The Linux family tree
Most Linux distros are built on a handful of roots. Of the 58 distros in our directory, 24 are built on Debian, directly or through Ubuntu. Fedora has 10, Arch Linux has 7 and openSUSE has 2. 12 more are independent projects with no derivatives listed here.
What the data shows
- Debian is the biggest family: with its derivatives it covers 25 of 58 distros (43%).
- Ubuntu is itself built on Debian, and 9 distros here are built on Ubuntu, including Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Pop!_OS and Kubuntu.
- Fedora: 10 distros built on it, led by Bazzite, Nobara Project and RHEL.
- Arch Linux: 7 distros built on it, led by CachyOS, SteamOS and Omarchy.
- openSUSE: 2 distros built on it, led by openSUSE Tumbleweed and openSUSE Leap.
- Built from scratch with no derivatives in the directory: NixOS, Gentoo Linux, Slackware, Alpine Linux, Void Linux, Qubes OS, Puppy Linux, deepin, Solus, PCLinuxOS, Mageia and KaOS.
Every distro by family
How this infographic is made
Each distro sits under the project it is directly built on, as recorded in its distro.watch profile (for example Linux Mint under Ubuntu, Ubuntu under Debian). RHEL is shown under Fedora, which it branches from; AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and CentOS Stream sit in the RHEL family. Order within a family follows the current distro.watch ranking.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Which Linux distro has the most derivatives?
Debian. 24 of the 58 distros in our directory are built on Debian, directly or through Ubuntu.
Is Ubuntu based on Debian?
Yes. Ubuntu is built on Debian, and 9 distros in our directory are built on Ubuntu in turn, including Linux Mint, Zorin OS and Pop!_OS.
Which Linux distros are not based on another distro?
Debian, Fedora and Arch Linux are independent roots that other distros build on. NixOS, Gentoo Linux, Slackware, Alpine Linux, Void Linux, Qubes OS, Puppy Linux and deepin are also independent.