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000OS is a minimal Linux-based operating system built from scratch using the official Linux kernel and BusyBox utilities.
It’s designed to be lightweight, fast, and simple, serving as a compact demonstration of how a Linux system boots and runs with just the essentials.
000OS was created as a weekend side project to explore how a Linux system can be assembled from the ground up — from kernel to bootable ISO — using only open-source components.
It boots directly to a BusyBox shell, providing a clean and minimal command-line environment.
There’s no package manager, desktop environment, or extra services — just the Linux kernel, BusyBox tools, and a simple init system.
- Lightweight and minimal (< 20 MB ISO)
- Fully bootable on BIOS and UEFI systems
- Built with the mainline Linux kernel
- Includes BusyBox userland utilities
- Works with QEMU, VirtualBox, and real hardware
- Quick boot time and low memory usage
- x86_64 CPU
- 512 MB RAM or more
- QEMU, VirtualBox, or a physical machine for testing
You can boot the generated ISO on:
- QEMU
qemu-system-x86_64 -m 1024 -cdrom 000OS.iso -boot d
- VirtualBox
- Create a new VM → Type: Linux (64-bit)
- Attach
0000S.isoas a virtual optical disk - Start the VM
- Linux Kernel — Linus Torvalds
- BusyBox — BusyBox Project
Huge thanks to both projects for making minimal Linux systems possible.
This project is open-source and intended for personal and educational use.
All included components retain their original licenses (GPLv2 for the Linux kernel and BusyBox).
000OS — a simple weekend experiment in building Linux from scratch.