Arch Linux

Keep It Simple, Stupid. Build your system from the ground up.

Desktop Development Advanced

Overview

Based on	Independent
Package manager	pacman + AUR
Package format	.pkg.tar.zst
Release model	Rolling release
Default DE	None (you choose)
Init system	systemd
Website	archlinux.org

Why Arch?

Rolling release - Always running the latest software, no version upgrades needed
The Arch Wiki - The single best documentation resource in the Linux world. Useful even if you don't use Arch.
The AUR - Community repo with 80,000+ packages. If software exists on Linux, it's in the AUR.
Minimalism - Start with nothing, install only what you need. No bloat.
Learning - Building an Arch system teaches you how Linux actually works
pacman - One of the fastest package managers available

Package Management

Arch uses pacman for official repos and AUR helpers (yay, paru) for community packages.

# Sync repos and upgrade everything
sudo pacman -Syu

# Install a package
sudo pacman -S firefox

# Remove a package and its orphaned dependencies
sudo pacman -Rns firefox

# Search for a package
pacman -Ss "text editor"

# List explicitly installed packages
pacman -Qe

# Find which package owns a file
pacman -Qo /usr/bin/git

# Clean package cache (keep last 3 versions)
sudo paccache -r

AUR (Arch User Repository)

# Install yay (AUR helper)
sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay && makepkg -si

# Install AUR packages just like regular packages
yay -S visual-studio-code-bin
yay -S spotify
yay -S google-chrome

# Update everything (official + AUR)
yay -Syu

AUR safety: AUR packages are user-submitted build scripts. Always review the PKGBUILD before installing, especially for less popular packages. Use yay --editmenu to inspect before building.

Installation

Arch provides two installation methods:

archinstall - A guided, interactive installer included on the ISO. Good for quick installs.
Manual install - The traditional method. Follow the Setup Guide or the Arch Wiki's Installation Guide.

Choosing a Desktop

Arch doesn't ship with a desktop. You pick and install one yourself. See Desktop Environments for details.

# GNOME
sudo pacman -S gnome gdm
sudo systemctl enable gdm

# KDE Plasma
sudo pacman -S plasma sddm
sudo systemctl enable sddm

# Hyprland (tiling Wayland compositor)
sudo pacman -S hyprland waybar wofi alacritty

# i3 (tiling X11 WM)
sudo pacman -S i3-wm i3status dmenu alacritty xorg-server xorg-xinit

Tips

Read the Arch Wiki for everything. It's the answer to most questions.
Run sudo pacman -Syu regularly (at least weekly). Don't let a rolling release fall too far behind.
Check the Arch News (archlinux.org/news/) before updating. Manual intervention is occasionally required.
Use Timeshift or snapper with btrfs for system snapshots before big updates
Keep base-devel installed for building AUR packages
If something breaks after an update, boot from the Arch ISO and arch-chroot to fix it

Arch-Based Alternatives

If you want the Arch ecosystem without the manual install:

Manjaro - Adds a stability buffer and graphical installer
EndeavourOS - Closest to vanilla Arch with a graphical installer
Garuda Linux - Gaming-focused with btrfs snapshots and performance tweaks