stuck in the tty, because for some reason, certain services apparently weren’t starting properly due to depending on others. And the truth is, runit doesn’t have proper dependency management. You could call that a trade-off, since on the other hand, it’s very minimal and simple, unlike systemd.
The package manager is cool, and it really reminds me of pacman, especially in the syntax, but for some reason, I often ran into trouble downloading or updating packages due to keyring issues. Pretty frustrating.
I don’t know if it’s something about how the packages are built or if it’s some kind of incompatibility with my hardware, but some programs were really choppy (I noticed this mostly with Firefox, which didn’t have issues in the flatpak version). Sometimes it would even show some stuttering, which led to visual artifacts on the screen, especially when trying to move or resize the window. I thought it could be something with the compositor, but switching to others or reconfiguring things didn’t help much, and I don’t think that was the real issue anyway, since I didn’t see any screen tearing or similar problems.
What they say about Void being “minimal” is definitely true, and you can really see that in the way packages and dependencies are handled. The build recipes seem to only include what’s strictly needed to run the program, but often don’t include dependencies that add features — which in some cases makes things feel broken. That, for me, is a downside, though not necessarily a problem. Still, I think having something like “optional dependencies” would really help in cases like that.
Finally, what pushed me away from Void the most, after all these problems, was the fact that many packages take ages to get updated. Sometimes they stay with known vulnerabilities that have already been fixed upstream. On top of that, I found their contribution system extremely bureaucratic and slow. Sometimes it takes months for a pull request to get any attention — if it’s not completely forgotten, especially when it’s something the maintainers don’t seem too interested in.
All in all, for now, Void is a solid no for me. I don’t think it’s worth struggling with a system that isn’t as polished as others and that gave me more headaches than practicality or productivity. I also didn’t notice any real difference in resource usage compared to other distros I tried. So yeah, overall it was a big letdown. But it is an interesting project, especially for supporting musl as an alternative libc, and I really do wish them well and hope they improve, especially in the areas I mentioned.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 6
Date: 2025-04-24
Votes: 0
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I wouldn't recommend this distro to newbies, nor even to intermediate users. I personally found it harder to set up than Slackware or Arch.
Installing the base system from a rootfs tarball via an already running system was dead simple. I'm using the glibc version with no boot loader (I'm already using refind as boot manager).
I'm running multiple distros on this laptop; they each have a dedicated 200MB boot partition. Void is the only one that cannot host 2 kernels by default because its initramfs is huge (100MB). Debian and Arch use 23MB and 28MB resp. and that includes a 4MB plymouth theme. Manually removing unused firmwares (amd/nvidia) dropped the image to 84MB which is still way too big to start up a system.
Many packages are missing: you have lightdm but you miss lightdm-sick-greeter; you have cinnamon and xapps but you miss xviewer, etc. Compiling the missing software is a real pain because you have to handle all the dependencies yourself. There has been some pull request to add them (for example slick-greeter) but they received no attention, no comment, and got automatically closed with no reason given.
All in all, once set, the system is running perfectly fine (it has been for a month now). It requires some efforts in the beginning but it's then a very good alternative to the major distros.
Pros :
- It's an independant distro (not based on something else).
- No systemd
- Its packages are relatively up-to-date.
- Apart from firmwares, Void is very light with as little bloat as possible.
Cons:
- You're not getting any help from the OS when you want something done. For example, if you install a package that has a service (sshd, lightdm, dbus…), you are responsible for both configuring it and enabling it. This contrasts with distros like Debian or even Arch where the package manager does it for you.
- Setting up a working DE from scratch reminds me of all the dirty tinkering we used to do in the late 90s.
- The documentation is very succinct, lack a lot of crucial information, and is almost useless if you don't already have a very solid linux background.
- Setting up the sound system was quite difficult.
- Lack of software support.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-04-14
Votes: 10
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Void is a distro for advanced users. If you don't know what you are doing it will simply frustrate you. I switched from debian sid to void, im really enjoying it. My only issues were with setting up network manager, just remember to make sure dbus is running!!! I'm using the msul version. It is very minimal, fast and simple. It works well on my 15 year old thinkpad x201. Wifi works, battery works, screen dimming works, everything works. The reason i switched from debian was because it started doing sudden crashes, where it would force shut-down my laptop. I'm not sure why it did that and I've never had that on any other distros.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-04-14
Votes: 12
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Void is a general purpose linux distro that is slightly different than others. It uses runit instead of systemd. It is s simple init implementation and may lack some features systemd has. But it's eay more leaner than systemd. It boots in under 10 seconds on my system.
It has a learning curve to it but i think it's worth the effort. XBPS is a magnificent package manager, really fast. Repositories are filled with good software. Overall i recommend void to all linux experts who likes diy distros like arch.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-04-12
Votes: 16
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From my point of view, void is amaziing distro for power users. This distro is not for all, without gui installer is the clearest way for building personal desktop, without tonns of unnecessary software. Runit + XBPS = powerfull union. Unlike arch, void linux goes it's own way, without systemD. I don't understand people that want to see gui in each distro. I like independence of linux, where one distro is not as another. All good things in one distro may be used after in other. That's the good way i think.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-03-07
Votes: 0
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From my point of view, I feel like this distro has potential, but there are a lot of annoying aspects and complications that stop me from giving it a good rating. First, there's the fact that it doesn't have a graphical installer, which can be overlooked since many distros don't have one, but even the installation script they provide is super limited and doesn't seem to have gotten much attention over time. It led me to an error screen more than once. Another really frustrating thing is that not all the package names are in lowercase; some have uppercase letters, and it’s case-sensitive. So, even if you type the name correctly in lowercase, it’ll return an error saying the package wasn’t found. There are some "restricted" packages you can compile yourself from a recipe, but you have to clone the entire GitHub repo to do so, not just the recipe like in Arch’s AUR. To me, that's a huge waste of space. But the main issue I have is that I don’t feel the "amazing performance" that people claim. In fact, the system seems to get slower with each update. There was one time I had to roll back to a snapshot with an older kernel just to keep the system usable. People often focus too much on RAM usage and get fooled by it, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect the system’s actual performance. Lastly, I constantly have internet connection issues on Void. Sometimes when I boot up my computer, my network interface just isn’t found, like it’s not even there anymore. Dealing with this kind of issue all the time really kills the motivation to keep using it, which is why I had to replace it for now.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-03-06
Votes: 9
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Idk know for how long I use Void. Maybe 6 years or so. I came from Devuan which is still a good distro but Void is faster and rolling, which is a favor for me. There is not much to say. Xbps and runit are working like a charm. A large update is like an explosion of package install / overwrites.
Not a critic or not a critic to Void alone is the missing ability to script the whole system. A simple version of Guix so to say. But this is not a real critic just an inspiration for a meta-package-manager.
Void is a fast and high quality distribution.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-03-04
Votes: 8
|
Void Linux is one of the fastest distros I've ever used!
Stable, did not crash once since 6 months.
I use KDE Plasma because I really dislike XFCE. There are custom images with KDE Plasma preinstalled.
packages with .deb or .rpm can't be installed, because Void Linux uses the xbps package manager.
It's very lightweight and fast, but only some of the software is available yet.
Hope this will change soon, because I'm missing some software. Xbps-src is availabe, where you can install additional software from.
In general, I really like this distro and will still use it as my 2nd OS to get noticed about updates
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-28
Votes: 12
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In short, Void Linux is what Arch should have been. It supports a gazillion different architectures, it's super lightweight and stable especially compared to being rolling-release. I had 3 out of 3 Arch based installations die on me during an update in different ways but only 0 out of ~20 Void installations in the past year or so. The package manager is lightweight and fast, even though there are nowhere nearly as much packages as there are with Debian/Ubuntu/Arch. The only negative is that it comes with XFCE by default, which might be good if you are using an ancient potato, but I recommend doing a base installation and deploying a DE like KDE Plasma by hand following the straightfoward configuration documents. All the way from Raspberry Pi 3B+ to Core Ultra 5 245K, I was able to run this distro on literally any machine without issues.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-24
Votes: 8
|
Im tried mostly any major and minor distribution over years and stayed with Debian on servers and Arch/Manjaro on Desktop for last years.
I fall on Void Linux when i want to try something without systemd (which started to be too big, and want to do everything). Im tried antix (Arch based) but have some issues during updates.
Void linux is unique distribution as it is not based on any other disro, which can be positive or negative for someone :)
For installation im used XFCE live image. Their TUI ncuser installer was pretty easy and final install process was incredible fast.
XFCE desktop started soon (6s vs 15s any systemd), there are not installed very much applications by default. So you can install your preferred one.
After 4 weeks of daily use im experiencing it as stable and fast (which i cannot say on most of main distros).
The runit init system is straightforward and easy to use and realy make system fast. It doesn't have services dependency resolving, but during my daily use as desktop i dont have any issues with it.
For package management they use XBPS package manager which syntax is similar to pacman from Arch. You can use some nice wrappers for it like vpm or fuzzypkg which make it pretty simple.
What i like is really impressive speed (which i dont see before) of installation/uninstallation and dependency resolving.
I dont have any speed problems with package repositories in EU, however i always use local repo mirror for my primary distro :)
The drawback i see (compared to vast Arch aur repos) is that there is not so may application in repositories like Debian or Arch have, but still enough for most of users. At the end, for missing one you can use AppImage or Flatpak packages, or compile it by yourself from source :)
Also documentation is not deep and detailed as for Arch, but its enough for basics.
Im pretty happy with using this distro and it looks like it will be my primary for daily use.
I highly recommend to try this distro for intermediate or advanced linux users.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-02-23
Votes: 0
|
After hearing a lot of positive things about Void, I decided to try it out myself and see what all the fuss was about. Spoiler: my experience wasn’t as positive as I expected.
First off, the installation process is more tedious than I would’ve liked. It’s not exactly difficult, but you have to do almost everything manually, with no script to automate any part of the process. I initially tried installing it using the TUI installer they provide. After a few failed attempts, I seemingly got through it, but I wasn’t happy with the end result. That led me to go for the fully manual installation instead.
Another downside is that they have very few mirror options, and the ones available are painfully slow in my region. This made installing packages or updating the system a real headache. I even ran into failed updates due to timeouts while downloading. On the bright side, the package manager is simple to use and has a syntax somewhat similar to Pacman, which is nice if you’re already familiar with it. However, I found it noticeably slower when resolving dependencies and handling other tasks.
The init system is definitely a plus. It’s lightweight, fast, and easy to use, which I genuinely liked. But it does have some gaps. For example, it lacks a proper dependency manager. If a service that another service depends on crashes, neither will restart automatically. I ran into this issue myself, and it caused more trouble than I’d care to admit. Still, it’s a solid choice for minimal or lower-end systems.
Performance-wise, the system is just *ok*. However, I noticed a pretty obvious lag when launching certain graphical tools like OBS, LibreOffice, Kdenlive, and Firefox. I didn’t have this issue with other distros like Arch or Fedora. Overall, it wasn’t a pleasant experience on my machine. Maybe it would perform better on a microcomputer like a Raspberry Pi, but for my use case, it fell short.
Even though Void is a rolling release distro, I noticed that many packages take a long time to get updated. While some might see this as a good thing, offering more stability, I didn’t really notice any stability benefits compared to Arch, Gentoo, or even Alpine. In fact, they performed much better across the board on my computer.
What ultimately made me give up on Void was when the system crashed for some unknown reason. After rebooting, I was greeted with the dreaded GRUB rescue screen. I spent a few hours trying to recover it but eventually gave up. Considering all the other issues I’d encountered, I just didn’t think it was worth the trouble.
I’m not completely ruling out the possibility of giving Void another shot in the future. It still seems like an interesting project. Maybe some of the issues I faced will get ironed out. But for now, my first impressions were overwhelmingly negative.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-22
Votes: 18
|
Void is suckless.
I like the simplicity of a systemd free distribution, but that wasn't what made me stick with Void, although it was a plus. Void feels like the old debian that we grew up with.The practical advantages: It's fast, very stable rolling release I have ever seen, easy to install and maintain, XBPS package manager is fast and has almost everything you might ever need. Void never breaks, regardless how long the system was not updated. With growing community it could become a good alternative to arch.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-02-18
Votes: 6
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I've been trying various distros for years on a variety of test beds - I not a Linux novice but I do enjoy a certain level of completeness and operation. Much as I use Mint on my main machine as I'm lazy like that, I've come to the conclusion that from all the other mixes and versions of Linux this ticks the most boxes for that alternative choice.
You can choose to have a command line only version or the full fat one with XFCE. It supports a wide range of platforms. For playing with it is great. I have used it for desktop on x86. They obviously like to dig deep into the system and do some things under the hood that others don't, but you don't have to care. Just pick the x86_64 XFCE glibc live image, there's still a 32 bit version too.
It feels lean, but the stuff that is there works and feels integrated unlike most lean distros that just seem to cut useful stuff out and patch a load of random stuff together. There is this nice feeling that it is Linux, a bit of text shoots up on boot and you are expected to use the terminal to manage packages and updates. But that is as far as I usually need to go - learn the xbps thing and bung the flatpak stuff in as well and it will install and do most stuff.
The installer is very basic, just enough but it doesn't hold your hand so the partitioning is manual with some hints. Start at 1 and work your way through.
It has run on everything so far and can run on a very crap system, I tried from a single core netbook with 1GB. It is also running very up to date rolling release kernel and patches so works on the latest kit too. I've been trying it for a couple of years on secondary machines and take it more seriously each time.
Performance has always been good, nothing is slow - only more compromised minimal Linuxes seem to perform any better and there's not much in it.
Obviously it's an independent Linux - not based on anything popular so you get less options for support. Otherwise as one of these outliers it's a great one to give a go.
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Version: 20230628
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-08
Votes: 18
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The 2024 Void Linux ISO had a grub erorr and the problem was left unresolved for a long time. So I have been using the 2023 version of the ISO for a long time.I have not used the 2025 ISO yet.
I installed and played with Void Linux dozens of times over the years for experimentation.
Pros:
・Freedom of Choice
Can choose glibc or musl
elogind without sway (Seatd) possible
・Systemd Free
・Stable
・Lightweight
・Popular packages are new.
・Easy to understand documentation
Full disk encryption is very easy
・Runit and xbps are very easy to use
Cons:
・Confusion in the past
・Few developers
・Not popular
・Forum is on Reddit
・Some old packages
zulucrypt-gui not updated for years
・Repository is a little slow
There are only 4 Tier 1 mirrors
The advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-07
Votes: 19
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After some distrohopping and trying other Linux distros that are all nice, you will find VoidLinux fast, stable as static Linux distros and almost bleeding edge as Arch. Nowadays apps are easy to install and use (flatpak, appimage, distrobox, wine,xbps-src, xdeb...). Installation takes less than 5 min. VoidLinux gives you a minimal iso and lets you the choice of the apps you really need. it's not only for developpers and it can be a used as a daily driver desktop os. For linux users, with some experience, fixing some issues is not a very hard task. In all cases, it's better than other non Linux OS. Congratulations for VoidLinux developers and thank you for your nice work!
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-02-06
Votes: 0
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This distro is definitely a mix of feelings. First off, the Live ISO only supports installation using the dd utility or via loopback through GRUB, which makes it a pain to install from a non-Unix system like Windows. After that, I feel like the performance of several apps on Void is lower compared to other distros I've used, probably because of all the patches they apply to support the various architectures they offer, as well as the alternative libc implementation, musl. I really notice this with Firefox, which takes ages to render on the screen and is a bit slow with the interface, even though my PC is fairly decent (Intel Core i7-12700KF, NVIDIA RTX 2060 6GB, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD). The memory usage is definitely low in most cases, but honestly, that's not much consolation when the performance feels degraded. Plus, even though Void is a rolling release distro, many packages are seriously outdated, like GNOME and some firmware, which comes to mind because it's my go-to desktop environment. I understand that they have a small team maintaining things, but in this case, I think the best option would be to reduce the number of different systems they try to support and focus more on stability and security, while keeping the packages updated. The community also didn’t seem too friendly toward newcomers with questions they deem "inappropriate" for people trying out the distro, and the documentation is pretty short. So, if you run into a problem, you'll likely have a huge headache solving it. All in all, it’s an interesting project, but definitely with its fair share of issues.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 8
Date: 2025-02-05
Votes: 9
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I chose this Distro as an in between solution of FreeBSD and Linux, with a focus on not using systemD. I have been using it for 4 years now as a daily driver on an old Potato PC and must admit that this is a very well rounded rolling release.
What people have already said is that it is blazing fast, even on older devices, and the xbps package manager is very versatile. Runit is easy to configure and manage. As a desktop solution this is a good distribution.
It can be run on a server and most packages for server management are available. The downside is that it needs a lot of tinkering even on a desktop level. This is no Distro for the faint hearted. You need to know your stuff and you need to be able to resolve issues on your own.
The "Forum" is in reddit. Whilst most of the Linux community is helpful and friendly, reddit is more honest. This can at times reflect in your face as unfriendly. The moderation is especially toxic if they don't have a suitable answer for you or you are to stupid for the distribution in their eyes. There is a lot of condescension going on.
This isn't helpful, especially for users who are new to Linux and moreover managing a more complex distribution like Void.
While the documentation has progressively become better over the years, it is still a hurdle in setting up the system. I believe they have an xfce live image now, but you would probably be better off if you know how to partition your device and do a complete installation over the CLI.
All in all I am not unhappy about this Distribution, it has been a faithful companion over the years. However, because of work I now have to get more familiar with SystemD (yuk), I will be moving back to Debian for the time being. Maybe at some later point I will come back to the Void.
An interesting factoid is that Void Linux adapted SystemD long before Debian had even considered it. But they were also very keen on getting rid of it and finding an alternative init system.
Pros:
Lightweight
Fast (even on older devices)
Rolling Release
No systemD
Up to date
Cons:
Professional orientated, not beginner friendly
Toxic community, if not addressed in a professional manner
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-04
Votes: 12
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I love this distribution as it has many advantages.
It's too bad that this distribution is not enough popular!
First, Void Linux has all the most popular packages in his compiled repository.
Second I feel free to build my own system i want to.
Yesn Void Linux is much like Arch Linux as it allows the user to take control of his OS.
But contrary to Arch Linux :
- Updates are faster
- Updates doesnt increase much the system size
- Updates doesnt make the system break or doesn t cause package conflicts : Void Linux is stable
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-02-04
Votes: 0
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Won't boot from live usb... kernel panic. Lost track of it's own file system and probably can't handle the Nvidia card.
Yes, I have experience. I'm 62 and have used everything from DRDOS to Irix, Solaris, BSD, and more flavors of Linux than I care to mention (which all boot fine on this same hardware). Void is at least named correctly, because it is void.
It's 2025. If a 'live' distro can't even boot cleanly via live usb, then the devs should probably seek another hobby.
Bottom line: I'm refuse to waste any extra time on a distro which hasn't been vetted for basic functionality.
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Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-02
Votes: 12
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Running this distro feels incredibly smooth and hassle-free. Whether it's a dual boot setup with Windows or a standalone install, everything just works without unnecessary complications. No weird issues, no bloated stuff, just a clean, efficient system that does what you need.
What’s really impressive is how well it supports so many different types of hardware. Old machines, modern setups, even some more unusual architectures, it stays stable and fast no matter where you run it.
A great option for those looking to break away from the usual mainstream distros.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-02-01
Votes: 12
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Void Linux is a hidden gem in the world of Linux distributions, and it’s definitely worth a try if you’re looking for something lightweight, fast, and simple. One of its standout features is its init system, called runit, which is incredibly straightforward and efficient. Unlike systemd, which is used by most major distros and can feel overly complex and slow, runit keeps things minimal and easy to understand. This makes Void a great choice for those who prefer a "less is more" approach to their system’s core processes. Another highlight is its package manager, xbps. If you’ve ever used pacman from Arch, you’ll feel right at home with xbps. It’s fast, reliable, and has a similar command structure, making it a joy to use for installing and managing packages. The repositories might not be as vast as some other distros, but they’re well-curated and cover most needs, which is great for users who value quality over sheer quantity. Void is also independent, meaning it’s not based on another distribution like Ubuntu or Fedora. This gives it a unique identity and allows it to focus on stability and performance without being tied to another project’s decisions. Plus, it supports both glibc and musl, offering flexibility for different use cases. The only potential downside is that Void might require a bit more hands-on setup compared to more beginner-friendly distros. But if you’re willing to explore, you’ll find a clean, fast, and highly customizable system that stands out from the crowd. Give it a shot, you might just fall in love with its simplicity!
Last but not least, the distro name is also pretty cool. xD
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-01-28
Votes: 12
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I start use Linux from kernel 1.1 (1994), for passion and for work every day of my life.
I test all the major distributions (and derivative ): Slackware, RedHat, Gentoo, Ubuntu, Debian,..
When systemd comes my initial enthusiasm for this new peace of software who everyone talk about like a "NEW ERA" for init system ...... rapidly disappear like "tears in rain" !!!
Even if I continue to work with "systemd" every day this piece of sottware is an overhead for the entire system.
In 2018 I start to search for some distribution without systemd bloat I found Void Linux.
Apart from systemd that was the main reasons I choose Void, I start to appreciate many other things who contribute to definitively assert: this is the best (for now :D) distribution I ever see.
1. runit is simple and robust.
2. Package management xbps is great, light speed on install (extremely light workflow), Debian apt take 10x time for install same package.
3. Rolling release at today from more than 6 years for 10 different systems: on Intel (last entry is a i9-13900HX ) and ARM platforms without problems (just a little one easy to fix 4 or 5 years ago).
Last but not Least:
- if you want, you can contribute adding new or maintaining existing packages to the distribution on github void-linux (very easy to do).
- using the kernel form other distribution (Orange,Armbian,Lineage) I successfully install VoidLinux (root-install) on a lot of OrangePi 3LTs(H6) and OrangePI Zero2(H616).
This distro is amazing. Void: the Linux!!!
Personally my rating to Void is: 100 ;)
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-12-30
Votes: 10
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Void is the distro I keep coming back to. Even though I've gotten more familiar with systemd out of necessity, I still prefer a simple init system and runit is the best I've used by far. As for packaging, Void's xbps combines source and binary packaging options in a way that just makes sense, similar to how the BSDs handle ports and packaging. It's fast, so very fast on all of my systems, even the low end Ryzen 3 and N100 based systems in my collection. I've successfully installed and used it on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, all the way up to a current generation AMD 8xxx series system, with the only tweak needed for the latter is switching to the 6.10 (now 6.12) kernel.
Give Void a try, yes it has a basic text/ncurses based installer, and things that are handled "automagically" by other distros have to be done manually (enabling/starting services after package installation), but these are advantages in my mind. You have more control over the system, and you learn more about how Linux and other Unix-like OSes work deep down inside without being overwhelmed.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-11-23
Votes: 66
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Void Linux is very interesting distribution. It stands out with it's unique init system, package manager (xbps) and minimalistic setup. Void is my choice today. I like it's speed and stability and also oppotunity to make my working environment as i wish. I was build it with my favorite window manager Hyprland and i got the system of my dream. Runit is powefull and simply to use. XBPS is very fast and rich of futures (binary build). Void repository is not aur, but you can find here most of popular applications. Anyway you can use build function or use appimage (flatpak, snap). Today Void is not in the top list of linux distributions, but in future can be here (must be)
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-10-24
Votes: 57
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I'm using void with labwc which is like openbox but supports wayland. My system is blazing fast with a low memory footprint. Most of the apps I use are available as flatpaks but fortunately for me, they are also available from the official repos! A void system has like the sweet spot when it comes to achieving balance between up-to-date software and stability. I do like immutable distros but I came back to Void anyway so if it wasn't for void, I'd be using silverblue. The documentation is sufficient and runit is simple to use. I would highly recommend Void Linux to any Linux lovers. Void Linux is after all the top ranked distro by project on this website and since I've been using it, it's no surprise why Void is the KING.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-08-08
Votes: 60
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Void Linux is a distribution that stands out for its focus on efficiency, flexibility, and simplicity, and it has gained a solid reputation among advanced Linux users. Designed from the ground up, Void Linux is not based on any other distribution, allowing it to offer a unique and highly optimized environment for its users.
One of the main advantages of Void Linux is its rolling release model. This approach ensures that users always have access to the latest versions of software packages without needing to perform full and disruptive version upgrades. This means you can enjoy the latest features and security improvements continuously and without interruption. For those who want to stay at the forefront of technology, this update model is ideal.
The XBPS (X Binary Package System) package manager is another strong point of Void Linux. XBPS is known for its speed and efficiency, offering atomic transactions that ensure system integrity during installations and updates. This means that even if something goes wrong during the update process, your system will not be left in an inconsistent state. Additionally, XBPS is highly flexible, allowing users to easily install and manage packages.
Void Linux uses runit as its init system, resulting in extremely fast boot times and efficient use of system resources. Unlike other distributions that use more complex and heavy init systems, runit is lightweight and easy to configure, offering users greater control over system services. This simplicity is particularly attractive for those looking for an operating system that does exactly what you need without unnecessary complications.
One of the most notable features of Void Linux is its support for multiple architectures, including x86, x86_64, ARM, and ARM64. This makes it a versatile option for a variety of devices, from servers to embedded devices. This versatility allows users to use Void Linux in different contexts and platforms, maximizing performance in each one.
Moreover, the Void Linux community, although smaller compared to other popular distributions, is very active and dedicated. Void Linux developers and users are committed to quality and efficiency, which is reflected in the ongoing support and development of the system. The available documentation is clear and sufficient, making it easy for new users to learn and adapt to the distribution quickly.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-08-07
Votes: 26
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Void Linux is a Linux distribution that stands out for its focus on efficiency, speed, and flexibility. Designed for advanced users, it offers a minimalist operating system that allows for a high degree of customization and control. One of its most attractive features is the rolling release model, which enables users to always have access to the latest software versions and updates without the need for complete version upgrades. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted user experience.
Void Linux uses runit as its init system, resulting in fast boot times and efficient use of system resources. Runit is simple and easy to manage, making it ideal for those who seek simplicity without sacrificing functionality. Additionally, the XBPS package manager is fast and lightweight, offering atomic transactions that guarantee safe and reliable installations and updates.
Another of Void Linux's strengths is its independence. It is not based on any other distribution, allowing it to develop a unique architecture optimized for performance and flexibility. This independence also means that Void Linux is not subject to the design constraints of other distributions derived from Debian or Red Hat.
Void Linux is versatile and compatible with multiple architectures, including x86, x86_64, ARM, and ARM64, making it an excellent choice for a variety of devices, from servers to embedded devices. Although its community is smaller, it is passionate and dedicated, ensuring continuous support and development.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-08-06
Votes: 7
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VoidLinux is a great distribution, I value the package manager and its atomicity. Some packages are not available, but the nonfree repository can satisfy the needs of the system. Likewise, its robustness is essential for those who enjoy truly free software like Void, although its repositories are not so extensive, the use of certain packages can be balanced by performing respective compilations. It is a great distribution and I am using it as a development base for each of the programming tasks I do.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-08-05
Votes: 8
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I tried a lot of distros in the past, but only Void felt like home. Not even debian or arch.
I love how runit works and it's lightness, My machine boots in under 10 seconds and it poweroff in 3.
I've been using it for some months now, and after A LOT of distrohop I have no plans to switch. Also the repos are becoming larger every day, whit more and more pkgs.
For now I'm using the glibc version of Void, but I'm considering to give the musl version a try
OS: Void Linux x86_64
Kernel: 6.6.43_1
Packages: 639 (xbps-query)
DE: Cinnamon 5.8.4
Shell: bash 5.2.21
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-08-03
Votes: 7
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This distro has really revitalized my love for computers. Most of my early learning in the late 80s came from fighting with DOS to get games running, exploring BBSs and shareware, etc. I had tried Linux (Ubuntu) years ago trying to escape Windows and MacOS and found the experience depressing. Rediscovering Linux via Void has been so refreshing - the speed, the control, the stability, and a *productive* learning challenge as I build my system with only the things I want.
Just some of my favorite things (mostly the obvious):
1. XBPS is an amazing package manager
2. The documentation / wiki is the best I've seen
3. Runit is FAST
I don't know, it is just clean as hell, and actually feels good (at least to me) to use. As long as you want to learn things and tinker, have a DIY spirit, Void is for you. It is not for people who want to just click and go, but that's fine.
For speed, go with a base install and the all suckless.org build.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-07-19
Votes: 12
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I can only recommend Void to anyone looking for a suckless distribution.
It comes with an installer on its installation medium, which means that no manual installation is necessary, but they also have tarballs that you can install instead.
Void uses runit as its init system, which is really simple to use.
I've been using it for gaming, programming and VFX - It manages all of these tasks perfectly.
The only drawback you get by not using systemd is that some programs rely on it and you'll have to put in some work to make them run.
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Version: 20221001
Rating: 9
Date: 2024-07-14
Votes: 12
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I've been using Void for a few years now: never had any problems with this distro.
Although the software versions are very recent (it is still a rolling release after all) its stability and system control amaze me.
I never switch on my PC with the fear that it won't turn on, (something that happened to me with Arch once).
I still backup my files though, out of habit.
The only flaw, if you want to call it that, is the lack of some packages in the official repos: you do however have the possibility to compile them from source, use the Flatpak/Appimages alternatives, or use the void-packages alternative with xbps-src.
If you ever run into a problem and you feel lost: do not fear! There are multiple channels where you can talk to other void users. The handbook guide is updated and well explained, I was able to find most of the answers to my questions on there.
The learning curve for me was not as steep as I imagined.
- OS: Void Linux x86_64
- Kernel: 6.6.39_1
- Packages: 981 (xbps-query)
- Shell: bash 5.2.21
- DE: Xfce 4.18
- WM: i3
- Both CPU & GPU from Intel
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-07-12
Votes: 5
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I use it on Raspberry and it's the best distro I've ever seen on Raspberry by far. I'm a Devuan user on my main computer but I had so much fun setting it up that I'm actually considering switching to it everywhere. Runit is amazingly elegant. The system comes with no bloat at all (not even syslogd functionality) and for fun and because I wanted to do some unorthodox setup, I went the way of implementing my own logger for runit services. It was also the first time I ever run a rolling distro. I had no stability issues with it. I did see some bugs here and there that existed since installation and at least two of them were fixed within a month by upgrading packages. XBps' interface is worse than apt's in my opinion but it seems to be coming with more functionality that I needed out of the box so I'm fine with either system. I still need to learn more about it. It's great to see a distro made from scratch that accomplishes so much! Now my next experiment will be to run the Musl version and see how that one goes!
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-07-10
Votes: 8
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I installed Void linux about a month ago, and it was a great choice. I started using linux this year in February, when a friend suggested me to use mint. After that I tried endeavourOS and Arch, and I didn't liked systemD, it was slow and it felt old. Arch was not fro me, and I wanted something light for daily use that dosn't break. I distrohopped a lot, I used debian, Opensuse, ubuntu and many more. I found void, and I didn't knew what it was, so I tried it in a virtual machine. At first I had trouble whit partitions, then I heard that void has a poor repository and many other things. After this long distrohop Void linux was my last choice for a distro and I kept arch. After months, in June I decided it was time to change and gave another shot to void. This time I had better knowledge on linux, and I had 0 trouble whit partitions and the desktop. After using kde for a long time on endeavour and arch I decided to go for cinnamon, which I personally love the simplicity of it. Xpbs is so good, I think it's better than pacman. The site is straight to the point whit a really good interface and I downloaded the iso in 1 minute. After I installed and tweaked cinnamon as I liked, I was really shocked to see that the boot and the shutdown were really fast, and the webcam and the brightness worked after a clean install, because they didn't worked on Mint. I'm on void glibc for a month and everything worked fine, nothing broken after an update, got all the stuff I need. I never tought of using void as my daily driver, and here I am. Void was the perfect distro for me, I had a minimal cinnamon install, whit just the basic stuff, a browser, a file manager and a terminal, and I installed later other applications I needed. If I never risked trying something new I would not be here, so my advice is to give a shot to this distro. Maybe it isn't right for you, but at least you know something new, Void is simple, if you use it for work or as a daily driver, don't use a window manager and then rice it, put a desktop like kde or gnome and it will never break. I think it can improve a lot, whit more packages on the non-free repos, because let's be onest, not everyone wants to use only free open source software, but overall it's a 10/10 for a great experience as a daily driver.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-07-09
Votes: 7
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Void Linux may not be bleeding edge, but it's still leading edge as a rolling release distribution. Void stays stable without sacrificing recent updates and new software releases. It's that "just right" distro you've been looking for all this time.
Void also provides an essential foundation for building your system on top of it. No extraneous bloat, apps, branding, or unnecessary libraries. The runit init system boots incredibly fast, and the xbps package manager is easy to learn and use. While documentation is a bit sparse, it will get the job done having just what you need to get up and running.
While I wouldn't recommended Void as a beginner distro, it does allow for a hands-on, undiluted, roll-your-own type Linux learning experience. Once you stare into the Void, it will start staring back at you! I highly recommend it for intermediate to advanced Linux users, those that are self-learners, welcome some challenges, prefer a more stable rolling release cycle, and want an overall lightweight and fun Linux operating system.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 7
Date: 2024-07-06
Votes: 8
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Void Linux really is just a BSD for people who don't have hardware compatible with actual BSD operating systems. The mindset behind it is really refreshing in the Linux world and actively cared-for features such as the musl library images and the xbps-src work incredibly well. Everything Void offers is right on its main page, and for those who are doubting the systemd-wayland takeover of Linux, Void is a welcomed addition to the gallery (even though you can use wayland on Void, but you get the idea).
Beware, however, that on these newer images of Void I and other individuals have encountered slow boots as a result of some kind of conflict between the new kernel and the nouveau driver which fails to check certain workers or such, I cannot say much about it. All I know is that it's pretty rough. If you have an Nvidia GPU, you're better off either installing the proprietary drivers (which are only available for glib images) or disabling the nouveau driver and ending it at that if you have integrated graphics.
Otherwise, the distro really just works, and I know that's a meme phrase, but it is how I feel about it. Void implements a lot of interesting components and presents itself as a worthwhile Arch alternative, instead of simply being a fork of Arch using runit. What Void lacks in comparison to Arch is some decent documentation, which both Arch Linux and FreeBSD are very renowned for. Now, it is fair to say that the usefulness of documentation depends on person and context, but there is a reason the Void community will never tell you to RTFM - they probably don't even know if void has a dedicated wiki for that topic. The official guides for Void simply aren't good enough and often need to be paired with third-party entries, Arch Linux wiki pages or YT video guides.
All n' all, Void is valuable because it expands the DIY market Arch and Gentoo were filling, with a different init system, different package manager, and overall different goals. Even if we consider these distros Simple Stupid, we must remember that not everyone will go through the effort of changing their init system from the default - these systems are not completely DIY after all. That's why having choice is important, and Void Linux is my choice.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 9
Date: 2024-07-05
Votes: 3
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Noob here. I'm migrating to Linux after using MacOS for 18 years because as of 2022 Mac no longer supports my 2012 Mac Mini, which I consider to be a marvelous piece of hardware. So earlier this year I bought a couple used laptops and started learning about Linux. I decided the distros for me were OpenSuse, LMDE, and Void. I've tried them all over the past few months.
My favorite of the three so far is Void. Void was the most difficult of the three to get set up, but now that I've mostly set it up, it feels more sophisticated and precise than the other two, like a German Olympia typewriter compared to a Smith-Corona. To get there I had to overcome a few problems that were more difficult to solve that they should have been, but in every case through solving them I learned a lot about how this machine works. Let me list them.
1) Installation. I had to learn how and why to create partitions and a custom bootpath for my machine.
2) Redshift. I had to learn how to create a custom configuration file to get it to work properly and now it works great.
3) Unzipping files. Does not work out of the box. I could not get the terminal to unzip files either. My solution was to install every package in the xbps repository that said it unzipped files and now Xarchiver works. I think Xarchiver needs some other package installed in order to work, because it didn't initially.
4) Bluetooth. Void requires you to set up bluetooth manually, even if you install the XFCE image like I did. My solution was to install all the packages as above and eventually it worked. But I still can't get audio to play from a connected speaker.
I think Void would really benefit from more detailed and noob-friendly documentation. As it is, the documentation assumes you already know a lot about Linux. I think the right way to approach Void without Linux experience is to install it and read The Linux Command Line by William Shotts so you have a comprehensive beginner's guide as you tinker around in the system.
Even so, in my limited experience, Void updates seamlessly, never crashes, and is super fast. I have grown to like the XFCE desktop environment a lot, more than MacOS in fact, even tough it's not nearly as graphically sleek as that. So far, I think Void is like driving a manual automobile: it's more difficult to learn, but eventually you are rewarded with higher performance and more control over your machine.
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Version: 20240314
Rating: 10
Date: 2024-06-17
Votes: 9
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After 30 years running every kind of *nix, you kind of get an idea of how you want a system to work. "Knowable" is probably top of my list, because if you don't know what it's doing, you're not going to be able to fix it.
I've run Void on my server for some time, but went distro (s)hopping ahead of an effort to replace the last of my Windows systems. After trying almost all of them I settled on Gnome on Void (glibc), and my laptop seemingly runs forever.
The minimalist nature of Void, plus the simplicity of the runit init system go about as far toward that ideal as you can get in Linux.
My hat off to the team!
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Version: 20230628
Rating: 8
Date: 2024-06-05
Votes: 16
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Although I came in adept with the shell and with plenty of prior Linux experience, switching to Void as my first daily driver was a bit daunting (although something I wanted to try for a while). I opted for no DE w/ glibc, as I wanted Plasma and it wasn't offered pre-packaged. The install was understandable and fairly simple, and getting the rudiments for daily driving wasn't a hassle. Things didn't always work OOB, but they rarely required much fiddling when they didn't. Overall, getting started was a 9/10 experience. Xbps is probably the best package manager I've ever used, can fully recommend on that front. In addition, the Void wiki gives both quick up instructions and full debugging help.
However, a couple flaws (for me) began to show themself over long term use. First, although Void is stable rolling release and can run well pretty much forever without updating, you will at some point need to update. Again, 9 times out of 10 this is fine and Void cranks on, but the 1 time it does things go south quick, as you are then stuck with a version conflict or dependency conflict on a system that is by design slow to push updates to it's official repo. For example, when I eventually had to update from Plasma from 5 to 6, things broke in a way beyond what I would consider normal from a "stable" release OS. It got better over time, but never completely, and my system is still missing a couple minor details from before the update.
For this reason, Void gets an 8/10. OS itself is lightning fast. When it works (which is a vast majority of the time), it's easily a 10. However, each update loses it 0.05 unless you're careful, and eventually, you run into dependency hell, which makes it much harder to revert it to a state where it "just works" without reverting back multiple months.
Tips:
- BACK UP YOUR CONFIG BEFORE UPDATING (and do not hesitate to revert)
- The mentality of Void aligns for me with that of a cranky old man, so act like one and don't try to get the newest and greatest bleeding edge anything. If it works, keep it that way. If anyone tries to flex their higher version numbers, wait 2 days, then point and laugh while they try to navigate fixing some stupid DE/WM dependency for 4 hours.
- Don't be scared of not having systemd. Runit has worked without issue since day 1 for me, and is dead simple to use.
- If you use Python, be ready to learn pipx. Takes some time, but pays off in the end.
Good OS, surprisingly so for a first daily driver. 8/10. Would probably be even better for server use, as I'm pretty sure in that case you could actually run forever.
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Latest Reviews
Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-22
Votes: 57
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Void is what Arch was originally meant to be a decade or so ago, when I first tried it. It's a lean and mean rolling release distro that follows the KISS principle. It's also rock solid. No wonder many call it a stable rolling release distro: it offers the best of both worlds. Installation and configuration can be a bit messy, but having the documentation at hand and some tutorials can mitigate the pain. Speaking of which: both the documentation and the community is pretty good. The only thing that would make it better is BTRFS logical volume management in the TUI installer and a bigger repository (we can get around the latter, though).
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 3
Date: 2026-04-15
Votes: 0
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I tried Void for the first time earlier this year and used it until the beginning of this month, so roughly about three months. What I can say is that it is definitely a distro that deserves more love for what it sets out to do, but in its current state, it is hard to stick with unless you are okay with putting in some effort to fix things along the way.
I ran into several performance issues, as well as some problems getting the system to recognise connected devices like my external SSD and Bluetooth mouse. Even though the resource usage looked relatively low on paper, the system often felt sluggish with certain programs, which is something I had not experienced before on other systems using the same setup and configurations.
These, along with a few smaller annoyances, gradually wear down the overall experience. In the end, that is what made me decide to move away from it, at least for now. Maybe I will give it another shot in the future when I have more time to deal with these kinds of issues. For now, though, it just does not quite cut it.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-14
Votes: 37
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A distribution that deserves much more!
The Void distribution is one of the fastest, lightest, most cleanly designed Linux distributions I've had the pleasure of using. Everything is trim, efficient, and surprisingly fast.
The core philosophy is unusual: unlike many mainstream distributions, Void is not based on Debian, Ubuntu, or Arch — it is built from scratch, offering a clean, bloat-free experience. That independence is rare and genuinely matters.
The custom build package manager is fast and very reliable.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-13
Votes: 9
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Se ha vuelto moda, más no popular. A pesar de congeniar perfectamente con arranque dual, vbox, entre otros.
El desenvolvimiento con las apps y correcciones de las mismas han hecho crecer la comunidad de void.
El apoyo comunitario en este SO es el pilar que garantiza su estabilidad; a diferencia de otras distribuciones, Void no se pierde en burocracia, sino que ofrece documentación directa y soluciones prácticas. Para quien busca un sistema rolling release sin las complicaciones de systemd, Void se posiciona como una alternativa minimalista, veloz y, sobre todo, sumamente predecible.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 9
Date: 2026-04-12
Votes: 8
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I switched from Cachy after systemd's birthDate update. The main reasons I picked Void were: 1. its init system, runit; and 2. its independence and custom package manager, XBPS.
I found the installation difficult, especially for beginners, due to the number of tweaks I had to do after using void-installer. However, because of this, not only did I learn more about my Linux system (even if it took me a few days to properly install it without breaking the whole thing), but I also found that it had little to no bloat. Only essential packages.
Runit boots faster than systemd. From what I noticed, Void was using less RAM and CPU than Cachy or Arch, even when running the same Flatpak packages, and its EFI partition was less than a MB.
XBPS doesn't download in parallel unlike pacman, but it was still fast and only took a few extra milliseconds.
There are not many options for mirrors close to where I live, but this isn't a huge problem if you're in Europe or North America.
Despite being a rolling release, it is really stable, and not once have I had a problem with a package breaking.
The Wiki was easy to understand but lacks a lot of entries. Because of that, I had to look elsewhere for some configs I had to do with PipeWire.
In the end, if you want a systemd-less, stable, rolling-release, and independent Linux distro, then Void is for you.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-04-08
Votes: 49
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I switched from Debian after almost 20 years. I did a lot of research for a new distribution because I don't want to keep switching all the time.
I've used Slackware, Debian, and several others, some I installed just out of curiosity.
Void was a great satisfaction. It had been a long time since I felt in control of a Linux distribution.
Fast, stable, and the XBPS package manager is incredible.
For those who work with servers, Void offers considerable stability.
There are problems, obviously (with any system), but with Void I realized there's no need to spend hours researching to solve a problem. It's simple, easy, and at the same time, robust, stable, and performs very well.
So far, after a year of using Void, I haven't encountered any of those situations where the problem seems like witchcraft that has to be magically solved by digging up a command on the internet.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-29
Votes: 33
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Over the years I have tried many different Linux distros. I was looking for something lightweight, that did not require compiling everything I wanted. Void hit the nail on the head. Between its very minimal non X release and well populated repository this distro was exactly what I was looking for. The bonus is that Void is systemd free and instead uses runit. This keeps system memory use low and provides an easy way to start services. Since the non X release is so minimal it is very easy to create your own unique environment and configure a system for you.
If you have a low spec PC you want to bring back to life, or just want to create a custom environment to fit your workflow I recommend Void.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-20
Votes: 25
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I run Void Linux alongside Debian 13 and Fedora 43 on a ThinkPad X1 Gen 9, with Debian managing the primary UEFI boot order. My workload is focused on academic writing and research, not benchmarking or gaming, so all three systems feel equally fast and responsive in practice.
Void stands out through its use of runit. It feels similar to driving a manual transmission car rather than an automatic: more direct, more engaging, and more revealing of what is happening under the hood. That sense of control is what drew me to it.
Installation was more manual than Debian, and I initially relied on YouTube guides, but it was not as difficult as expected. Void has also been stable despite being a rolling release.
I encountered an S3 suspend issue on XFCE that disappeared after switching to KDE.
I also ran a simple stress experiment. I opened Firefox with around 170 tabs, LibreOffice Writer, Netflix, and Chromium with a dozen tabs. RAM usage reached about 14.7 GB, with ZRAM at 8 GB on a 15 GB system. Despite pushing the system close to its limits, Void did not crash and remained responsive. This gave me a clearer picture of how stable the system is under heavy memory pressure.
Looking at the EFI partition was also revealing: Debian uses around 8 MB, Fedora about 18 MB, while Void only uses roughly 140 KB. The contrast reflects a noticeably leaner approach in how the system is structured.
I will keep Void and Debian in my system for the long term. Viva Void!
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-19
Votes: 12
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I've been using mostly Ubuntu variants over the last 15 years.
I found Void to be the best option for a liberated chromebook (Lenovo n23 in my case) - runit works great, the package manager is awesome, great documentation, ships with a recent Xfce 4 which makes the touchscreen working, blazing fast startup considering it has only 4 gb ram.
I dont feel ready yet to use it as my daily driver, mainly because of my weird audio setup, and apt package equivalents.
Related to hardware, and none to the distro: chromebook keyboard miss a meta key, which is very disturbing. Mind the DEs and programs you want to use on them.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-15
Votes: 27
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Fast, stable, and the XBPS package manager is incredible. Coming from MX Linux after they ditched multiple init systems on the same ISOs, now I've seen the will bring it eventually back. Anyway Void Linux is on antoher level. It runs smoothly and as stable as a debian-base distro and all the advantages of Arch Linux.
For me as a user I've started only 4 years ago with Linux Mint MATE like 6 months than going for more than 2 years to MX Linux Xfce which was excellent and still is. Only few months I've tried Arch Linux and it's just not for me because I find systemd not my stile and AUR overwhelming for my needs and for sure I don't need to be on the bleeding edge I'd rather use older stable software and that's were Void Linux comes into scene as a STABLE ROLLING REALEASE DISTRO wet dream no systemd but runit (simpler and better) no bleeding edge and XBPS is simply better than Pacman in my opinion.
My choice was between Artix Linux and Void Linux and for sure Void was the right choice
Void is exactly the mix that I need, less is more how people say
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-14
Votes: 0
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##Void Linux on a ThinkPad X1 Gen 9: A Practical Experience##
My main laptop is a ThinkPad X1 Gen 9 (Intel i5-1145G7). On this machine I run several Linux systems side by side: Debian and Fedora, along with Void Linux. Debian currently controls the primary UEFI boot order, while Fedora and Void maintain their own independent boot entries. This arrangement allows me to compare how each system behaves on the same hardware. Performance is not the differentiating factor for me. I do not run industrial benchmarks or gaming workloads. I primarily use my computer for writing academic papers and general research work. In that context Debian, Fedora, and Void all feel equally fast and responsive on this laptop.
My interest in Void Linux comes from its different technical foundation. Void is an independent distribution that does not use systemd and instead relies on the **runit** init system. The installation process is more manual than Debian’s installer. I had to watch a few YouTube guides to understand the steps the first time. However, the process was not as difficult as I initially expected. Once the structure becomes clear, the installation feels more procedural than complicated.
Runit is often described as fast, and maybe it is. But what draws me to runit is something more personal. Using it reminds me of the difference between driving a **manual transmission car and an automatic one**. Automatic transmissions are convenient and efficient, but manual control gives a more direct sense of what the machine is doing. The knobs, the shifting, and the mechanical feedback create a more authentic experience. Working with runit produces a similar feeling. Managing services through `/etc/sv` and symbolic links exposes what is happening under the hood. For many users this level of detail may not matter, but for me it creates a stronger connection to the system itself. That sense of understanding is one of the reasons I have grown to appreciate runit as Init system.
At one point I also looked at the contents of the EFI partition. Debian occupies about **8 MB**, Fedora around **18 MB**, while the Void entry is only about **140 kilobytes**. The difference is striking. Those numbers seem to reflect a broader design philosophy: fewer layers and fewer components between the firmware and the operating system.
As a rolling release distribution, Void has also been remarkably stable in my experience. Updates have never broken the system. It is difficult for me to make a strong comparison here because Fedora 43 and Debian 13, which I also use on the same laptop, have felt equally stable in daily use.
My experience was not completely smooth. One persistent issue involved **S3 suspend behavior**. When running the XFCE desktop environment, the system would not reliably enter suspend automatically based on idle timers. Something in the power management chain appeared to block the transition to S3 sleep. I spent time investigating the problem by checking power management settings, looking for processes that might prevent suspend, and examining system behavior. The system never clearly exposed the cause. I was nearly becomes frustrated. I am not a tech guy, I will not punish you for my lacking of diagnostic capacity.
However, switching the desktop environment produced an interesting result. After replacing **XFCE with KDE**, Void immediately began recognizing the suspend timers correctly. The same hardware and operating system started entering S3 sleep as expected. This suggests that the interaction between the desktop environment and the power management stack can significantly influence suspend behavior. In this case, KDE interacted with the system in a way that allowed the sleep timers to function normally.
Thank you Void Developers for your serious hard work. Really 10/10 for you guys!
Iwan Pirous
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-03
Votes: 78
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I've been using Linux for the last 25 years, starting with slackware 8 in early 2000's. I loved the free spirit of slackware, but I was overwhelmed installing everything from source. I've then done some distro hopping until Void. I've turned into Void searching Linux distros systemd free, but I found much more than that. Very fast and reliable package manager, never had an issue with updates. I am using now Void as daily driver, I am amazed of its speed and stability, probably thanks to having less than 10 services running! (and I am using Sway on Wayland). Now I've compiled linux kernel 7.0.0.rc1-1 without issues and it runs even smoother. And this is important for me. I need my apps to open in less than 2 seconds, this is my benchmark. And I've achieved that on an old HP Probook 450 G5 with Void linux. The installer might not be suited for beginners, but that adds up to the simplicity of the OS. I love it and I do not intend to switch any time sooner away from it.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-03-01
Votes: 19
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The best Linux for zfs support - and one of the first Linux distros to have the new zfs 2.4 major upgrade available.
I am using Void Linux on a "homebrew" network storage system, made from mostly desktop PC parts, with lots of SAS and SATA HDD's, SSD, and NVME drives. This system is a major part of my backup system.
This system has one task to do, and Void provides the lean, mean, and technically near leading edge software to handle that task ... solid and focused. For those of us who learned Unix starting with Ken Thompson's Version 6 nine-track tape, and learned C by reading the first printing of Kernighan & Ritchie's "C Programming Language" just a couple months after it went to press, Void feels right at home.
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Project: Void
Version: current
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-14
Votes: 36
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I used the Void XFCE flavor on an old Asus Chromebook for years until the Chromebook finally bit the bullet. I got a brand new Asus Zenbook OLED last year, and for a brief few months the HW was too new for me to get Void onto it.
I tried Mint/Cinnamon, but the CPU temps and fan speed were ridiculous (along with the bloated software). I moved to Ubuntu/Cinnamon, and had the same temperature issue. I moved to Kubuntu and the temperature issue went away, and I liked the interface....so as soon as I could get back onto Void, I installed Base, added specific Intel drivers for my HW, then installed KDE. It took less than an hour to install, update, and configure it to be exactly what I want, including sound, WiFi, laptop power management, and printing. While I've use Linux for a long time, I've always preferred to USE it, not work on it; I'm a long way from being a "power user". However, if you can read the Handbook, you, too, can install and build Void to your exact liking.
Boot time is just crazy. From power-on to functional desktop takes less than 30 seconds.
Daily performance can best be described as "snappy"....nothing ever lags, hiccups, or even blinks funny.
Updates are typically measured in dozens of seconds. I did install octoxbps and its notifier, and I run updates any time the notifier tells me that an update is available; usually once daily. Unlike some other versions I've played with, I never have to cross my fingers (or spend 45 minutes in a README) before running Void updates. They just work.
The only software I've personally needed from Flatpaks is Only Office. It was a cakewalk to install, and it's been fine so far.
A long time ago I was a staunch FreeBSD advocate; I liked the top-to-bottom level of detail/consistency that FreeBSD offered. But I grew tired of the limited software availability and moved to Linux. I was never able to find a Linux distro that gave me that "this is the perfect distro" vibe until I found Void. The tidy filesystem, simple init system, stability (while being a rolling release, no less!), developer responsiveness, and community support, have completely converted me.
Long Live Void!!
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-08
Votes: 30
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Void Linux has been my daily driver for over a year now, after a long stretch of hopping between Arch, Fedora, and even Debian Stable, and what still surprises me is how it manages to feel like a rolling release without the constant tension. It's current, but calm.
You notice the difference right at boot. Runit brings the system up in seconds, services are just small scripts in /etc/sv, and enabling one is a simple symlink. No giant service managers, no opaque logging layers, just straightforward Unix logic. It's the first init system I've used that actually feels pleasant instead of something you fight against.
XBPS is another highlight. Updates are extremely fast, and the shared library tracking means upgrades rarely break anything. When I want custom software, xbps-src builds everything in a clean chroot and lets me install or even host my own packages without polluting the system. It gives you AUR or ports-level flexibility, but in a much cleaner, more controlled way.
I also tested the musl edition on another machine and was surprised by how light and tidy it felt. Most of my daily software works out of the box, and when something doesn't, the community is quick to patch and upstream fixes. The whole ecosystem feels small but sharp.
What really makes Void stand out is that it's built from scratch: its own package manager, build system, and init, all designed to stay minimal and transparent. Tools like xtools add a lot of power without adding bloat. After getting used to that simplicity, many other distros started to feel overly complicated.
Void didn't just replace my previous system, it made Linux fun again. If you like speed, control, and a distro that stays out of your way while still staying up to date, it's hard not to appreciate what it does.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-05
Votes: 18
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I'd been using Arch for the past 3 years until I decided to give Fedora a shot a few months ago. People always say Fedora ships new tech quickly but is more stable than Arch and breaks less. After actually living with it for a while, I'm not sure I agree. I ran into way more issues than I expected. So after that short stint, I took a deeper look at Void. I liked the whole minimalist, independent philosophy behind it, and a lot of people praise its stability, so I figured I'd try it. After a month of daily use, I honestly couldn't be happier. Running dwm + Xorg it uses a ridiculous 200–220 MB of RAM. In 2026 that's kind of wild. Even after hours of use the resource usage barely drifts, and if I close everything and go back to an idle state, it settles very close to the original footprint. It feels extremely consistent. The system is smooth, no bottlenecks, no stuttering feeling, even with several programs open pushing CPU and GPU. I also haven't had any tearing issues, which I sometimes dealt with on Arch even with a compositor. The repos have a solid package selection, I've barely needed Flatpaks, and when I did, they worked perfectly fine here. I really feel like I finally found a distro I can stick with for a long time. I'm enjoying it a lot so far, and it's absolutely worth trying if you're curious. No regrets for me.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-02-01
Votes: 12
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So much about Void appeals to me that talking about it might sound a bit biased. I've been using it on my personal computer and on a small local server for about a year and a half now, and its stability is simply impressive, especially considering that it has stayed solid all this time without ever needing a reinstall or breaking on me.
I absolutely love the minimalist approach the distribution takes, from the init system all the way to the packages. Basically, it will only install exactly what you tell it to. Some programs even ship without certain extra features, since those are provided by other packages that act as optional dependencies and are not strictly required for the program to run. I personally love this, because most of the time I don’t use those extra features anyway. Having them as optional makes everything much more modular and flexible, depending on whether the user actually wants that "extra" or not.
Besides being stable, it's also very fast, even on weaker systems that might struggle with certain tasks. This is noticeable right from boot time, since Void uses runit as its init system and service supervisor. Runit has a very small and clean codebase, which results in extremely fast boot times, minimal memory footprint, and practically nonexistent CPU usage.
Void also stands out by supporting more than one libc implementation, namely GNU libc and musl. Honestly, for personal use, I find musl a bit troublesome and sometimes annoying to deal with, mainly because of the level of support it gets from applications. Most software tends to favor GNU, since it is more mainstream. That said, when efficiency and resource usage are the priority, musl is amazing. I really like the idea of using it on embedded systems or small servers, which happens to be my case.
The package manager is interesting and relatively easy to learn and use, especially since its syntax is somewhat reminiscent of pacman, even though some commands are a bit more "intuitive". Nothing too surprising or wildly different from other options out there, but it definitely deserves praise for being built from scratch, like most things in Void, and for being extremely functional and fast.
You also get something similar to the AUR build system through xbps-src, which uses recipes. It's certainly not as vast as the AUR options, but it's just as functional, and creating or porting a recipe to the xbps-src style isn't difficult at all. I actually found it pretty fun to play around with.
Speaking broadly and without getting overly technical, that's basically it. Void is definitely a distribution that deserves more attention. Beyond the stability it offers, even while being a rolling-release distro, almost everything about it is different, nearly unique in a way, and yet it all works really well. My experience with it over this time has been a solid 10/10. Highly recommended.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-31
Votes: 0
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So much about Void appeals to me that talking about it might sound a bit biased. I've been using it on my personal computer and on a small local server for about a year and a half now, and its stability is simply impressive, especially considering that it has stayed solid all this time without ever needing a reinstall or breaking on me.
I absolutely love the minimalist approach the distribution takes, from the init system all the way to the packages. Basically, it will only install exactly what you tell it to. Some programs even ship without certain extra features, since those are provided by other packages that act as optional dependencies and are not strictly required for the program to run. I personally love this, because most of the time I don’t use those extra features anyway. Having them as optional makes everything much more modular and flexible, depending on whether the user actually wants that "extra" or not.
Besides being stable, it's also very fast, even on weaker systems that might struggle with certain tasks. This is noticeable right from boot time, since Void uses runit as its init system and service supervisor. Runit has a very small and clean codebase, which results in extremely fast boot times, minimal memory footprint, and practically nonexistent CPU usage.
Void also stands out by supporting more than one libc implementation, namely GNU libc and musl. Honestly, for personal use, I find musl a bit troublesome and sometimes annoying to deal with, mainly because of the level of support it gets from applications. Most software tends to favor GNU, since it is more mainstream. That said, when efficiency and resource usage are the priority, musl is amazing. I really like the idea of using it on embedded systems or small servers, which happens to be my case.
The package manager is interesting and relatively easy to learn and use, especially since its syntax is somewhat reminiscent of pacman, even though some commands are a bit more "intuitive". Nothing too surprising or wildly different from other options out there, but it definitely deserves praise for being built from scratch, like most things in Void, and for being extremely functional and fast.
You also get something similar to the AUR build system through xbps-src, which uses recipes. It's certainly not as vast as the AUR options, but it's just as functional, and creating or porting a recipe to the xbps-src style isn't difficult at all. I actually found it pretty fun to play around with.
Speaking broadly and without getting overly technical, that's basically it. Void is definitely a distribution that deserves more attention. Beyond the stability it offers, even while being a rolling-release distro, almost everything about it is different, nearly unique in a way, and yet it all works really well. My experience with it over this time has been a solid 10/10. Highly recommended.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-29
Votes: 18
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Void is definitely a very inviting distribution in many ways, and after using it for some time, you truly feel grateful for that invitation. It is lightweight, fast, and stable. Even with frequent updates and a rolling release model, it rarely breaks.
While using it, you won’t feel overwhelmed by an unnecessary flood of things you don’t need or will never use, especially because you only install what you actually want. And even better: there is no systemd. For those who value a lean system that consumes only what is necessary, Void is without a doubt the right place to be.
If I had to point out a downside, it would be the learning curve. It’s not very beginner-friendly and can be a bit intimidating at first. However, taking some time to learn it is definitely worth it. As a bonus, you’ll soon realize it wasn’t that scary after all. On the contrary, you’ll understand that with this little knowledge, you truly end up with a system that is really your own.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-28
Votes: 15
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So I dug out my old ThinkPad X240 from around 2013 (basically an elder); Core i3, 4GB RAM, no SSD. That thing was pretty much a paperweight on Windows or heavier distros. It struggled with multitasking, took forever to boot, and overheated quickly. I slapped Void Linux on it with something lightweight like XFCE or a WM (depending on my mood), and it completely blew me away! It’s like I bought a new laptop. It boots in seconds, everything feels extremely responsive, and I can keep tons of Firefox tabs, terminal sessions, and coding tools open without it even breaking a sweat. Idle RAM usage sits around 240–400MB, with no random background junk eating up resources. Runit starts services instantly, and XBPS updates are done before I can blink. Void fully revived this “weak” old laptop, it’s now my daily driver for work, programming, and just messing around. Void gives you that pure, in-control Linux vibe without the bloat. If you’ve got older hardware gathering dust or you just want something fast and different, give Void a spin. Seriously, it’s awesome and way too slept on.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-26
Votes: 0
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I've been using Linux for years, hopping between Arch, Debian, and Fedora, but Void Linux has been a real revelation since I switched about a year ago. It just clicked in a way the others didn't. The speed is the first thing that hits you: boot times are incredibly quick thanks to runit, which skips the long waits you get with heavier init systems, and my older laptop feels noticeably snappier every day. Updates through the XBPS package manager are smooth and reliable; it's fast at syncing and installing, handles dependencies cleanly to prevent breakage, and keeps the rolling release stable without constant headaches. What makes Void truly unique is its independence: it's not based on anything else, with everything from the XBPS package system to the runit init built from the ground up by people who prioritize simplicity and efficiency. I love the option for musl libc over glibc, which makes my setup even lighter and cleaner for minimal environments. Runit itself is refreshingly straightforward, with services managed by simple shell scripts instead of complex configurations. Overall, Void delivers exactly what I want: a fast, lightweight, rock-solid system that feels custom-made without endless tinkering. It's become my go-to daily driver, and I highly recommend giving it a try if you're after something efficient and competent.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-26
Votes: 0
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So I dug out my old ThinkPad X240 from around 2013 (basically an elder); Core i3, 4GB RAM, no SSD. That thing was pretty much a paperweight on Windows or heavier distros. It struggled with multitasking, took forever to boot, and overheated quickly. I slapped Void Linux on it with something lightweight like XFCE or a WM (depending on my mood), and it completely blew me away! It’s like I bought a new laptop. It boots in seconds, everything feels extremely responsive, and I can keep tons of Firefox tabs, terminal sessions, and coding tools open without it even breaking a sweat. Idle RAM usage sits around 240–400MB, with no random background junk eating up resources. Runit starts services instantly, and XBPS updates are done before I can blink. Void fully revived this “weak” old laptop, it’s now my daily driver for work, programming, and just messing around. Void gives you that pure, in-control Linux vibe without the bloat. If you’ve got older hardware gathering dust or you just want something fast and different, give Void a spin. Seriously, it’s awesome and way too slept on.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-25
Votes: 0
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I decided to try Void Linux because I usually hear very positive things about it, especially when it comes to running on older or more resource-limited machines, since it is much more minimalist and less resource-hungry than more popular distributions. After a few weeks of use, I have nothing to complain about. It is indeed very efficient in terms of resource usage, which makes it fast even on more modest hardware, while also being stable. Even though it follows a rolling release model, it has fortunately never broken for me, everything works very well, including third-party applications such as Flatpaks or AppImages. I even managed to run some lighter Steam games without any issues! I am very inclined to make it my main operating system, which will most likely happen very soon. I highly recommend this distribution, especially for those who value proper and efficient use of their machine’s resources.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0
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So many things about Void appeal to me and draw me toward it that talking about it might sound a bit biased. I’ve been using it on my personal computer and on a small local server for about a year and a half now, and its stability is simply impressive, especially considering that it has stayed solid all this time without ever needing a reinstall or breaking on me.
I absolutely love the minimalist approach the distribution takes, from the init system all the way to the packages. Basically, it will only install exactly what you tell it to. Some programs even ship without certain extra features, since those are provided by other packages that act as optional dependencies and are not strictly required for the program to run. I personally love this, because most of the time I don’t use those extra features anyway. Having them as optional makes everything much more modular and flexible, depending on whether the user actually wants that “extra” or not.
Besides being stable, it’s also very fast, even on weaker systems that might struggle with certain tasks. This is noticeable right from boot time, since Void uses runit as its init system and service supervisor. Runit has a very small and clean codebase, which results in extremely fast boot times, minimal memory footprint, and practically nonexistent CPU usage.
Void also stands out by supporting more than one libc implementation, namely GNU libc and musl. Honestly, for personal use, I find musl a bit troublesome and sometimes annoying to deal with, mainly because of the level of support it gets from applications. Most software tends to favor GNU, since it is more mainstream. That said, when efficiency and resource usage are the priority, musl is amazing. I really like the idea of using it on embedded systems or small servers, which happens to be my case.
The package manager is interesting and relatively easy to learn and use, especially since its syntax is somewhat reminiscent of pacman, even though some commands are a bit more verbose. Nothing too surprising or wildly different from other options out there, but it definitely deserves praise for being built from scratch, like most things in Void, and for being extremely functional and fast.
You also get something similar to the AUR build system through xbps-src, which uses recipes. It’s certainly not as vast as the AUR, but it’s just as functional, and creating or porting a recipe to the xbps-src style isn’t difficult at all. I actually found it pretty fun to play around with.
Speaking broadly and without getting overly technical, that’s basically it. Void is definitely a distribution that deserves more attention. Beyond the stability it offers, even while being a rolling-release distro, almost everything about it is different, nearly unique in a way, and yet it all works really well. My experience with it over this time has been a solid 10/10. Highly recommended.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0
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So I dug out my old ThinkPad X250 from like 2013 (elder), Core i3, 4GB RAM, no SSD; that thing was basically a paperweight on Windows or heavier distros. It'd chug on multitasking, boot forever, and overheat quick. Slapped Void on it with something light like XFCE or some WM depending on my mood, and holy crap! it’s like I bought a new laptop. Boots in seconds, everything’s responsive as hell. I can have a ton of Firefox tabs, terminal sessions, coding stuff open, and it doesn’t even break a sweat. Idle RAM is sitting around 240~400MB, no random background junk eating resources. Runit starts services instantly, XBPS updates are done before I can imagine. It completely revived this "weak" old laptop, now it's my daily driver for work, programming, and just messing around. Void gives you that pure, in-control Linux vibe without the bloat. If you've got older hardware gathering dust or just want something fast and different, give Void a spin. Seriously, it's awesome and way too slept-on!
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-01-24
Votes: 0
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Void is definitely a very inviting distribution in many ways, and after using it for some time, you truly feel grateful for that invitation. It is lightweight, fast, and stable. Even with frequent updates and a rolling release model, it rarely breaks.
While using it, you won’t feel overwhelmed by an unnecessary flood of things you don’t need or will never use, especially because you only install what you actually want. And even better: there is no systemd. For those who value a lean system that consumes only what is necessary, Void is without a doubt the right place to be.
If I had to point out a downside, it would be the learning curve. It’s not very beginner-friendly and can be a bit intimidating at first. However, taking some time to learn it is definitely worth it. As a bonus, you’ll soon realize it wasn’t that scary after all. On the contrary, you’ll understand that with this little knowledge, you truly end up with a system that is really your own.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 2
Date: 2026-01-07
Votes: 0
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This review is of Void's distribution for aarch64. The main thesis is that despite claims to the contrary this distribution is not ready. Void uses the Asahi binaries so in theory it can install natively against Apple UEFI. I installed on VMWare Fusion so it didn't have to handle an actual boot just a virtualized boot. My use case is primarily playing with a Linux to go on a Qnap device in a friendly environment before configuring it in a much more hostile one. In terms of binary runtime I saw 0 errors.
First off the installer doesn't exist even obvious shell scripts. Shell scripts would run fine. But if they want hand configuration like a mid 90's distribution the config file should include all the comments. The documentation is poor for aarch64. A lot of the install requires typing things exactly with no clear idea how to modify. Worse no clear troubleshooting if things don't work. Not knowing why you are doing something means it is almost impossible to figure out what to do is something goes wrong. I had to spend a ton of time getting things to work.
XBPS (the package manager) which is supposedly the pride of Void also doesn't give clear errors. The experience is just miserable. Aarch64 isn't read.
FWIW I ended up installing Alpine for exactly the same use case and here the installation was smooth. Everything worked as it should, except possibly Wayland, and well, Wayland on aarch64 compiled with musl (an alternative C library to glibc that Void also offers, and Alpine insists on), not shocking, there were compatibility problems. So strong recommend there as an alternative for a lightweight (non-desktop ) somewhat security hardened Linux for aarch64 VMs.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 2
Date: 2026-01-02
Votes: 0
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I've been trying to decide on a lightweight distribution to run inside VMWare Fusion on a Mac. As background I started with Linux in the mid 1990s having been a SunOS, Solaris, AIX and NeXTSTEP user. I never really liked Fedora, so I didn't jump on Asahi despite being extremely impressed and greatful. I was thrilled someone else decided to pick it up, I'd heard great things about Void and was coming in fresh. Let's say I've installed Linuxes of various flavors about 200x, I'm not new to this but I am not an expert.
First off it wasn't clear what image to use. Install to VM with no emulation is not exactly an unusual use case this should have been documented. The Asahi didn't work the AArch64 did booted into the VM fine. The installer doesn't work on AArch64 for no reason so it was all manual. It was dreadful, a lot like an install in 1994 would have been when getting anything to work at all step by step was a huge challenge. I will mention they had Musl and glibc installers so promise kept on supporting both out of the box.
The sh on their boot media doesn't allow for editing. The commands they give don't work in Bash. Which, incidentally, they don't mention in the documentation. So you have to type long commands exactly perfectly. I found it infuriating to have to be providing arguments like which directory or what architecture; you booted the media and you specified the directories, in the install guide. Why would this not be scripted on the installer so I could at least edit and run a script.
The manual itself provides very little information about why you are doing things.
They want you to be directly editing things like rc.conf setting it to English. Again this should be better documented (why aren't their comments in their rc.conf if they want manual editing).
XBPS the supposed pride and joy of Void din't throw off good error messages when there were problems. It failed silently. -f for force doesn't actually force. XBPS is what I'm supposed to be loving, one of the primary reasons to use the distribution. Yet when there are problems it doesn't error properly and the documentation on getting it to work is bad.
The XFCE environment for the install doesn't have things like sound files to test configuration and drivers. If the whole point of this distribution is to allow me to adjust the kernel when it is still easy to do (i.e. in /mnt/boot/efi not the actual boot system) then include the resources to allow me to make sure everything is configured properly! Otherwise, you are just wasting yet more of my time.
And on and on and on.
Back in the 1990s we used to have "Installfests" where experienced people would help inexperienced people get Linux on their computer. It also was a good time to switch distributions RedHat user to try Debian or Slackware for example. I felt like this distribution belonged at an Installfest not on a computer in 2025. Back then distributions were dealing with an overwhelming number of problems. What is Void's excuse for lazy and sloppy?
2 C libraries, check
It was fast, check
It was not technically excellent. It is technically shoddy, poorly considered, badly maintained and badly documented.
It is not stable. It is flaky, where even slight problems cause catastrophic, undetected, and undocumented errors. No warnings, no checks, no sensible defaults...
Maybe a different experience on x86. I don't know why they didn't bother to port their configuration scripts. But I don't think it would have been different. This sort of lazy, sloppy uncaring probably goes into the packages as well. I'm giving them a 2 for having a function aarch64 at all, which most distributions don't. The XFCE environment did boot so they did migrate Asahi's work successfully.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 9
Date: 2025-12-30
Votes: 30
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Void Linux is just what I was distrohoping for. If you know a bit how to set things up, this distro is your friend. Wy? because it's fast as hell, stable as rock (comparing it to rolling distros).. and clean. Although I'm a Debian fanatic, I use void as dual boot with Debian. Debian is for personal stuff and void is for tech stuff... you can't believe me if I told you that I have compiled Linux Kernel 6.18 for the first time in my life and set in void before being even shipped in void package with absolutely no issues ..
I hope that more people to try Void because it's a fantastic distro and for that to ensure its survival .. I don't know why Void has no huge reputation it deserves. I hope more people come in .. I also thank the maintainers and community of such a wonderful piece of software. I suggest that they update the documentation and add PDF guide for everything has to do with Void .. Peace and love
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 7
Date: 2025-12-24
Votes: 28
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I have successfully deployed Void Linux on one desktop and two laptops, all operating in a multi-boot configuration.
The system itself has demonstrated commendable reliability and performance. Nevertheless, a consistent challenge during installation is its tendency to overwrite the primary boot partition, thereby preventing other installed distributions from booting. The subsequent effort required to repair and reconfigure the multi-boot environment is substantial and exceedingly time-consuming.
If it is to be the only operating system installed, there will be no problems. Conversely, if integration with an existing operating system is intended, thorough deliberation is recommended.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-12-11
Votes: 25
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Three things that are important to me or have become important to me in choosing a linux distribution is simplicity, stability and cleanliness. and void linux fills all these criteria more than any linux based distribution.
1. Simplicity - xbps and runit are so much simpler and easier to use than any package manager and init system that i encountered in linux systems. runit is so transparent that this is actually the first time i opened a system monitor and understood what each process is and what it does.
2. Stability - i've used arch before and using a bleeding edge distribution feels like you're a test subject. one thing that is expected of any OS is that updates MUST NOT BREAK your system for no reason whatsoever. and the void team tries very hard not to break your system. they do not include packages that are likely to break your system in the official repo but still give you the choice to add another custom repo or build packages yourself(which is a lot simpler than you might think with xbps-src)
3. cleanliness - void doesn't assume what you need and install things for you. everything that is gonna be on your system is ultimately installed by you and you only. I like this very much because an operating system shouldn't assume what you want it should only give you the tools to install what you need(want).
Conclusion:
honestly this might be the most boring linux distribution and that is a good thing because operating systems should be boring and not get in your way.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-12-08
Votes: 25
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Void Linux comes with runit. This init system adheres strictly to the Unix principle: "Do one thing and do it well." It's tiny, fast, and only handles service supervision. Service configuration is handled by simple shell scripts (./run), making it trivial to understand and configure. It's the opposite of bloatware and leads to faster boot times.
systemd. This is a huge, tightly integrated software suite. It combines the init system, logging (Journald), networking, and many other components into one package. Critics argue this violates the Unix philosophy, making the system complex, hard to debug, and creating a monolithic dependency that is difficult to replace or modify.
Because everything is modular (runit, logging, network management), you have more control and the system is easier to audit. If something breaks, the cause is usually isolated.
systemd: Everything is heavily reliant on complex, often verbose .unit files and internal systemd protocols.
Void's package manager XBPS (X Binary Package System) is a gem. It's extremely fast and uses atomic updates. This means an update either fully succeeds or it fully rolls back, ensuring your system state is never inconsistent if the update is interrupted. It's a robust and reliable system for a rolling-release distribution. It is also way safer than other implementations like AUR.
Void is one of the most underrated distros. If you are an intermediate user, you need up to date packages and you know what UNIX/LINUX is, this distro is for you. It is also one of the few independent distros that respect users and don't treat them as beta testers for the big tech.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-11-22
Votes: 0
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I left Debian about three weeks ago to try something more up-to-date but still kind of “stable”, so I went with Void. It looked like a middle ground between something bleeding-edge like Arch and something more polished like Fedora.
But honestly? I ended up crawling back to Debian in less than a month. Things on Void tend to break way too easily, even though in theory it’s supposed to be more stable than a true bleeding-edge distro. Pretty much every update I installed during those weeks broke something, whether it was the kernel, audio, bluetooth, or some other hardware-related package. On top of that, the available mirrors are pretty unreliable, even the Fastly one that’s supposedly global.
Performance-wise, I didn’t notice much difference either. The system wasn’t any faster, didn’t use fewer resources (even without systemd, which people love to hype as a “big advantage”), and it definitely didn’t feel smoother. In the end, you basically get a more minimal, stripped-down system, but not much more than that.
So after all the headaches, I just decided to stick with Debian and manually compile the few packages I want to keep closer to upstream. It’s not the most convenient setup, but at least I keep my sanity intact.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-11-20
Votes: 18
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It's really really stable, fast, easy to understand and AFAIK the only rolling releasse distro with proper OpenZFS-Support. Even if you have to do an manual installation of ZFS on root it's totaly worth it.
I'm using it since something like 5 years or so on my company-laptop (some Gen4 i7), my homeserver (Xeon E3-1225 V2) and my media-center (Pentium Silver J5040). Updates broke the system two or three times, because sometimes dracut fails to include the DKMS-driver for OpenZFS. Then I relboot using the old kernel, generate the image again and it works.
I introduced ZFS on root while I was using Arch where updates broke quite regulary and I choose void because Arch ZFS came from the AUR and it's support was unreliable. This is fixed in Void. And Void is so stable that I basically don't need ZFS on root for rolling back system updates anymore.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-11-06
Votes: 27
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Void Linux was like a hurricane of fresh air, after using debian for god knows how long. I was initially terrified that the bare CLI version comes with basically nothing with exception of bare essentials. However it was very rewarding to build my desktop slowly. Once it was finished the results shocked me.
I'm not sure if I somehow screwed with debian or something, however compared to debian, it was night and day. Void basically uses nothing, packages are incredibly lean. I've personally seen around 5x less space usage (from 250GB to 50Gb roughly) with ram usage being basically 3x less.
Void also doesn't come with system packages that require other languages. It's all C programs. Which was very pleasing for my case due to not enjoying python or rust. Additionally runit, while hard to initially to learn how to use (compared to systemd), becomes very natural to use. I appreciated that xbps did not set any daemon I installed immiditly to run. I'm sure some people also have this issue of just wanting the daemon and not for it to run every time your system starts (I am aware I can disable after install in systemd distros, however that's just inconvenient for my case).
Package availability was just barely enough. I felt lucky that the packages I used in my old debian install were happen to be here. With big distros like arch, debian, and fedora the sheer package availability and software being catered to you is a blessing. You can just install the .aur or .rpm file and bam you are done. Unfortunately you don't have the same comforts with void, I had to dig into few .deb files and install few programs as tarballs. The community is really helpful on this front. There were a lot of information and tools to install programs that aren't packaged for void.
Lastly the community has been great. I've had the pleasure of talking to few people in #voidlinux on libera.chat. Really helpful and patient community from my experience.
Overhaul void is amazing, if it gets catered a bit more and more packages are made for it. It would be literally a no-brainer.
9.5/10
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-10-15
Votes: 53
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Been using it almost since it exists and it's just wonderful. As with any Linux distro, stuff can happen, but void is one of the stupid simple distros out there where almost anything runs. Runit is so nice to use and the package manager is just awesome and really really fast (and quite simple). Rolling updates are also very good to have and you rather have good control over updates. The setup process may look dated, but it's also dead simple.
I'm also using it on servers and it is a really reliable distro, if you don't overstretch it - wich you shouldnt, because that's what windows is doing.
Mind you: it's maybe not THE distro for beginners, also depending on the device you want to run it. In my experience it's not so superb on notebooks, but that's a linux thing anyway. Every distro has its' quirks on mobile devices.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-10-09
Votes: 0
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Void was a pretty bad experience for me in several ways. I decided to try it out one day because I’d heard some good things about it (along with a few bad ones), but not everything you hear is true; maybe it’s just personal taste, or maybe it’s just personal favoritism from people who like the distro. The documentation is okay but a bit too short and direct, leaving a lot of things unclear, and if you ever have questions, finding answers can be tough since there’s no proper forum for support, which is something people often complain about. Another thing that bothered me is how long it takes for new installation images to come out; it feels like that part doesn’t get much attention. The installation script is very minimal and kind of rough, but that’s what you get unless you want to write your own or go through the manual process. The limited number of mirrors can also be discouraging, since depending on where you live, downloads can be painfully slow, and even the Fastly CDN mirror, which is available globally, sometimes has inconsistent latency. Once installed, the system itself is decent, but I noticed some performance issues with certain packages like Firefox, although the Flatpak version worked fine, so maybe it’s something about how it’s built. Void also feels a bit like a Frankenstein distro, with lots of patches to make apps work on different architectures, which I think might hurt performance on some systems. While using it, I ran into problems where if a dependency for a running service failed, the service depending on it would just stop working because Runit, the init system, doesn’t handle that well. I also had some trouble setting up encryption, which eventually made me give up. Overall, Void feels like it doesn’t have a clear purpose; it tries to do a bit of everything but doesn’t really excel at anything. I used it for about two months, and for me, it wasn’t worth it, but if you’re looking for something different, maybe give it a shot.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-10-06
Votes: 30
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Void is great! Here's some points from their website and its associated pros and cons from my time using it. "Not a fork!" Realistically this doesn't mean much, because most forks are based off of already well established distributions. But in the basically impossible chance that something like Ubuntu disappears, not being a fork can be a plus. "Stable rolling release:" When Void updates their packages, it goes through their "continuous build system" which I'm pretty sure ensures compatibility with end users. So far nothing horribly bad has come from any updates. The recent 6.17 kernel had some iptables config disabled by default which broke my VPN program but it was quickly patched, basically within a week. I'm not too familiar with the technical details beyond that. "runit:" A very simple init system that's very down to earth. I built my VPN program from source since it wasn't in the repos and creating a service was as easy as writing a 1-line bash script, marking it as executable, and sym-linking it. Doing the same thing in systemd is beyond me. Runit also boots up extremely fast, and doesn't randomly hang for minutes at a time because something in systemd is holding up the boot process. I've had boot hangs on systemd via Arch, and Fedora in the past. Runit has no issues with my computer though. "C library diversity:" I have not tried the musl library, and don't even know what benefits it provides. "XBPS", a superb package manager, with many useful tools and simple syntax (unlike pacman flags). "xbps-src": Haven't had to use this at all actually. I have the repo cloned but haven't actually had to use it for anything. Everything I need has been available in the repositories. If you want a rolling release, and an extremely barebones install, Void is definitely worth a try.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-19
Votes: 18
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Hands down the best distro I've ever used. I started using linux last year, trying out various distros, but none of them fitted my needs. Void is really straightforward, easy to use, suprisingly and convenient. I never thought of ending up here, but Void is a true gem. I like everything of it, the installer, the philosophy, the management and xbps. The one and only problem I had was the repository, but the problem got fixed by me discovering xbps-src later on, daily driving the distro. It's a fast distribution, I use it on my laptop, I have an install that is working since november of 2024, and my pc never broke or had problems one day, whitout me causing them. (Most of the times it's me creating problems, either because I'm stubborn and I want to solve some insignificant issues, ending up nuking something. But as of now I didn't have any problems in the past year). Right now, I'm using dwm whit it and it's a really recommended experience. Fast, stable and light, I never saw I distro more complete for my needs than this one.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-18
Votes: 17
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The best linux
I have used Debian Fedora Manjaro Suse Ubuntu and others for 20 years
An today I am pleasantly surprised for this distribution
Fast, bug-free, updated packages, not bloatware, not unnecessary pre-installed apps
Easy installer,
Easy package management,
Online handbook (pdf available selecting Print then "to pdf" from your web explorer)
Few things to improve:
Missing install icon on desktop (I try xfce live version).
Missing pdf manual on desktop
You just have to see the score. Not only me point 10 to this distribution
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-16
Votes: 12
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The distribution feels transparent, neat, snappy, the only thing i find frustrating is the sensation that the quest for the holy grail distro is over, that is what happens when you enter the void, you realize that there is nothing else out there. For the longest time i used Debian, which i embraced as my own, and sometimes i tried other distros but they felt alien to me. Today i can confidently say that i have embraced void as my own.
Cons:
1-I couldn't install the b43 wireless firmware on my laptop, maybe i'll succeed later. Either way let's not blame void for the broadcom chaos with the wifi on Linux.
2-The website feels somewhat cold...and distant, it's far from being compelling.
3-The background/history of this distro and it's founder can be discouraging.
Pros:
1-Highly customizable installation, you can install void from literally almost any usb-live from any other distro (as long as it includes a web browser) which is PRICELESS, i have used several times Systemrescue live-usb to install the void rootfs using chroot, it works flawlessly. I failed to do that with Alpine.
2-It's rolling release, nothing else to add on this point.
3-It's made for minimalism, if minimalism isn't your thing i would rather suggest you to install Debian or Fedora.
4-Void, as well as Antix (and probably Alpine as well) are among the distros with the smallest RAM footprint, runit is a luxury.
5-XBPS is super neat for removing all dependencies and obsolete packages as soon as you no longer want them in your system.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-08
Votes: 9
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A promising distribution. The idea of a stable rolling release is good. The idea of systemD free is also good. That's why the rating is 10.
However, the implementation is not so smooth. I tried to open a drawing in LibreCAD and got a segfault, when flatpak's LibreCAD opens without problems. I looked at the number of unresolved bugs on GitHub and it is large. This is not some kind of AI flood, but real users have encountered problems and these problems are not being solved.
Moved from a bleedingedge distribution to a more stable rolling release, did not provide sufficient stability for my needs. Maybe this will change in the future.
xbps-src as a build system is attractive, the build scripts are somewhat similar to Arch Linux or Alpine Linux. The ability to cross-compile to another architecture is cool. However, the message that in order to build some 32-bit applications it is necessary to do so from a 32-bit system does not really fit with the concept of cross-compilation.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-09-06
Votes: 18
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This is a wonderful distro. Fast, efficient, clean, and simple. I've used it for a while five or six years back, but now I'm back, and I'm absolutely loving it.
The installation process is deceptively straightforward, unless you like XFCE, anyway (in which case you're golden, super easy install).
The post-install configuration is not dissimilar from other distros, aside from acclimation to the package manager, xbps, which has eight variants that I'm aware of: xbps-install, xbps-remove, xbps-query, xbps-alternatives, xbps-reconfigure, xbps-pkgdb, xbps-rindex, and xbps-src, which is a substantially more curated form of the aur. So the package management schema is quite different from other distros, but the payoff is a rolling release distro with VERY up-to-date packages, basically the same "bleeding edge" you get with Arch, but with a significant assurance of stability as well. It's like if debian and arch had a baby that didn't need to be constrained to a wheelchair. Personally, I like that the respective processes have functional distinction in this manner. It's more verbose, sure, but you're using Linux, so keyboarding is something you kinda signed on for. Much better than auditing a weird aur package that you installed because "it looked cool" at any rate.
As someone who's gotten very accustomed to the "conveniences" of systemd over the last decade, I find this distro downright refreshing. This is like a renaissance of the super neato linux that we had 20 years ago, when I started using it (I'm 40).
Void, apart from having the coolest name of a distro, is a "sweet spot", to be sure. Keep up the great work, devs and maintainers!
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-29
Votes: 12
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It's been now almost five years it is my daily driver.
And I have nothing wrong to say, it never ever broke on me. It was only my own mistake if something broke, and still it's not that easy to mess up considering it's all fairly simple scripts.
My desktop install is fairly simple, but my laptop is actually a testing ground where I did LUKS 2 + UKI + secure boot + musl etc, all in one night, without too much trouble.
Documentation is kinda minimal, but it's straightforward and just work.
I do have to check more often than not the Arch wiki for more advanced stuff.
Same way that my only gripe would be the low number of packages, and sometime update being a bit slow.
But at least it's stable.
XBPS is very powerful and fast. And XBPS-SRC is quite fun to mess with, doing basic package is not hard.
If I had one request, it would be to have something similar to the AUR for XBPS-SRC
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-11
Votes: 12
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This is excellent distro for me. This distro save me a lot from hackers attack activity.
I could learn lots of Linux deep knowledge for wireless configuration with iwd, implement static IP with dhcpcd, manage screen laptop brightness through udevd rule, how to implement custom dhcpcd-hooks, setup apparmor, and the best part is how easy to rebuild custom kernel with xbp-src.
During installation only base package be installed and can configured sway later.
I do have several suggestions during installation I think we need to disable kvm loaded through kernel parameter, cause my experience is hacker will try to setup virtualization through ip vlan.
I think module 8021q,garp,mrp,stop,LLC be blacklisted first during installation.
And it would be perfect if base package provide necessary tools for kernel compilation, so that all cooking of custom hardened kernel could be done in offline mode.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-08
Votes: 18
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It’s 23 years im using Linux and I’m seriously impressed the distro works so well. I can’t complain about anything. The setup is pretty fast and simple, as well as the simple documentation. I managed to have a fully working laptop installation with Wayland, Sway, a few graphical applications and ready to develop in 1 day, without too much effort.Everything is working on kernel 6.15 mainline.
The init system is crazy fast and for desktop usage works perfectly.
Overall the best experience I had in a while.
It would be amazing to have a bigger community, because the project deserves it.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-03
Votes: 12
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Rolling and stable. Super fast, thanks to runit instead of systemd. Unix philosophy: one tiny thing for a tiny task. I am impressed.
Btw, XBPS is fantastic and blazing fast.
Sure you need to learn all the tools that make up the distro: dracula/mkinitcpio, socklog, manage your services, install bash-completipn and nano... Isn't that part of the fun? And the reason for it's speed?
I feel like I found a Linux I like and like I wanted to get back too since more than a decade. Feels like toying yet stable and fast. Some fresh air in the distro world. Awesome.
(Coming from Arch BTW.)
Congrats
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-08-01
Votes: 15
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There is no parallel system that eats up resources and adds lags. There are no overly complicated and cluttered services. A new log database of 32 megabytes or more is not created at each start, which significantly clogs the disk over a month of operation and reduces its resource. All this is because there is no systemd. Simple services, simple text logs, one simple fast and lightweight program - one function. The Unix ideology is a way to use limited resources more rationally.
Everything is more or less good for x86-64: the system, the most popular applications. The packages are fresh, but not bleeding edge, which significantly reduces the presence of bugs. There is a flatpack for something more specific. An alternative c-library.
The situation is not so good for 32-bit architectures: i686 and arm. Since some applications are no longer compiled for 32-bit, it disappear from these architectures. And the last working versions are not backported. So the functionality of these branches of the distribution is reduced. Flatpack runtime and applications are also no longer available for 32-bit, alas.
For a year of use, Void Linux was more stable for me than Arch. And dramatically less time consuming for system maintance.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 1
Date: 2025-07-06
Votes: 0
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A pretty bad Linux distro, honestly, in many ways.
Even though it’s supposed to be a rolling release, some updates are really slow. Like, slower than some non-rolling distros. There are even packages that haven’t been updated in ages. That might not break stability, but it definitely makes you wonder about security.
It uses runit as its init system. Sure, it’s fast and lightweight, but it’s also super poor. It’s missing important stuff, like handling service dependencies properly, and overall it just feels underwhelming.
The package manager is alright. It’s fast and the syntax is nice and clean, kind of like pacman. But honestly, it’s nothing special. Doesn’t really stand out compared to what other distros offer.
The system runs fast for the most part, but a bunch of apps don’t feel as smooth as they should. Some even freeze now and then. I’ve tried the same apps on other distros, and they worked way better there. No clue why that happens here.
Probably the one thing that makes this distro interesting is that it supports an alternative libc, in this case musl. But even that didn’t impress me. Performance was way worse than what I’ve seen with Alpine, for example.
On top of all that, I ran into a bunch of driver issues. Some of my hardware and peripherals just didn’t work properly, which made using the system a pain. That’s what finally made me give up on it.
It might improve over time, but as it stands right now, it’s a big no from me.
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Project: Void
Version: 20250202
Rating: 10
Date: 2025-06-30
Votes: 36
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Rolling, yet stable distro.
Xbps is fast and easy to use, can build from source ala gentoo if like, you also can host your own package repository easily.
The distro philosophy is to KISS (keep it simple, stupid), so there is no systemd, everything is a file, it's in your face. You have a good selection of achitectures, glibc or musl.
I use it on my servers, wsl on the job laptop, my laptop, my desktop, and I never experienced any problem, so it passes the "it works on my machine" I guess...
If you like the stability of Debian, and like "being on the edge" of Arch, Void is the distro for you. Give it a try! I did out of curiosity and I am rocking it for 2 years now.
The community is great, come see us on IRC liberachat!
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