WayangOS

Built Different

Every feature is a conscious choice. Every byte earns its place.

⚡

Ultra-Minimal

20 MB bootable ISO. BusyBox + Dropbear SSH + curl. No systemd, no D-Bus, no polkit. 4 static binaries, zero shared libraries. UEFI + BIOS hybrid boot.

4 binaries · 20 MB · UEFI+BIOS · done

🔌

SSH + Networking on Boot

DHCP auto-configures on boot. Dropbear SSH server starts automatically on port 22. curl with TLS for pulling configs and APIs. Manage remotely from day one.

dropbear + curl + udhcpc

📦

Static Binary Deploy

No package manager. No dependency hell. Build your app as a static binary, scp it to the machine, run it. That's deployment. If it compiles, it ships.

scp is your pkg manager

🖼️

GUI Edition Available

21 MB ISO with framebuffer rendering. GUI edition boots with display drivers for kiosk apps, digital signage, and dashboards. No X11, no Wayland.

DRM/KMS + Framebuffer

🎮

GPU Support

Vendor-specific GPU drivers for Intel (i915), AMD (amdgpu), and NVIDIA (nouveau). ARM SBC support with Raspberry Pi 3 HDMI (VideoCore IV) and Orange Pi Zero 2W HDMI (Mali). Hardware-accelerated graphics out of the box.

Intel · AMD · NVIDIA · RPi3 · OPi Zero 2W

🔒

Minimal Attack Surface

4 binaries total. No unnecessary services, no listening ports except SSH. Fewer packages = fewer CVEs. The best security is code that doesn't exist.

fewer packages = fewer CVEs

🏗️

PREEMPT_RT Real-Time Kernel

Linux 6.19.3-rt1 with full real-time preemption, 1000Hz tick, and high-res timers. Deterministic scheduling for when microseconds matter. RTOS by default.

CONFIG_PREEMPT_RT=y · 1000Hz · x86_64

Metric	WayangOS	Alpine Linux	Ubuntu Server	Debian Minimal
ISO Size	20 MB	~200 MB	~1.2 GB	~600 MB
Min RAM	64 MB	128 MB	512 MB	256 MB
Boot Time	< 2s	~5s	~15s	~8s
Init System	Custom (shell)	OpenRC	systemd	systemd
SSH on Boot	✓ Built-in	✗ Install	✓ Optional	✗ Install
Package Manager	None (scp)	apk	apt	apt
GUI Edition	✓ fbdev/DRM	✗ Manual	✓ Desktop	✗ Manual
Packages	4 (static)	~14 (base)	~300+ (base)	~150+ (base)

ꦮꦪꦁ

Download WayangOS

WayangOS is available for Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Raspberry Pi, and Orange Pi.

🔵 🔴 🟢 🍓 🍊

Choose & Download →

v0.6.0 — GPU Support · x86_64 + ARM64 · 17–35 MB

📖 Install Guide — 3 Easy Steps

No terminal skills needed. Works on any PC or laptop.

Same steps for both editions — just pick the ISO you want.

Download the ISO

Select your GPU/platform and grab the bootable ISO. UEFI + BIOS hybrid — works on any modern or legacy hardware. Includes kernel, OS, SSH server, curl — everything in one file.

⬇ Download Selected

Flash to USB drive

Use any USB flashing tool. Pick your platform:

🪟 Rufus (Windows) 🍎 balenaEtcher (Mac/Win/Linux) 💿 Ventoy (Multi-ISO)

Open the tool → Select the .iso file → Select your USB → Click Flash. Done.

Boot from USB

Plug the USB into your PC/laptop and restart. Press the boot menu key during startup:

F12 Dell, Lenovo, most laptops F2 ASUS, Acer, Samsung F9 HP Esc Some ASUS, other brands Del Custom desktops, motherboards

Select your USB from the boot menu → WayangOS boots to a shell in <2 seconds.

GRUB menu — auto-boots in 3 seconds

Booted — SSH ready, networking up

🧪 No USB? Try it in a virtual machine

                        qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom wayangos-0.5-headless-x86_64.iso -m 128M
                    

Or open the .iso in VirtualBox / VMware — it just works.

🔧 Advanced: Manual USB install with GRUB (for developers)

                        # Download tar.gz instead of ISO

                        tar xzf wayangos-0.5-headless-x86_64.iso && cd wayangos-0.5-headless-x86_64

                        # Partition & format USB (replace sdX)

                        sudo fdisk /dev/sdX # create 1 partition, type 83

                        sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1

                        sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt

                        # Install kernel + GRUB

                        sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot/grub

                        sudo cp vmlinuz initramfs.img /mnt/boot/

                        sudo grub-install --target=i386-pc --boot-directory=/mnt/boot /dev/sdX

                        printf 'set timeout=3\nset default=0\nmenuentry "WayangOS" {\n  linux /boot/vmlinuz console=tty0\n  initrd /boot/initramfs.img\n}' | sudo tee /mnt/boot/grub/grub.cfg

                        sudo umount /mnt

Want to customize? Build from source:

🔧 WayangOS Source

Real-World Use Cases

WayangOS isn't a toy. Here's where it runs in production.

🖥️

Edge Server / Home Lab

Turn any old PC or laptop into a headless server. Boot from USB, SSH in, deploy your apps. No GUI waste, no systemd overhead. Perfect for home automation hubs, NAS controllers, or development servers.

                        # Deploy a Go web server

                        scp myapp root@wayang:/usr/bin/

                        ssh root@wayang '/usr/bin/myapp &'

📡

IoT Gateway

Collect sensor data, relay MQTT messages, bridge networks. Runs on 64 MB RAM — works on the cheapest SBCs. Auto-connects to network on boot, SSH for remote management. Deploy your collector as a static binary.

                        # Pull config from API on boot

                        curl -s https://api.example.com/config > /etc/sensor.conf

🏪

Kiosk / Single-App Appliance

Boot straight into your application. POS terminal, digital signage, monitoring dashboard. No login screen, no desktop environment, no updates popping up. Add your binary to init.d — it starts on boot, every boot.

                        # Auto-start app on every boot

                        echo '/usr/bin/myapp &' >> /etc/init.d/rcS

See WayangOS Apps →

🔒

Network Appliance / Firewall

Minimal attack surface = maximum security. Build a custom firewall, VPN gateway, or traffic monitor. No unnecessary packages means fewer CVEs. iptables + static binaries only — nothing to exploit.

                        # ~1 package installed. Good luck finding a CVE.

                        iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

⚙️

CI/CD Build Runner

Spin up disposable build environments in seconds. Boot a VM from the ISO, run your build, tear it down. No state, no drift, no cleanup. Perfect for ephemeral CI runners — each build starts from a known-clean image.

                        # Spin up, build, destroy

                        qemu-system-x86_64 -cdrom wayangos.iso -m 256M

🤖

Embedded / Lightweight Compute

5 processes at boot vs Ubuntu's 200+. Boots in under 2 seconds, uses 23 MB RAM. When you need a machine to do one thing well — collect data, serve an API, run a daemon — WayangOS stays out of the way.

                        # WayangOS process count vs Ubuntu

                        wayang: 5 processes  |  Ubuntu: 200+

ꦮꦪꦁ

The Deployment Philosophy

No package manager. No dependency hell. No apt install.

Your "package manager" is scp. Build your app as a static binary. Copy it to the machine. Run it. That's deployment.

Every binary stands alone. No shared libraries, no version conflicts, no "works on my machine." If it compiles, it ships.

Dependencies

Package updates

Surprises