Getting oriented
A short guide to how DraftOS works. It's early days, so this grows with the project — the full technical docs live in the repository.
Overview
DraftOS is an independent, Arch-based system built around the COSMIC desktop. It comes in two editions — Desktop (flexible and changeable) and Immutable (locked and self-healing) — that share the same desktop, apps and look.
New here? Start with the getting-started guide — it's shorter and walks you through the first steps.
Installing
Download an image from the download page, verify its checksum, and write it to a USB drive. DraftOS boots as a live desktop you can try first; when you're ready, launch our installer from the dock. It handles language, disk, encryption and your account.
The desktop
The desktop is COSMIC, tailored into our own cohesive experience — our theme, our defaults, real glass and a consistent rhythm across every screen. On first boot, the Welcome app introduces the essentials. Everything is configurable; nothing is locked away for the sake of it.
Updates & rollback
One command keeps the whole system current — it does the right thing for your edition automatically.
$ draftos update ✓ System up to date
If an update ever causes trouble, roll back. The Immutable edition boots the previous version; the Desktop edition restores from an automatic snapshot.
$ draftos rollback ✓ Reverted to the previous version
Apps & software
Install applications through our first-party app store. On Desktop you also have a huge software library at your fingertips; on Immutable, sandboxed apps and containers keep the core clean while you install whatever you need.
Dev containers
Keep your system tidy and your tools isolated. draftbox spins up clean, curated development containers in seconds:
$ draftbox enter dev draftbox · you are now inside dev
The draftos tool
One edition-aware tool for the whole system:
draftos update— update everythingdraftos rollback— go back to the previous versiondraftos status— see the system's current state
Can't find something? The docs are young and growing. Ask in the community or open an issue in the repository.