# DietPi — Lightweight Debian OS for Servers and SBCs

> An extremely lightweight Debian-based operating system optimized for single-board computers and servers, with automated software installation and minimal resource usage.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# DietPi — Lightweight Debian OS for Servers and SBCs

## Quick Use
```bash
# Download the image for your board from https://dietpi.com
# Flash to SD card with balenaEtcher or dd
# Boot, SSH in (default: root / dietpi)
# Run dietpi-software to install apps
dietpi-software install 130  # example: install Pi-hole
```

## Introduction
DietPi is an extremely lightweight Debian-based Linux distribution designed for single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, Odroid, and Pine64, as well as native PCs and virtual machines. It strips Debian down to the bare essentials and provides a curated software catalog with one-command installation, making it ideal for self-hosted services and IoT projects.

## What DietPi Does
- Provides a minimal Debian base with significantly lower RAM and disk usage than Raspberry Pi OS
- Offers dietpi-software, a catalog of over 200 optimized software titles installable with a single command
- Automates first-boot configuration including locale, timezone, networking, and SSH
- Supports dozens of SBC platforms alongside x86 PCs and virtual machines
- Includes system management tools for backups, updates, and performance tuning

## Architecture Overview
DietPi is built on top of Debian with a set of custom Bash scripts that handle system optimization, software installation, and configuration management. The core toolset includes dietpi-software for package management, dietpi-config for system settings, and dietpi-backup for image-level snapshots. All optimizations run at the OS level, removing unnecessary services and packages to minimize memory and CPU usage.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Download a pre-built image for your specific hardware from the DietPi website
- Flash the image to an SD card or USB drive and boot the device
- Complete the first-run setup wizard over SSH or local console
- Use `dietpi-software` to browse and install software like Docker, Pi-hole, Nextcloud, or Home Assistant
- Configure automated backups with `dietpi-backup` and keep the system updated with `dietpi-update`

## Key Features
- RAM usage as low as 30 MB at idle, significantly less than standard Debian or Ubuntu
- Over 200 optimized software packages with automated installation and configuration
- DietPi-Automation for unattended headless deployments via a configuration file
- Cross-platform support for ARM SBCs, x86 PCs, and virtual machines
- Active community and regular releases with upstream Debian security updates

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Raspberry Pi OS** — ships with a desktop and many services enabled by default; DietPi starts minimal
- **Ubuntu Server** — heavier baseline with Snap and cloud-init; DietPi is leaner for edge devices
- **Armbian** — focuses on SBC kernel support; DietPi adds a curated software ecosystem on top
- **Alpine Linux** — uses musl and is even smaller but lacks DietPi's guided software catalog
- **CasaOS** — provides a web dashboard for self-hosting; DietPi is lower-level with CLI-first management

## FAQ
**Q: Which single-board computers does DietPi support?**
A: DietPi supports Raspberry Pi (all models), Odroid, Pine64, NanoPi, Orange Pi, ROCK, and many more. It also runs on native x86 PCs and in VirtualBox or VMware.

**Q: Can I run Docker on DietPi?**
A: Yes, Docker and Docker Compose are available through `dietpi-software` and install with optimized settings for low-resource environments.

**Q: How does DietPi handle updates?**
A: Run `dietpi-update` to apply both DietPi script updates and upstream Debian package updates in a single operation.

**Q: Is DietPi suitable for production servers?**
A: DietPi is used in production for lightweight services. It inherits Debian's stability and security update cadence, making it reliable for self-hosted workloads.

## Sources
- https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi
- https://dietpi.com

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