Get Started
Installation
Abora OS installs through a guided 9-step terminal wizard. Total time is 15–40 minutes depending on connection speed and hardware.
Requirements
Architecture
x86-64 (AMD64) only
RAM
2 GB minimum · 4 GB recommended
Storage
20 GB minimum · 40 GB+ recommended
Firmware
UEFI or legacy BIOS
Network
Required during install for NixOS packages
USB drive
4 GB+ to write the ISO
Create a bootable USB
Download the ISO from the downloads page. Write it with Balena Etcher, Rufus (Windows), or dd on Linux.
# Linux: replace /dev/sdX with your actual USB drive
sudo dd if=abora-4.0-<edition>-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=syncInstaller steps
Network
The installer starts automatically on TTY1 after the Plymouth splash. The first screen checks your network.
On Wi-Fi, use Quick connect to enter SSID and password, or open nmtui for full control. Ethernet is detected automatically.
cache.nixos.org during the install step.Identity
All fields are validated before you can proceed.
Desktop environment
Choose from 23 supported desktop environments. Your choice is written into the NixOS config and can be changed later with anix set desktop <name>.
gnome
GNOME 50
Wayland
kde
KDE Plasma 6
Wayland
cosmic
COSMIC 1.0
Wayland
hyprland
Hyprland
Wayland
sway
Sway
Wayland
niri
Niri
Wayland
river
River
Wayland
mangowm
MangoWM
Wayland
xfce
XFCE 4
X11
cinnamon
Cinnamon
X11
mate
MATE
X11
lxqt
LXQt
X11
budgie
Budgie
X11
pantheon
Pantheon
X11
i3
i3wm
X11
bspwm
BSPWM
X11
openbox
Openbox
X11
awesome
AwesomeWM
X11
fluxbox
Fluxbox
X11
icewm
IceWM
X11
herbstluftwm
Herbstluftwm
X11
qtile
Qtile
Both
GPU driver
The installer detects your GPU vendor via lspci and offers the right driver choices through the new abora.gpu option: nouveau, nvidia, nvidia-open, amdgpu, intel, or none.
NVIDIA hardware defaults to the license-free nouveau driver: the proprietary nvidia driver and NVIDIA's open kernel modules (nvidia-open, Turing and newer) are explicit opt-ins. AMD and Intel already work out of the box through the kernel's own open-source drivers.
Change it any time after install:
abora config set gpu nvidia # or nouveau, nvidia-open, amdgpu, intel, none
abora config applyStarter apps
Pick a bundle to install via Flatpak from Flathub. Choose None to skip.
Installation timing: during setup (adds time) or on first boot.
Options
ANIX (recommended)
Enables the ANIX NixOS module. Gives you profile switching, TinyPM integration, and per-user declarative settings via anix.nix.
GitHub CLI
If you are already signed into gh on the live system, your credentials are copied to the installed system.
Preflight check
The installer validates tools, assets, timezone, keymap, and password hash before touching the disk. If anything fails here the system will show exactly what is wrong. No disk changes have been made yet.
Disk selection
All detected block devices are listed with size and model. Select your target drive.
The root partition is labeled ABORA_ROOT, which is how the live boot system detects an existing install on future boots.
Confirm and install
A summary of every choice is shown. Confirm to start. The engine:
- Generates
hardware-configuration.nix,abora-local.nix,flake.nix - Validates config with
nix-instantiate - Runs
nixos-installwith live phase/package/log display - Validates installed system paths
- Configures Limine bootloader and EFI NVRAM entry
/tmp/abora-install.log. Run abora support-report to bundle diagnostics.After installation
Reboot and remove the USB when prompted. On your first boot:
anix status # verify the system layer
abora doctor # run health checks
sudo nixos update # pull latest packagesYour config is at /etc/nixos/. Edit abora-local.nix for user settings, then rebuild with sudo nixos update.