| Clear Linux OS | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Clear Linux OS's default GNOME desktop (2021) | |
| Developer | Intel |
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | February 6, 2015[1][2] |
| Final release | 43800 / July 21, 2025[3] |
| Repository | |
| Marketing target | DevOps, AI, Cloud, Container[4] |
| Available in | English, Spanish, Chinese |
| Update method | Rolling release,[3] auto-updating[5] [6][4][7] |
| Package manager | swupd |
| Supported platforms | x86-64 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic kernel (Linux) |
| Default user interface | |
| License | Multiple[12] |
| Official website | clearlinux |
Clear Linux OS[a] is a discontinued Linux distribution, once developed and maintained on Intel's 01.org open-source platform, and optimized for Intel's microprocessors with an emphasis on performance and security.[14][15] Its optimizations were also effective on AMD systems.[16] Clear Linux OS followed a rolling release model. Clear Linux OS was not intended to be a general-purpose Linux distribution; it was designed to be used by IT professionals for DevOps, AI application development, cloud computing, and containers.[17]
History
In 2015, Intel introduced Clear Linux OS at OpenStack Summit 2015, Vancouver[18] initially, it was limited to cloud usage.[19][20] Intel began the Clear Containers project to address container security.[21][22][23] In 2015, originally, Clear Linux OS was deployed as a single monolithic unit.[24] In May 2019, Clear Linux OS released a new Desktop Installer and started a Help Forum.[25][26]
On July 18, 2025, Intel announced the end of support Clear Linux OS, effective immediately.[27][28][29]
Clear Linux OS is available via Microsoft Azure marketplace,[30][31] and Amazon Web Services marketplace.[32]
Requirements
Clear Linux OS supports 2nd generation Intel Core (Sandy Bridge) CPUs and later, Xeon E3 and later, and Silvermont-based Intel Atom C2000 and E3800 processors.[33][34][30] An installed system is booted via the EFI boot loader or via systemd-boot.[26] Minimum system requirements are SSE4 and CLMUL (carry-less multiplication), as well as UEFI.[26]
Features
Clear Linux OS uses reference stacks to install images that are optimized and tested together for specific use-cases.[35] It also utilizes a strict separation between User data and System config files, called stateless, so that even a misconfigured system will still boot correctly and then perform a factory reset so it can be reconfigured.
Desktop
By default, Clear Linux OS ships with the GNOME desktop environment[4] and most graphical effects are disabled. KDE Plasma and Xfce are also available for installation.
Package management
Packages are usually installed and updated through bundles with the help of swupd,[36] which is described as an OS-level software update program, using delta updates to minimize update size. Flatpak is also preinstalled and can be used to install and use packages.
Mixer is the tool for creating 3rd-party-bundles, which can then be installed using swupd.[37]
Notes
- ^ Clear Linux was referred to in early documentation as Clear Linux™ OS, later as Clear Linux* OS with a corresponding footnote acknowledging that the rights to "Linux" may be possessed by others.[1][2] Clear Linux OS has been referred to, in the literature, as Clear Linux™ OS, Clear Linux* OS, Clear Linux OS, Clear Linux* and Clear Linux.[13]
References
- ^ a b "Clear Linux* Project for Intel Architecture". 01.org. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ a b "Home". Clear Linux Project. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ a b "Index of /releases/". Clear Linux Project. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "What is Clear Linux OS?". Clear Linux* Project Docs. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021.
- ^ more frequently than weekly
- ^ "Clear Linux Highlights #5". Clear Linux* Project: Blogs & News. November 28, 2016. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ Hruska, Joel (May 15, 2019). "Intel Unveils Clear Linux OS Update at Open Source Summit". ExtremeTech. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Clear Linux: the Linux distribution developed by Intel". Linux Adictos. September 8, 2018. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Clarity in the Desktop". Clear Linux* Project. April 22, 2016. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "xfce4-desktop-bundle". clearlinux.org. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "KDE Plasma 5 bundle". clearlinux.org. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "List of licenses used in Clear Linux OS". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Clear Linux* OS image types". Clear Linux* Project Docs. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ Nestor, Marius (May 15, 2019). "Intel's Clear Linux OS Now Offers Workflows Tailored for Linux Developers". softpedia. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ Perkins, John (January 7, 2021). "Clear Linux Review: The McLaren of Linux Distros". Make Tech Easier. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ Williams, Rob (October 24, 2019). "A Linux For Speed Hounds: A Look At Clear Linux Performance". Techgage. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Clear Linux* OS announces support for Kata Containers". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "OpenStack Vancouver 2015". OpenStack. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "Clear Linux OS: the performant Linux distribution for the cloud". IONOS. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021.
- ^ Clear Linux at DistroWatch
- ^ Ven, Arjan van de Ven (May 18, 2015). "An introduction to Clear Containers". LWN.net. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Home". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Intel® Clear Containers: Now part of Kata Containers". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ Yegulalp, Serdar (May 21, 2015). "Intel takes on CoreOS with its own container-based Linux". InfoWorld. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ "Clear Linux Installer v2.0". Clear Linux* Project: Blogs & News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c Wolski, David (April 30, 2020). "Ausprobiert: Clear Linux, Intels leistungsfähige Linux-Distribution" [Tried: Clear Linux, Intel's powerful Linux distribution]. heise online (in German). Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "All good things come to an end: Shutting down Clear Linux OS". Clear Linux OS Forum. July 18, 2025. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ "Intel Announces It's Shutting Down Clear Linux". www.phoronix.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
- ^ "Intel dreht eigene Linux-Distribution von einem Tag auf den anderen ab". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Kumar, Ambarish (October 7, 2017). "An Overview of Clear Linux, its Features and Installation Procedure". it's foss. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Announcing the availability of Clear Linux* OS in Azure Marketplace". Microsoft Azure. January 18, 2017. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "AWS Marketplace: Clear Linux OS". aws.amazon.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ "Recommended minimum system requirements - Documentation for Clear Linux* project". clearlinux.github.io. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ Thommes, Ferdinand (2016). "Clear Sighted: Clear Linux: A cloud distro for Intel processors Page 1". Ubuntu User. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Stacks". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "clearlinux/swupd-client". github.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ "swupd 3rd-party". Documentation for Clear Linux* project. docs.01.org. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
Further reading
- Legay, Damien; Decan, Alexandre; Mens, Tom (2020). "On Package Freshness in Linux Distributions". 2020 IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution (ICSME). pp. 682–686. arXiv:2007.16123. doi:10.1109/ICSME46990.2020.00072. ISBN 978-1-7281-5619-4. S2CID 220920020.
