Bootc-based desktop Linux images built on AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, and Fedora
TunaOS is a curated collection of bootc-based desktop operating systems built on modern container technology. The goal is to bring a modern desktop experience to Enterprise Linux — stable, immutable, and up-to-date. Inspired by Bluefin and the Universal Blue community.
- Modern Desktops: GNOME, KDE Plasma, COSMIC, and Niri — your choice, on Enterprise Linux
- Latest GNOME: Don't get stuck on a 3-year-old GNOME. We backport the latest desktop features to the Enterprise Desktop
- Homebrew: Baked into the image — all your CLI apps and fonts are just a
brewcommand away - Flathub by Default: Full Flathub access out of the box — get any Flatpak available on the net
- HWE Option: Hardware Enablement kernel for newer hardware support
- NVIDIA Option: NVIDIA drivers and CUDA for graphics and AI workflows
Each variant ships multiple desktop environments:
| Tag suffix | Desktop |
|---|---|
gnome |
GNOME (stable) |
gnome50 |
GNOME 50 (latest) |
kde |
KDE Plasma |
cosmic |
COSMIC Desktop |
niri |
Niri (tiling Wayland compositor) |
Append to any desktop tag:
| Suffix | Description |
|---|---|
| (none) | Standard build |
-hwe |
Hardware Enablement — newer kernel stack |
-nvidia |
NVIDIA drivers + CUDA |
-nvidia-hwe |
NVIDIA on HWE kernel |
Example: ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:gnome-hwe, ghcr.io/tuna-os/albacore:kde-nvidia
Base: AlmaLinux Kitten 10 — the closest to upstream CentOS Stream
Platforms: x86_64, x86_64/v2 (pre-2013 CPUs), ARM64
ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:gnome
ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:gnome-hwe
ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:kde
ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:niri
ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:cosmic
- ✨ x86_64/v2 microarchitecture support
- 🖥️ SPICE support for qemu/libvirt virtualization
- 🔄 Compatible with upstream — Kitten tracks CentOS Stream
Base: AlmaLinux 10 — stable, RHEL-compatible
Platforms: x86_64, x86_64/v2, ARM64
ghcr.io/tuna-os/albacore:gnome
ghcr.io/tuna-os/albacore:gnome-hwe
ghcr.io/tuna-os/albacore:kde
ghcr.io/tuna-os/albacore:niri
ghcr.io/tuna-os/albacore:cosmic
- ✨ x86_64/v2 microarchitecture support
- 🖥️ SPICE support for qemu/libvirt virtualization
- 🏢 Enterprise stability — follows RHEL lifecycle
Base: CentOS Stream 10 — the upstream of RHEL
Platforms: x86_64, ARM64
ghcr.io/tuna-os/skipjack:gnome
ghcr.io/tuna-os/skipjack:kde
ghcr.io/tuna-os/skipjack:niri
ghcr.io/tuna-os/skipjack:cosmic
Note
Bonito is still a work in progress and may not be fully functional
Base: Fedora 44 — cutting-edge Fedora on bootc
Platforms: x86_64, ARM64
ghcr.io/tuna-os/bonito:gnome
ghcr.io/tuna-os/bonito:kde
ghcr.io/tuna-os/bonito:niri
ghcr.io/tuna-os/bonito:cosmic
Base: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 — fully supported, subscription-based
Platforms: x86_64, ARM64
Important
Due to the RHEL EULA, Redfin images cannot be publicly distributed. This variant is local-build only. For a freely redistributable RHEL-compatible alternative, use Albacore (AlmaLinux 10).
See docs/rhel-setup.md for prerequisites, authentication, and build instructions.
just redfin base| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | x86_64, ARM64 | x86_64, ARM64 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB+ |
| Storage | 20 GB | 50 GB+ |
ISOs are published every two weeks for gnome and gnome-hwe flavors of Yellowfin and Albacore:
| Variant | GNOME | GNOME (HWE) |
|---|---|---|
| Albacore | albacore-gnome-latest.iso | albacore-gnome-hwe-latest.iso |
| Yellowfin | yellowfin-gnome-latest.iso | yellowfin-gnome-hwe-latest.iso |
Use tacklebox to build ISOs:
# ISO (requires root)
sudo tacklebox build --iso tunaos-yellowfin-gnome.iso \
--bootable-environment-image ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:gnome \
--bootable-environment-desktop gnome \
--output-base .build/isoOr use the included helper script:
sudo ./scripts/build-iso-tacklebox.sh yellowfin gnome ghcr gnomeFor QCOW2 VM images, use bootc directly:
# QCOW2 (VM image)
sudo bootc image build-to-qcow2 \
--output-format qcow2 \
ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:gnomeIf you're already running a compatible bootc system:
sudo bootc switch ghcr.io/tuna-os/yellowfin:gnomeImages are published on GitHub Container Registry (GHCR). To pull images with bootc or podman:
# Authenticate to GHCR (requires a GitHub personal access token with read:packages scope)
echo "$GITHUB_TOKEN" | podman login ghcr.io -u YOUR_USERNAME --password-stdin
# Or use the GitHub CLI
gh auth token | podman login ghcr.io -u YOUR_USERNAME --password-stdinSee GitHub Container Registry docs for more details.
Note: These images are in active development. Yellowfin and Albacore are the most mature variants. Bonito (Fedora) still needs work.
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for:
- Development environment setup
- Build workflow and pre-commit checklist
- Pull request guidelines
- Architecture overview
- 🐛 Report Issues: GitHub Issues
- [m] Chat: #tunaos:reilly.asia
Related Communities:
- 🎮 Discord: Universal Blue Community
- 💬 AlmaLinux Atomic SIG: AlmaLinux Atomic SIG
- Contributor Guide — how to set up, build, and contribute
- Agent Guide — complete architecture and contributor reference
- Build Pipeline — CI/CD workflow overview
- Testing Guide — ISO end-to-end test harness
- Improvement Plan — roadmap and development progress
- Redfin Setup — RHEL 10 local-build instructions
- Developer Docs — build and contribution guide
- Roadmap — project direction and feature status
- Versioning — tag scheme and stability tiers
- Migration Guide — switching from other distros
- Security Policy — vulnerability reporting and supported versions
- Code of Conduct — community standards
- Community — contribution ladder, metrics, communication
- Maintainers — maintainer playbook and bus factor plan
Made by James in his free time
Powered by Bootc
Inspired by Bluefin and the Universal Blue Community
Licensed under Apache 2.0