Tiny Core Linux

One of the smallest usable Linux distributions in existence -- the base 'Core' image is around 11MB -- built entirely around loading extensions on top of a minimal in-RAM base.

Lightweight & Old Hardwarelightweightminimalold-hardwareruns-from-RAMDownload ↗Official site ↗Docs / Wiki ↗

Based on

Independent

First released

2008

Package manager

TCZ (Tiny Core's own extension format)

Desktop environments

FLTK/FLWM (minimal); Core edition has none

Tiny Core Linux ships in a few sizes depending on how much is included by default: 'Core' (roughly 11MB, command-line only), 'TinyCore' (with a minimal FLTK-based GUI, around 21MB), and 'CorePlus' (with more install options bundled). Everything beyond that absolute minimum is added afterward as a '.tcz' extension loaded on demand, so a user builds up exactly the system they need rather than starting from a fuller install and removing what they don't want. Like Puppy Linux, it runs from RAM after boot, making it extremely fast on old hardware and popular for embedded and single-purpose-appliance use cases where every megabyte matters.

MirrorNest doesn't mirror distro ISOs — installation media should always come straight from the project's own official download page (linked above), so you get the correct checksum/signature to verify against.