Atomic by default
Update the whole operating system as a coherent image. Reboot into the new deployment; keep the previous one available.
Debian · mkosi · bootc
Keep the system
boring. Make the work interesting.
Frostyard images are atomic, updateable operating systems for desktops and servers. A known-good base stays put; your tools arrive as deliberate layers.
Mutable where it counts
Your data, configuration, containers, and projects live in persistent writable storage. The operating system does not get in their way.
Tools without drift
Add capabilities as system extensions, containers, or user-space package environments instead of turning the base into a snowball.
Native A/B and nbc lifecycle
Move to bootc
before September 30.
Native A/B images and systems installed with nbc reach end of support and routine publication on September 30, 2026. After that date Frostyard publishes no routine fixes, security updates, dependency refreshes, native images, or nbc packages for those systems.
There is no in-place conversion. Verify a readable backup, then reinstall with a bootc image for continued support.
Four bootc products
Choose the terrain.
The foundation is shared.
Each product starts from the same reproducible Debian base and takes a clear role from there.
How the images relateOne shared base. Four bootc products. Optional layers for every image.Explore the shared base →
Desktop01
snow
A GNOME workstation that stays composed.
A daily desktop built on Debian Trixie with a current backports kernel, atomic OS updates, and room for real work.
Surface02
snowfield
Snow, tuned for Surface hardware.
The Snow desktop with linux-surface and the hardware support that makes a tablet or laptop feel like a first-class machine.
Desktop03
sundog
A Plasma workstation on the bootc path.
A KDE Plasma Wayland desktop with the shared Frostyard workstation baseline and a bootc-only update model.
Server04
floe
A quiet base for services and containers.
A headless image for servers, labs, and small infrastructure. Podman is ready; the host stays deliberately uninteresting.
System extensions
More capability.
No base-image sprawl.
Sysexts are versioned, removable overlays for the parts of your system that deserve their own lifecycle.
29
published extensions
in the catalog snapshot
Workstation
1Password desktopv8.12.32+r1Bitwardenv2026.8.0+r1Claude Desktopv1.40609.0+r1Microsoft Edgev150.0.4078.48-1Visual Studio Codev1.134.0-1787078834
Development
Development toolsv12.12+r1Debian developmentv1.0.141Nixv2.26.3+dfsg-1+r2Podman + Distroboxv5.4.2+ds1-2+b2Docker CEv5+29.5.2-1~debian.13~trixie
Infrastructure
Tailscalev1.98.2Azure VPNv3.1.0+r1Incusv1+7.3-debian13-202608040033+r2Coderv2.35.3-1code-serverv4.117.0Lemonadev11.9.0~13
Also published
1Password CLIv2.33.1-1ChatGPTv26.903.61454+r1Emdashv0.4.45GitHub Copilotv1.1.6Himmelblauv4.0.0-debian13~20260406K3sv1.36.3+k3s1LocalSendv1.18.2+64Moonlightv6.1.0-frostyard20260826144043Obsidianv1.13.7paseov0.2.3pilothousev0.6.0Sunshinev2026.516.143833+r2Voxtypev0.7.5-frostyard20260826144029
The snapshot reports published catalog data. Listing does not imply endorsement or a support commitment.
The practical model
Install software
at the right altitude.
Immutability is not a prohibition. It is a boundary that makes each choice easier to reverse and reason about.
System extension
For a tool that belongs close to the OS: VPNs, IDEs, container runtimes, and services.
Container or Distrobox
For development stacks and workloads that should bring their own userspace.
User-space environment
For personal tooling with Nix, Homebrew, Flatpak, or a project-local runtime.
No magic, just composition
Built in the open
with mkosi.
Floe, Snow, Snowfield, and Sundog share one foundation, then branch only where purpose demands: packages, kernel, desktop, and configuration.
Inspect snosi ↗