Vinix OS: the operating system written in V, explained
Vinix is a new operating system, not a Linux distribution. Its kernel is written from scratch in the V programming language, yet it runs ordinary Linux programs from Alpine Linux, boots to its own desktop on x86-64 and ARM64, and can install Firefox, Chromium and GIMP. It is free and open source (GPL-2.0) and, in its developers’ words, still pre-alpha: try it in a virtual machine, not as your main system.
What is Vinix OS?
Vinix is a Unix-like operating system started on Mar 30, 2021 and hosted by the V language project on GitHub. Its goals, from the README, are to keep the code “simple and easy to understand” without sacrificing performance, to run on real hardware rather than only in emulators, to target modern 64-bit Intel/AMD and ARM machines with multiple cores, and to stay compatible enough with Linux that programs can be brought over easily.
That last goal is what makes Vinix stand out. Most hobby operating systems spend years porting a shell and a compiler. Vinix instead implements the parts of Linux’s system interface that programs rely on, then uses Alpine Linux’s ready-made musl packages as its userland. The result is a brand-new kernel that already runs Bash, Zsh, GCC, Python, Go, Java, X.org, GTK and web browsers.
The kernel itself is mostly V: about 137,000 lines across 463 .v files in the repository we examined. Some first-party C remains, such as networking glue, and the project is porting it to V in tested stages (migration plan). Third-party libraries such as the lwIP network stack stay in C.
What runs on Vinix today
The headlines say Vinix runs Dota 2 and Android apps. Here is what the project’s own documentation says works, checked on Oct 5, 2026.
| Capability | Status | Details and source |
|---|---|---|
| Boots in a virtual machine | Yes: Tested per release | Each release ISO is booted to the desktop in QEMU (and VirtualBox where possible) before it is published. The iso-2026-10-05 release notes: “Both images boot into the Vinix desktop.” |
| Install to disk, keep your files | Yes: Yes, in a VM | The first boot installs Vinix onto an empty disk; booting a newer ISO later updates the system and keeps /root. It drives IDE and SATA disks on amd64 and VirtIO disks on arm64 (README). |
| Linux programs (Alpine musl) | Yes: Core design | Vinix is not Linux, but it implements enough of Linux’s interface to run programs from Alpine Linux. Its pkg command installs Alpine packages: GTK, FFmpeg, GIMP, Gnumeric, Python, Go, Java and more (README). |
| Firefox and Chromium | Yes: On demand | Both run as stock Alpine builds on Vinix’s X11 server. They are not on the ISO; the desktop offers them on first launch, or pkg install chromium fetches them. The README asks for 8 GiB of RAM for Firefox. |
| Desktop and Wayland | Yes: Own desktop + X11 | Vinix has its own desktop written in V, plus X.org. Wayland (Hyprland 0.54.3) runs on arm64, on QEMU and Apple Silicon; the roadmap lists it for aarch64 only. |
| Windows programs (Wine) | Partly | 64-bit Windows programs run through Wine on amd64 (docs/wine.md). On arm64 they go through an x86 translation layer. Wine is not on the default image. |
| Android apps |
Latest Vinix news
No news posts yet. Vinix publishes new ISO images every few days; we post here when a release changes what the operating system can do.
How to try Vinix in a virtual machine
- Download the ISO from the official source only: the GitHub Releases page of vlang/vinix. Pick
vinix-amd64.iso(about 935 MiB) for an x86-64 PC or VM, orvinix-arm64.iso(about 1 GiB) for an ARM64 VM, such as on an Apple Silicon Mac. - Create a VM with at least 4 GiB of memory (8 GiB if you want Firefox), 2 or more CPU cores, and a new, empty disk of 4 GiB or more; 16 GiB leaves room for apps.
- Add a supported network card: Intel e1000 (in VirtualBox, “Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop”) or VirtIO. Larger apps such as Firefox and Chromium are downloaded on first launch.
- Boot the ISO. On first boot Vinix installs itself onto the empty disk; it only formats a disk that is completely empty. Keep the ISO attached, because it still boots the machine. Without a disk, Vinix runs from memory and forgets everything on restart.
- VirtualBox: choose the type Other/Unknown (64-bit) and put the disk on a SATA controller. On arm64, VirtualBox’s disk controllers are not supported, so that VM runs from memory.
On a Linux PC with KVM, these two commands from the README create a 16 GB disk and boot the amd64 image with QEMU:
qemu-img create -f qcow2 vinix-amd64.qcow2 16Gqemu-system-x86_64 -machine q35 -accel kvm -cpu host -m 4096 -smp 2 -cdrom vinix-amd64.iso -drive file=vinix-amd64.qcow2,format=qcow2 -nic user,model=e1000Inside Vinix, pkg update, pkg search and pkg install manage software from Alpine’s repositories. Booting a newer ISO with the same disk updates the system and keeps your files in /root.
Building Vinix from source on Linux
The project gives build instructions for Ubuntu and Debian, Arch Linux, Red Hat-family distros and Void Linux. The build downloads Alpine’s pinned minirootfs, compiles the kernel with Clang and a current V compiler, and produces a UEFI ISO with make all (or make ARCHITECTURE=aarch64 all for ARM64).
Vinix vs Linux, Redox OS and SerenityOS
Vinix is one of a few independent operating systems built from scratch. What sets it apart is that it reuses Linux programs rather than porting each one.
| Operating system | Kernel written in | Kernel | Software | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinix | V (some C still being ported) | Its own Unix-like kernel | Runs Alpine Linux (musl) programs and packages directly | GPL-2.0 |
| Linux distros | C (and some Rust) | The Linux kernel | The full Linux software world: repositories, Flatpak, Steam, drivers | GPL-2.0 kernel |
| Redox OS | Rust | Its own microkernel | Programs are ported and rebuilt for Redox | MIT |
| SerenityOS | C++ | Its own kernel and userland | Its own apps; other programs are ported | BSD-2-Clause |
Our view: Vinix is one of the most interesting new operating systems to watch, because Linux compatibility gives it real software years earlier than most from-scratch projects. It is not a replacement for a Linux distribution: hardware support is narrow, the headline demos are proofs of concept, and the project itself says it is pre-alpha. Try it in a VM for curiosity, and use a beginner-friendly Linux distro for your actual computer. This is an editorial judgment from the project’s documentation, code and history, not from hands-on benchmarks.
Who makes Vinix, and how active is it?
Vinix is developed in the open at github.com/vlang/vinix. Its git history shows two main authors: mintsuki, who started the project and also leads the Limine bootloader that Vinix boots with, and Alexander Medvednikov, the creator of the V programming language. Together they wrote the vast majority of its more than 3,100 commits.
Activity has come in bursts. After active periods in 2021–2022 and 2024, the project was quiet for most of 2025, then had more than 1,100 commits in September 2026 alone, almost all by Medvednikov. That burst added the Alpine userland, the desktop, the pkg manager, Apple M1 drivers, Android, Steam and Dota 2 work, and the first regular ISO releases on Sep 24, 2026. The repository includes rules for AI coding agents, and some commits credit an AI assistant as co-author (AGENTS.md).
Press coverage: OSNews wrote about Vinix shortly after it went public in 2021. The project also lists an official website, vinix-os.org.
Many other GitHub repositories are named “vinix” or “VinixOS”. They are forks or copies, not the official project, and an ISO image from an unknown source can contain anything. Check that the Releases page you use is under vlang, and run Vinix in a virtual machine.
Best Linux distros for building Vinix
To build Vinix from source you need a Linux host; the README gives exact package lists for these distributions. Vinix’s own userland comes from Alpine Linux. Ordered by our live ranking.
- 1
Ubuntu26.04.1
Broad support, from your laptop to your server.
DebianGNOMEStableBeginner4 GB+ RAM
Long-term support release options
#1 overallProfile - 2
Debian13.7
A dependable foundation that takes its time.
IndependentGNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, moreStableIntermediate2 GB+ RAM
Conservative and predictable updates
Vinix OS: common questions
What is Vinix OS?
Vinix is an experimental, open-source operating system whose kernel is written in the V programming language. It was started in 2021 by mintsuki and Alexander Medvednikov, the creator of V. It boots to its own graphical desktop on x86-64 and ARM64 and runs programs built for Alpine Linux. It is pre-alpha and not meant for daily use.
Is Vinix a Linux distribution?
No. Vinix has its own kernel written in V; it does not use the Linux kernel. It does implement enough of Linux’s system interface to run Alpine Linux’s programs and packages unmodified, which is why it ships familiar tools such as Bash, Zsh, GCC, Python and Firefox.
Where can I download Vinix?
Download Vinix only from the official GitHub Releases page at github.com/vlang/vinix/releases. There are two ISO images: vinix-amd64.iso (about 935 MiB) for x86-64 PCs and virtual machines, and vinix-arm64.iso (about 1 GiB) for ARM64 virtual machines, including on Apple Silicon Macs. The latest image when we checked was iso-2026-10-05.
What are the system requirements for Vinix?
The project recommends a virtual machine with at least 4 GiB of memory and an empty 4 GiB disk (16 GiB leaves room for apps), plus an Intel e1000 or VirtIO network card so it can download apps. Give it 8 GiB of memory if you want to run Firefox.
Can Vinix run on real hardware?
Partly. The amd64 image boots on BIOS and UEFI machines, and the arm64 port targets the base Apple M1 MacBook Air, where the speakers work but Wi-Fi and the touchpad are still unvalidated. The project does not publish a list of tested PCs, so a virtual machine is the reliable way to try it.
Does Vinix really run Dota 2 and Android apps?
In early form. The project’s own notes say Dota 2’s Linux client loads a local map and lets you pick a hero, but under software rendering frames take a quarter of a second to minutes, and online play is unverified. Android apps run through Android Translation Layer on ARM64; a calculator works and Roblox is still in progress. Neither is on the downloadable ISO.
Is Vinix better than Linux?
Not for using a computer today. Linux distributions support far more hardware and software and are maintained for daily use. Vinix is interesting as a research and hobby operating system that shows how much a new kernel can reuse from the Linux world.
Who makes Vinix?
Vinix is hosted by the V language organisation on GitHub. Its two main authors are mintsuki, who also leads the Limine bootloader that Vinix boots with, and Alexander Medvednikov, the creator of V, who wrote most of the commits in 2026.
How we researched this page
- What we did. On Oct 5, 2026 we read Vinix’s repository directly: the README, license, the documentation for each feature in the table above, the iso-2026-10-05 release, and the full git history (to count authors, commits and kernel source lines). Every claim links its source.
- What we did not do. We have not booted Vinix ourselves and did not audit its code. Capabilities are described as the project documents them, including its own caveats, and labelled that way.
- How fresh it is. Vinix changes daily and publishes new images every few days. The release and date in the facts above show what this page was checked against.
- Independence. distro.watch has no relationship with Vinix or the V language project, and this page has no affiliate links. See our editorial standards.
Tried Vinix? Send your VM or hardware, the image you used and what worked, or a correction, to contact@distro.watch.
What changed on this page
- Page published for Vinix iso-2026-10-05: what the operating system is, what runs on it with links to the project’s own test notes, how to try it in a virtual machine, Apple M1 status, comparison with Linux, Redox OS and SerenityOS, and a download-safety warning.
Sources
- GitHub: vlang/vinix (README, code and history)
- GitHub: Vinix iso-2026-10-05 release and all releases
- GitHub: Vinix license (GPL-2.0)
- Vinix documentation: Android, Dota 2, Steam, Wine, Roblox, iOS, hypervisor, M1 speakers, M1 Wi-Fi, M1 touchpad, kernel C-to-V migration, language breakdown
- GitHub: Vinix commit history
- Vinix: official website
