Ravana OS
KonsoleUnbreakable updates
Every update is a complete, tested system image. If one misbehaves, pick the previous version in the boot menu and you are back in seconds.
Built for gamers who code, and coders who game.
A fast, lightweight Linux OS with a console-style Game Mode, a clean developer desktop, and updates that can always be rolled back.
Free and open source · AMD, Intel and NVIDIA · Try it from a USB stick first
Two modes. One machine.
Play like a console. Work like a pro.
Game Mode
Boot straight into a controller-friendly, console-style Steam experience. No desktop runs in the background, so your games get the RAM and the GPU.
- Pick up a controller and play, from power-on
- Drivers for AMD, Intel and NVIDIA built in
- Steam, Proton and anti-cheat keep working
Dev Mode
A polished desktop with Podman, Distrobox and Homebrew built in. VS Code, Docker, virtual machines and GPU compute are one click away with Get Developer Tools.
- CLI tools with
brew install - Ubuntu, Arch or Fedora containers with DistroShelf
- Switch to the full developer stack in one step, and back
Why Ravana
Fast, light and very hard to break.
Every part of Ravana is chosen so the machine stays out of your way, whether you are in a match or in a merge.
Light by design
Background indexing and other idle services are off by default.
Every GPU
Builds for AMD, Intel and NVIDIA, with the drivers already inside.
Small updates
Only the parts that changed are downloaded. Your apps, files and settings stay.
No telemetry
Nothing is sent home. Not usage, not crash data, not a ping.
Start small, add what you need
The default edition stays lean. Apps come from the Bazaar app store, CLI tools from Homebrew, and the full developer stack is one switch away.
Signed, end to end
Every image is signed with cosign. Installed systems refuse unsigned or tampered updates.
The desktop
Crimson on near-black. Glass everywhere.
Red marks focus, selection and action, while surfaces stay calm for long gaming and coding sessions. And it works the way your hands already know.
Spotlight
Press ⌘ Space and start typing. Apps, files and Settings pages, found by the first letters.
Your shortcuts, unchanged
⌘ is the Windows key. Copy, paste, quit, switch and capture exactly as you expect.
⌘Space Spotlight
⌘Tab Switch apps
⌘Q Quit
⌃↑ Mission Control
⌘C Copy
⇧⌘4 Screenshot
Windows that move like liquid
Red, yellow and green buttons on the left, genie minimize into a floating glass dock, and Mission Control one shortcut away.
Quiet from power-on
The Ravana crown animation plays from firmware to the login screen, then a matching splash carries you into the desktop.
Menu bar with app menusFloating dockLaunchpadControl CenterNotification CenterDownloads stackLight and dark
Security
Locked down. Not locked out.
Protection in every layer, each one chosen so Steam, Proton anti-cheat, Docker, virtual machines and dev tools keep working.
Read-only system
Apps and malware cannot change the system. Updates replace the whole image.
Signed updates
Unsigned or tampered updates are refused.
Rollback
A bad update is one reboot away from the previous version.
Secure Boot
Works out of the box.
SELinux
Enforcing, and confining system services.
Sandboxed apps
Store apps are Flatpaks with their own permissions.
Firewall
Incoming connections are blocked by default.
No remote login
SSH stays off unless you turn it on.
Kernel hardening
Restricted debugging, no unprivileged eBPF, no kexec.
Network privacy
Random Wi-Fi addresses and encrypted DNS when available.
Screen lock
Locks after 10 minutes and on wake from sleep.
Firmware updates
BIOS and device firmware through fwupd.
Turn on disk encryption in the installer for protection if the PC is stolen.
Editions
Pick your starting point.
Start lean and switch whenever you like. Moving between editions is one step, in either direction.
Ravana OS
Everything for playing, and a solid base for building.
- Gaming and Game Mode
- The Ravana desktop
- Podman, Distrobox and Homebrew
- Bazaar app store
ghcr.io/ravana-os/ravana-os Ravana OS Developer
Everything in Ravana OS, plus the full stack.
- VS Code and Docker
- Virtual machines with QEMU/KVM
- ROCm GPU compute
- Profilers
ghcr.io/ravana-os/ravana-os-dx NVIDIA graphics? Add -nvidia to either image name.
Install
Try it first. Keep it if you love it.
Ravana runs entirely from a USB stick. Nothing on your computer changes until you click Install Ravana OS.
- Download the live ISO from the latest release and check it against
SHA256SUMS. Pick the NVIDIA ISO for NVIDIA graphics. - Boot from the USB (usually F12, F11, F8 or Esc at power-on) and choose Try or Install Ravana OS.
- In Windows first: back up anything important, turn off BitLocker and Fast Startup, then shrink your drive to make free space. Give Ravana at least 80 GB, or 150 GB and up for games.
- Boot the live USB and click Install Ravana OS.
- Choose the free space or a second drive. Leave the Windows partition alone.
- Stay connected. The installer downloads Ravana, about 5.5 GB.
- Reboot and pick Ravana OS or Windows in the boot menu.
- Switch to Ravana and reboot. Use
ravana-os-nvidiafor NVIDIA graphics.sudo bootc switch ghcr.io/ravana-os/ravana-os:latest
- Turn on signature checking for all future updates.
sudo bootc switch --enforce-container-sigpolicy ghcr.io/ravana-os/ravana-os:latest
Get the latest release
Full install guide Secure Boot works. You enroll a key once on first reboot.