Arch Linux · minimal by design

The Arch desktop
lighter than 1 GB.

A full Openbox desktop environment that sips ~130 MB of RAM on a base install and stays under 1 GB with everything running. Snap-tiling windows, 8 virtual desktops, bootable Btrfs snapshots and 4 themes — one command to install. Runs on x86_64 and aarch64.

Install in one command See the 4 themes →
0 MBbase install RAM
<1 GBfull desktop RAM
0switchable themes
2architectures · x86_64 + aarch64
kitty — zsh
➜ $
// why bother

Featherweight. Fiercely fast.

Most "modern" desktops idle at 1.5–2 GB before you even open an app. This build gives you a complete, themed, keyboard-driven desktop for a fraction of that.

This build · base
~130 MB
This build · full desktop
<1 GB
Typical stock DE
2 GB+

Idle RAM usage, measured with neofetch. Proof in the screenshot below.

neofetch and htop showing the system idling at a fraction of the RAM a typical desktop uses
Live resource usage — the whole desktop, idling quietly.
// anywhere arch runs

One build. Two architectures.

Whatever board or box you're on — if Arch boots on it, this desktop fits.

🖥️

x86_64

Laptops, desktops, ThinkPads and towers. Tested end-to-end on Intel and NVIDIA graphics, with auto GPU-driver detection in the installer.

🧊

aarch64

ARM laptops, SBCs and mini-PCs. The same minimal philosophy — a full desktop that stays out of your RAM budget on low-memory machines.

Btrfs + snapshotsBootable rollbacks from GRUB, via Timeshift & Snapper.
Auto CPU freqBattery-friendly power tuning, on by default.
Gaming readySteam, Lutris and MangoHud preinstalled.
Flatpak & AppImageNon-essential apps stay out of the base system.
// window-fu

Tiling & 8 desktops.
All muscle, no mouse.

Openbox here is tuned for your keyboard: snap windows into perfect halves, fan your work across eight virtual desktops, and never touch a title bar again. Both demos below are live — click around.

Snap tiling

try it
kitty
➜ ~

Super+←/→ halves the screen · Super+↑/↓ takes top / bottom

8 virtual desktops

try it
desktop 1 · work

Super+1…8 switch · Super+Shift+1…8 send window here · scroll the desktop to flip

// cheat sheet — press Super+F1 anywhere for a searchable rofi popup with every shortcut
Alt+Tab cycle windows Super+Space root menu Super+R rofi launcher Super+D show desktop Super+T toggle decorations Super+X maximize Super+F fullscreen Super+Return terminal Super+E files Super+Esc power menu
// safety net

Btrfs snapshots.
An undo button for your OS.

The whole system installs onto Btrfs with live, bootable snapshots. Broke something at 2 a.m.? Pick an earlier snapshot straight from the GRUB boot menu and roll back before your coffee finishes brewing.

🌳

Live snapshots

Timeshift captures your system automatically — filesystem-level, copy-on-write, instant. Keep working while it snaps.

🥾

Bootable from GRUB

Snapshots appear right in the boot menu. Even a bad update can't lock you out: boot a snapshot, restore, reboot.

🪶

Lighter than ext4

Btrfs snapshots take a fraction of the space an ext4 equivalent would — real safety without a storage tax.

🧰

Timeshift + Snapper

Timeshift is enabled out of the box and reachable from GRUB; Snapper ships alongside for power-user policies.

# disaster recovery, the two-command edition
timeshift --list
timeshift --restore --snapshot '2026-09-15_12-00-00'

Or skip the terminal entirely — just pick the snapshot in the GRUB menu at boot.

// looks

Four themes. One keystroke.

The whole desktop — panel, launcher, menus, terminal and even Spotify — restyles itself. No logout, no reinstall.

Theme 1 desktop Theme 1 with menu open
Theme 1 application launcher Theme 1 terminal Theme 1 file manager
// in motion

Watch it move

Live recordings of the desktop in use — menus, launchers, workflows.

Animated recording of the Openbox desktop: opening menus, launching apps and switching themes
Desktop tourRofi launcher, obmenu menus, tint2 panel.
Animated recording of a fresh install of the Openbox desktop environment
Fresh install demoWhat you get after the script finishes.
// under the hood

Small tools, sharp tools.

Every piece earns its place. No orphans, no bloat.

🪟

Openbox

A legendary window manager with snap tiling and 8 virtual desktops, fully keybound — your hands never leave the keyboard.

🐱

Kitty

GPU-accelerated terminal with sensible shortcuts, running Zsh + oh-my-zsh.

🚀

Rofi

Blazing-fast application launcher. App in three keystrokes.

📊

Tint2

A crisp panel with material design icons and system trays.

🍩

Picom

Compositor with rounded corners and smooth animations — cheaply.

🍃

Dunst

Minimal, hackable notification daemon. No daemon weight.

🔖

Thunar

File manager with a customized sidebar and bulk rename.

🎵

Spotify, themed

Spicetify Dribbblish theme — the music player matches the desktop.

⌨️

Geany IDE

The flyweight IDE, for when you need to edit more than a config.

// get it

From ISO to desktop.

Two scripts, a few questions, done. Intermediate-friendly, by design.

1

Base system ArchBase

Grab the latest Arch ISO, boot it, and run the base installer. Mirror ranking, Btrfs + snapshots, swap partition, GPU drivers and microcode — handled automatically.

pacman -Sy && pacman -S git
git clone https://github.com/kud04rk/ArchBaseInstall.git
cd ArchBaseInstall
./crusedo.sh

Not in India? Set your keyboard/locale in 2_setup.sh first.

2

Desktop Openbox

Reboot into your fresh base system, then layer on the full Openbox desktop with all four themes, shortcuts and apps.

git clone https://github.com/kud04rk/OpenboxInstall.git
cd OpenboxInstall
chmod 777 openbox_install.sh enabling_services.sh
./openbox_install.sh
sudo -s && ./enabling_services.sh && exit
./theme_config.sh

Dotfiles live in their own repo: Openbox_Dotfiles.

Minimum specs: dual-core i5 4th-gen · 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended) · 64 GB SSD · 1366×768+ display · dual monitors supported. Chances are, your aarch64 board qualifies too.