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The 10 Best Rolling Release Linux Distributions

In this guide, we will discuss some of the popular rolling release distributions. If you are new to the concept of a rolling release, worry not. A rolling release system is a Linux distribution that is constantly updated in all aspects: from the software packages, desktop environment, to the kernel. Applications are updated and released on a rolling basis thereby eliminating the need to download the latest ISO which would be representative of the latest release.

Let’s now have a glance at some of the best rolling releases.

1. Arch Linux

Currently sitting at the 15th position in distrowatch is Arch Linux, an independently developed rolling release. It has been in constant development since it’s initial release back in 2002 under the GNU / GPL licenses. Compared to other distributions, Arch Linux is not for the faint-hearted and targets advanced users who prefer a do-it-yourself approach. This is best exemplified during installation where, apart from its base installation, users can further customize it to suit their own needs, for example, installing a GUI.

Arch Linux

Arch is underpinned by the rich Arch User Repository (AUR) which is a community-driven repository that contains package builds – PKGBUILDs – that accords users the ability to compile packages from source and finally install them using the pacman package manager.

Additionally, the AUR allows users to contribute their independently developed package builds. Although anyone can upload or contribute their packages, Trusted Users are tasked with maintaining the repository and watching over the package builds being uploaded before being made available to users.

Arch is quite stable with a decent performance given its lean packaging devoid of any unnecessary software. Depending on the desktop environment you choose, performance may vary. For example, a heavy environment such as GNOME is likely to impact the performance in comparison to a lighter alternative such as XFCE.

2. OpenSUSE TumbleWeed

As you might already know, the OpenSUSE project provides 2 distributions: Leap and Tumbleweed. OpenSUSE Tumbleweed is a rolling release unlike its counterpart OpenSUSE Leap which is a regular release or point distribution.

Tumbleweed is a development distribution that ships with the very latest software updates and comes highly recommended for developers and users who desire to make contributions to the OpenSUSE project. Compared to its Leap counterpart, it’s not as stable and is therefore not ideal for production environments.

OpenSUSE TumbleWeed

If you are a user seeking to have the newest software packages, including the latest kernel, the Tumbleweed is the go-to flavor. Additionally, it would also appeal to software developers looking to make the most of the latest IDEs and development stacks.

Due to frequent kernel updates, Tumbleweed is not recommended for 3rd party graphic drivers such as Nvidia unless users are competent enough in updating the drivers from source.

3. Solus

Formerly known as Evolve OS, Solus is an independently developed rolling release designed for home and office computing. It ships with applications for use on a day-to-day basis such as Firefox browser, Thunderbird, and multimedia applications such as GNOME MPV. Users can install additional software from their Software Center.

Solus Linux

Since its initial release in 2015, it has continued to be a favourite among home users with its default feature-rich Budgie desktop that provides an elegant yet simple UI however you may get it in other editions such as MATE, KDE Plasma, and GNOME environments.

With Solus, eopkg is the package manager and once you get used to it, you will start getting confident and the experience will be seamless.

4. Manjaro

Manjaro is a derivant of Arch Linux which targets beginners thanks to its stability and ease of use. The latest version, Manjaro 20.0.3 is available in 3 desktop environments i.e KDE Plasma, XFCE, and GNOME with KDE Plasma being the most preferred by many users owing to its elegance and versatility. For users who want to try out Arch, but want to enjoy a user friendly, feature-rich and customizable desktop, then Manjaro comes highly recommended.

Manjaro Linux

Out-of-the-box you get a myriad of applications for everyday use and you can additionally install more including themes and widgets using the pacman package manager. Feel free to also try out other desktop environments such as MATE, Budgie, Enlightenment. Cinnamon, LXDE, and Deepin to mention a few.

5. Gentoo

Gentoo is yet another rolling release that is powerful and customizable down to the kernel. Unlike other opensource Linux distros, it’s devoid of preconfigured software and tools for enhanced user experience. This fact makes it quite complicated and less ideal for beginners. Just like Arch, Gentoo appeals more to experienced Linux users who want to accomplish everything from scratch.

Gentoo Linux

Portage is Gentoo’s package management system which is anchored on the ports system that was used by BSD systems. Gentoos takes pride in its repository which has over 19,000 packages available for installation.

6. Sabayon OS

Sabayon Linux is a stable Gentoo-based distro which is beginner-friendly thanks to a variety of prebuilt applications that work out of the box. All the core-components available in Gentoo including configuration tools work flawlessly in Sabayon. It offers a pretty appealing IU, is good in hardware detection, and once installed, everything should simply work as expected.

Sabayon Linux

Sabayon is available for download as a desktop, server (minimal ), or as a virtual instance such as a Docker image. Like other distributions, it has its own software repository and entropy is its package management system. Sabayon is available in many X environments including GNOME, KDE, XFCE, MATE, and LXDE. Sabayon is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit architectures with ARM images also made available for Raspberry Pi 2 and 3.

7. Endeavor OS

Endeavour OS is a terminal-centric rolling release based on Arch that ships with some GUI applications such as reflector auto, welcome app, and kernel manager app. There are 8 desktop environments available for use with Endeavor OS alongside the latest apps and widgets to give you wholesome user experience. These environments include GNOME, XFCE, Deeping, KDE Plasma, and Cinnamon.

Endeavor Linux OS

Endeavor bundles yay package manager for installing, updating, removing, and performing other package management functions. With the exception of the eos-welcome app, reflector auto, and the kernel manager app, all software packages are installed directly from the AUR or Arch repos. In so doing, it stays as close as possible to Arch Linux.

8. Black Arch

Also based on Arch is Black Arch, a penetration testing rolling release that packs with over 2400 tools for conducting penetration tests and forensics work. Its functionality is closely similar to that of its Kali Linux and ParrotOS counterparts. Like Arch Linux, it’s default package manager is pacman, and the latest release is only available in 64-bit.

Black Arch

9. Arch Labs

Arch Labs is an Arch-based rolling release that is inspired by Bunsenlabs UI. It provides a Live CD that lets you give it a test run before installing it. Being a rolling release, this gives you the guarantee that the latest packages will always be available for download.

Arch Labs Linux

10. Reborn OS

Yet another Arch-based flavor on our list is Reborn OS, a high-performance and highly customizable distribution that offers more than 15 desktop environments to install. It is easy to install and offers flatpak support, and the option to install Anbox – an opensource tool that allows you to run android apps and games on a Linux environment.

Reborn OS

This guide has focused on only 10 rolling release distros, however, we would like to acknowledge other rolling release flavors such as: Void Linux, Debian Unstable, and ArcoLinux.

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Rolling vs. Fixed release Linux Distros? Which one is Best for You?

You will learn what is the difference between a rolling release Linux distro and a fixed release Linux distro. I will also discuss the pros and cons of Linux distributions that follow a rolling or fixed release model.

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Rolling Vs. Fixed releases

Every Linux distribution uses a software package manager which installs, updates and removes software packages in your system. In the Linux world, there are three models for shipping software to the user, fixed release, semi-rolling release, and rolling release. In a Linux distro that follows fixed release model, only the security updates are released frequently, new software packages or updates to existing software are held back until a new version of the operating system is released after a fixed period of time. With a Linux distro that follows rolling release model, every package or software of the operating system is constantly updated as soon as the developers release it, whereas in semi-rolling release model only third-party software packages, and security updates are frequently updated. The core of the operating system will be frozen, and only gets updated when a new version of the distro gets released.

Fixed release distros

Fixed release is also sometimes called by names static release, point release or versioned release. The advantage of a fixed release distro is that all the software packages remain at the same version as long as that version of the operating system is under support, so the inter-package compatibility is excellent.

Kernel updates and core software packages are updated only in a major release. Whereas in minor releases, that is between major releases, the security issues are patched and also updates to third-party packages are released. Each release has its own ISO image.

Fixed release Linux distros are great for new users to Linux because everything just works out of the box and no further troubleshooting is required.

Ubuntu

The most popular Linux distro that follows a fixed release model is Ubuntu. A new version of Ubuntu is released every 6 months with the software packages that are latest and stable at the time of releasing. Once the new version is released, only the security updates are released and the software versions will remain the same. This provides a reasonably stable operating system as the software packages are tested before they get released. Every 4 years, Ubuntu also releases an LTS or Long Term Support version which is supported for 10 years, and the software package versions remain the same throughout the 10 years period, providing great reliability for running in servers which operate 24×7 and cannot be upgraded to new versions every 6 months.

Debian

The second popular Linux distribution that follows a fixed release model is Debian, which has three different branches: unstable, testing and stable. The unstable branch of Debian follows a rolling release model which we will discuss in a few seconds, but the testing and stable branches follow a fixed release model. Software in the testing branch is kept under testing thoroughly by different developers and testers for at least 2 years after it is made into the stable branch where it will be supported for 4 more years. Debian is known for its large number of software packages and its rock-solid stability. The testing branch of Debian is a good option for intermediate Linux users who want to just set it and forget. The stable branch will be perfect for servers, production computers, or workstations should be reliable and don’t often require maintenance and troubleshooting.

Fedora

Another distribution that uses a fixed release model is Fedora. Fedora is released twice a year. Fedora usually of of the first Linux ditros that adopt new technologies. This makes Fedora releases vary in quality. Some point releases of Fedora are great, but others may contain obvious bugs which do not get fixed until the next release.

Semi-rolling release distros

Till now we were giving preference to stability, but what if you need only third-party software to be latest and the base system to be stable. A semi-rolling release distro may be the best option for you.

Chakra Linux

Chakra Linux which is forked from Arch Linux is a distro that follows a semi-rolling release model, where all the third-party applications and libraries get frequently updated, but the base packages that make the operating system itself are updated less frequently. There are very few distributions that follow a semi-rolling release model, but distributions like Chakra enjoy the best of both worlds, as applications that the end user-uses gets updated with new features, security patches and bug fixes, though not as frequently as a fully rolling release distro. But if you are a developer, using a semi-rolling release distro can cause some issues with core system libraries and programming languages.

Rolling release distros

If you are a developer or somebody who likes to get updates to the latest and greatest software then rolling release will be a better choice for you. Unlike any fixed release distro, rolling release distros don’t release in versions, so you do not need to re-install the operating system every 6 months or a year. Once you install a rolling release distro you just need to keep updating the packages and you will always have the latest versions for all the software. Also, if there is a bug in a fixed release distro, unless it is a security issue it won’t get fixed until a new version of the operating system comes out. On the other hand, it is accepted that packages may occasionally break because of version compatibility in a distro that follows a rolling release model.

Rolling release distributions like Arch Linux, Manjaro, OpenSUSE are best suited for desktop users rather than running on servers.

OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE is a free version of the SUSE Enterprise Linux that has two versions, the Tumbleweed which follows a rolling release model and Leap which follows a fixed release model. Tumbleweed has a reputation that it is difficult to use or maintain, or should only be used by experts, but my experience indicates that is not true. I think this reputation comes from its history as an unstable distribution.

Manjaro

Manjaro is an Arch Linux based distro but unlike Arch Linux, it holds back all the software packages just for a week or two for testing and then releases to its users. Usually, 90 percent of all the problems that are faced in Arch Linux are solved within that two week frame, so Manjaro is the best rolling release distro in my opinion. Manjaro is also the best distro for gaming if you are planning to switch from Windows to Linux. It also uses a very simple and easy to use installer, where to install Arch Linux one is expected to be good at typing terminal commands.

Arch Linux

Arch Linux is by far my favorite distro, it is the most bleeding-edge distro available today with software packages released into its repositories as soon as the developer releases a new version. According to my opinion Arch Linux is the best distro for a programmer and a Linux enthusiast. Everything including the Linux kernel, different compilers and interpreters have the latest versions. And there is no application that is not available in the AUR which is Arch User Repository. Though Arch Linux is the most bleeding-edge distro, it is fairly stable if one follows the Arch way of doing things.

Final thoughts

Hope I have tried to clear the idea of how Linux distributions are released. Not all distributions exactly follow these release cycles and based on the distribution things may change. For any requirement, research and study are always helpful when it comes to choosing a Linux distribution. Simply try the distro in a Virtual machine first, before going with it.

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