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SnackLinux is an ultra-minimal Linux distribution targeting Intel 486 processors. Built on a streamlined 4.x kernel (<1MB) with BusyBox, musl libc, and Bash, it delivers a complete Linux environment in under 4MB.
Go to the Downloads page to download the live ISO or hard drive image or build it yourself. Check out the getting started page on how to set everything up.
Target Hardware: i486DX CPUs (33MHz+) with 8MB RAM minimum
Latest Release: March 01, 2025
The philosophy is to create a completely hackable Linux system, controllable by makefiles.
Simple build instructions, - Standard GNU build utilitiess
- Simple distribution of software.
SnackLinux prioritizes ISA expansion over PCI, making it ideal for true retro computing. It maintains compatibility with Cyrix and AMD 486-class processors while including modern software. The distribution includes 40+ pre-built packages and a built-in package manager.
Think of it as Linux From Scratch with reduced complexity, perfect for minimal VMs or breathing new life into vintage hardware. If you prefer to build SnackLinux yourself, the system installs to a local directory, anything in there is included in the final build.
SnackLinux runs a barebone kernel with downloadable extra kernel modules, and focused on systems with ISA cards (sorry PCI). The project was created to run on old 486 CPUs (486DX and up, including Cyrix and AMD) with the latest software, so SnackLinux is optimized for size and low RAM. It can also be used for minimal virtual machines.
