Arch Linux vs Raspbian

Overview

Arch Linux

Stacks564

Followers555

Votes108

Raspbian

Stacks141

Followers178

Votes10

Arch Linux vs Raspbian: What are the differences?

Introduction

Arch Linux and Raspbian are two popular Linux distributions but they have some key differences that set them apart.

Package Management: One of the major differences between Arch Linux and Raspbian is their package management systems. Arch Linux uses the pacman package manager, which allows for more flexibility and customizability but may require more manual intervention. On the other hand, Raspbian uses the APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) package manager, which is more beginner-friendly and provides a larger repository of pre-compiled packages.
Rolling Release vs Stable Release: Arch Linux follows a rolling release model, which means that updates are continually released as soon as they are available. This allows users to have the latest software versions but may introduce potential stability issues. In contrast, Raspbian follows a stable release model, where updates are thoroughly tested and released as stable versions. This provides a more stable and reliable operating system but may not have the latest software versions.
Community Support: Arch Linux has a strong community support base, consisting of experienced Linux users who actively contribute to the project. This results in a vast amount of online resources, forums, and user-created documentation to help users troubleshoot and learn. On the other hand, while Raspbian also has community support, it may not be as extensive as that of Arch Linux. However, Raspbian's close association with the Raspberry Pi community provides a focused support network for users of Raspberry Pi devices.
Default Desktop Environment: Arch Linux does not come with a default desktop environment pre-installed, allowing users to choose and install their preferred desktop environment or window manager. This gives users complete control over their system's graphical interface. On the contrary, Raspbian comes with the Raspberry Pi Desktop environment, which is specifically tailored for the Raspberry Pi devices. This provides a user-friendly and ready-to-use desktop environment out of the box.
Hardware Support: Arch Linux has extensive hardware support and is known for its compatibility with a wide range of hardware devices. This is due to its minimalistic installation and the availability of up-to-date drivers. Raspbian, on the other hand, is optimized and developed specifically for the Raspberry Pi hardware, resulting in excellent hardware integration and performance but limited compatibility with other hardware devices.
System Requirements: Arch Linux has relatively lower system requirements as it follows a minimalistic approach that allows users to choose what packages and software they want to install. This makes it suitable for older or resource-constrained systems. Raspbian, being optimized for the Raspberry Pi devices, has slightly higher system requirements but still runs efficiently on Raspberry Pi boards.

In Summary, Arch Linux offers more flexibility, rolling release updates, extensive community support, and a wider range of hardware compatibility, while Raspbian provides a stable release model, a user-friendly desktop environment tailored for Raspberry Pi devices, optimized performance, and focused Raspberry Pi hardware support.

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Advice on Arch Linux, Raspbian

Simon

Developer Advocate at k6 / Load Impact

Mar 7, 2020

Decided

At the moment of the decision, my desktop was the primary place I did work. Due to this, I can't have it blow up on me while I work. While Arch is interesting and powerful, Ubuntu offers (at least for me) a lot more stability and lets me focus on other things than maintaining my own OS installation.

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Detailed Comparison

Arch Linux	Raspbian
A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.	It is optimized for the Raspberry Pi hardware. It provides more than a pure OS: it comes with over 35,000 packages, pre-compiled software bundled in a nice format for easy installation on your Raspberry Pi.
-	pre-compiled software; comes with over 35,000 packages
Statistics
Stacks 564	Stacks 141
Followers 555	Followers 178
Votes 108	Votes 10
Pros & Cons
Pros 17 Large Community 15 Package Manager 13 Customizable 12 Rolling Release 11 Arch User Repository Cons 4 Systemd only 3 Only X86_64 architecture is offically supported 1 Unstable 1 Comparatively fewer offically supported packages 1 No Guided Installation	Pros 7 Runs well on rpi 2 Easy to use with little experience 1 Very Lightweight Cons 4 Desktop enviroment is unstable 1 Uses ARMHF architecture, not commonly supported
Integrations
No integrations available	Raspberry Pi OpenCV

What are some alternatives to Arch Linux, Raspbian?

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Debian

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

Fedora

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Linux Mint

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

CentOS

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

Linux

A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.

CoreOS

It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.

Gentoo Linux

It is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

Manjaro

It is an accessible, friendly, open-source Linux distribution and community. Based on Arch Linux, it provides all the benefits of cutting-edge software combined with a focus on getting started quickly, automated tools to require less manual intervention, and help readily available when needed.

Related Comparisons

Arch Linux vs Raspbian: What are the differences?

Introduction

Arch Linux and Raspbian are two popular Linux distributions but they have some key differences that set them apart.

Package Management: One of the major differences between Arch Linux and Raspbian is their package management systems. Arch Linux uses the pacman package manager, which allows for more flexibility and customizability but may require more manual intervention. On the other hand, Raspbian uses the APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) package manager, which is more beginner-friendly and provides a larger repository of pre-compiled packages.
Rolling Release vs Stable Release: Arch Linux follows a rolling release model, which means that updates are continually released as soon as they are available. This allows users to have the latest software versions but may introduce potential stability issues. In contrast, Raspbian follows a stable release model, where updates are thoroughly tested and released as stable versions. This provides a more stable and reliable operating system but may not have the latest software versions.
Community Support: Arch Linux has a strong community support base, consisting of experienced Linux users who actively contribute to the project. This results in a vast amount of online resources, forums, and user-created documentation to help users troubleshoot and learn. On the other hand, while Raspbian also has community support, it may not be as extensive as that of Arch Linux. However, Raspbian's close association with the Raspberry Pi community provides a focused support network for users of Raspberry Pi devices.
Default Desktop Environment: Arch Linux does not come with a default desktop environment pre-installed, allowing users to choose and install their preferred desktop environment or window manager. This gives users complete control over their system's graphical interface. On the contrary, Raspbian comes with the Raspberry Pi Desktop environment, which is specifically tailored for the Raspberry Pi devices. This provides a user-friendly and ready-to-use desktop environment out of the box.
Hardware Support: Arch Linux has extensive hardware support and is known for its compatibility with a wide range of hardware devices. This is due to its minimalistic installation and the availability of up-to-date drivers. Raspbian, on the other hand, is optimized and developed specifically for the Raspberry Pi hardware, resulting in excellent hardware integration and performance but limited compatibility with other hardware devices.
System Requirements: Arch Linux has relatively lower system requirements as it follows a minimalistic approach that allows users to choose what packages and software they want to install. This makes it suitable for older or resource-constrained systems. Raspbian, being optimized for the Raspberry Pi devices, has slightly higher system requirements but still runs efficiently on Raspberry Pi boards.

Arch Linux vs Raspbian

Overview

Arch Linux vs Raspbian: What are the differences?