---
title: "Artix Linux install guide"
description: "Guide to installing Artix Linux with OpenRC and full disk encryption for UEFI and BIOS systems."
date: "2025-01-07"
---
---

## Introduction

The goal of this guide is to set up a minimal installation of **Artix Linux** with **OpenRC** as an init system and  **full disk encryption** on an **UEFI** or **BIOS** system. This guide is meant to be read alongside the wiki's.

---

## Acquire an installation image

1. Go to the downloads page https://artixlinux.org/download.php
2. Scroll down to the **Official ISO images** section.
3. Under the **base** section, download the file starting with `artix-base-openrc` and ending with `.iso`

---

## Prepare an installation medium

### Windows

Use [Rufus](https://rufus.ie/en), here is a [guide](https://www.wikihow.com/Use-Rufus) if you need it.

### Linux

1. Insert a USB flash drive into your PC with at least 2 GB of space available on it.
2. Find the corresponding block device for the flash drive in `/dev` folder. Usually it is `/dev/sdb`.
3. Burn the image to the flash drive (assuming your flash drive is /dev/sdb and that your terminal is opened in the directory of the image)

```
sudo dd bs=4M if=./artix-base-openrc-YYYY.MM.DD-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdb conv=fsync oflag=direct status=progress
```

---

## Boot the live environment

> [!Info]
>Artix Linux installation images do not support Secure Boot. You will need to disable Secure Boot to boot the installation medium.

1. Power off your PC.
2. Insert the flash drive into the computer on which you are installing Artix Linux.
3. Power on your PC and press _boot menu_ key. 
4. Boot the installation medium.

---

## Enter the live environment 
Login with the default credentials. 
* Username: `root`
* Password: `artix`

## Connect to the internet

### Via Ethernet

Connect the computer via an Ethernet cable

### Via WiFi

> [!Note]
>When encountering a code block as below throughout this guide, execute the commands within it directly in the terminal.

```
sudo rfkill unblock wifi
sudo ip link set wlan0 up
connmanctl
```

> [!Tip]
>Network names can be tab-completed.

```
agent on
scan wifi
services
```

> [!example]
>connect wifi_dc85de828967_38303944616e69656c73_managed_psk

```
connect {WiFi name} 
quit
```

### Verify internet connectivity

Check for internet 
```
ping artixlinux.org
```

---

## Update the system clock

Activate the NTP daemon to synchronize the computer's real-time clock:
```
rc-service ntpd start
```

---

## Partition the disk

1. Install `gdisk`.
```
pacman -Sy gdisk
```

2. Partition your drive. You can find your drive name using the `lsblk` command.

> [!Note]
> I will be using `nvme0n1` as my drive throughout this guide, please adapt it to your disk name.
> If you have an hdd, your drive name may ressemble something like `sda`.

```
gdisk /dev/nvme0n1
```

2. Delete any existing partitions
```
Command (m for help): d
```

3. Create a boot partition
```
Command (m for help): n
Partition number (1-128, default 1):
First sector (...):
Last sector (...): +512M
Hex code or GUID (...): ef00
```

4. Create a root partition
```
Command (m for help): n
Partition number (2-128, default 1):
First sector (...):
Last sector (...):
Hex code or GUID (...): 8300
```

5. Save the changes
```
Command (m for help): w
Do you want to proceed? (Y/N): y
```

6. Verify partitioning
```
lsblk
```

> [!Note]
>It should look something like this:

```
NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1     259:0    0 465,8G  0 disk
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0   512M  0 part
└─nvme0n1p2 259:2    0 465,3G  0 part
```

---

## Encrypt root partition

1. Encrypt your root partition.

> [!Tip]
>Make sure to to enter a secure passphrase and to write it down in a secure place as you will not be able to change it later

```
cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/nvme0n1p2
Are you sure (Type `yes` in capital letters): YES
```

2. Open the encrypted partition
```
cryptsetup open /dev/nvme0n1p2 root
```

---

## Create file systems

1. Create the boot file system
```
mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/nvme0n1p1
```

1. Create the root file system
```
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/root
```

---

## Mount file systems

1. Mount the root file system
```
mount /dev/mapper/root /mnt
```

2.  Mount the boot file system
```
mount -m /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot
```

3. Verify mounting
```
lsblk
```

> [!Note]
>It should look something like this:

```
NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1     259:0    0 465,8G  0 disk  
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0   512M  0 part  /mnt/boot
└─nvme0n1p2 259:2    0 465,3G  0 part  
  └─root    254:0    0 465,2G  0 crypt /mnt
```

---

## Install Essentials

Install the base system, kernel, init system and other essential packages.

```
basestrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware openrc elogind-openrc cryptsetup cryptsetup-openrc efibootmgr doas nano
```

> [!Note]
> Install AMD or Intel microcode, depending on your system's CPU

### AMD CPU

Install AMD CPU microcode updates

```
basestrap /mnt amd-ucode
```

### Intel CPU

Install Intel CPU microcode updates

```
basestrap /mnt intel-ucode
```

---

## Generate File System Table

```
fstabgen -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
```

---

## Switch to New Installation

```
artix-chroot /mnt bash
```

---

## Network stack

```
pacman -S wpa_supplicant networkmanager networkmanager-openrc iwd iwd-openrc
rc-update add NetworkManager
rc-update add iwd

cat << EOF >> /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/wifi_backend.conf
[device]
wifi.backend=iwd
EOF
```

### MAC randomization

> [!Info]
>MAC randomization can be used for increased privacy by not disclosing your real MAC address to the WiFi network. 

```
cat << EOF >> /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/00-macrandomize.conf
[device-mac-randomization]
wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=yes

[connection-mac-randomization]
ethernet.cloned-mac-address=random
wifi.cloned-mac-address=random
EOF
```

## Localization

### Set the locale

> [!Note]
>Feel free to change `en_DK.UTF-8` to your preferred locale such as `en_US.UTF-8` or `en_GB.UTF-8`

1. Un-comment `en_DK.UTF-8`
```
nano /etc/locale.gen
```

2. Generate locales.
```
locale-gen
echo 'LANG=en_DK.UTF-8' > /etc/locale.conf
```

---

## Set the time zone

> [!example]
>`ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Toronto /etc/localtime`

```
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Region/City /etc/localtime
```

---

## Set hardware clock from system clock

```
hwclock --systohc
```

---

## Hostname and Host

> [!Note]
>Change `artix` to your desired hostname in all of the following commands

```
echo 'artix' > /etc/hostname
```

1. Edit `/etc/conf.d/hostname`
```
nano /etc/conf.d/hostname
```

2. Replace `hostname="localhost"` with `hostname="artix"`

3. Edit `/etc/hosts`
```
nano /etc/hosts
```

4. Add the following:
```
127.0.0.1     localhost
::1           localhost
127.0.1.1     artix.localdomain        artix
```

---

## Initramfs

1. Edit `/etc/mkinitcpio.conf`
```
nano /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
```

2. In the `HOOKS` array, add `encrypt` between `block` and `filesystems`

> [!Note]
>It should look something like this:

```
HOOKS=(base udev autodetect microcode modconf kms keyboard keymap consolefont block encrypt filesystems fsck)
```

3. Run this

```
mkinitcpio -P
```
---

## Add a user

1. Set the root password.
```
passwd
```

2. Create a user and set his password.

> [!Tip]
>Change `artix` to your desired username

```
useradd -m artix
passwd artix
```

---

## Configure doas

1. Create the config file.
```
touch /etc/doas.conf
chown -c root:root /etc/doas.conf
chmod -c 0400 /etc/doas.conf
```

2. Edit `/etc/doas.conf`
```
nano /etc/doas.conf
```

3. Add the following:
```
permit artix as root
permit nopass artix as root cmd pacman
```

---

## Boot Loader
### Check for UEFI support

> [!Tip]
>If you see a bunch of files listed, use EFISTUB.
>If you do not see a bunch of files listed, your system does not support UEFI and you should use GRUB.

```
ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars
```

### EFISTUB

1. Get the UUID of your root partition.
```
blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/nvme0n1p2
```

2. Create a boot entry where xxxx is the UUID that you obtained earlier.

> [!Tip]
>Replace xxxx with the UUID that you obtained earlier.
>Replace `intel-ucode.img` with `amd-ucode.img` if you have an AMD CPU

```
efibootmgr -c -d /dev/nvme0n1 -p 1 -l /vmlinuz-linux -L "Artix" -u "cryptdevice=UUID=xxxx:root root=/dev/mapper/root rw initrd=\intel-ucode.img initrd=\initramfs-linux.img loglevel=3 quiet"
```

### GRUB

1. Install grub on your boot partition
```
pacman -S grub
grub-install /dev/sda
```

2. Get the UUID of your root partition.
```
blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/nvme0n1p2
```

3. Edit `/etc/default/grub`
```
nano /etc/default/grub
```

4. Add the following to the `GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX` line, where xxxx is the UUID that you obtained earlier.
```
cryptdevice=UUID=xxxx:root root=/dev/mapper/root
```

> [!Note]
>It should look something like this:

```
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="cryptdevice=UUID=550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000:root root=/dev/mapper/root"
```

5. Un-comment `#GRUB_ENABLE_CRYPTODISK=y`

6. Generate the config file.
```
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
```

---

## Reboot

1. You can reboot and enter into your new installation.
```
exit
umount -R /mnt
reboot now
```

> [!Note]
>Unplug your flash drive after the screen turns black.

---

## Post install

You will now be greeted with a similar screen as when you first booted from the flash drive.
Login using the credentials that you set, if you followed the example your username would be `artix`.

### Add arch repositories and sort for fastest mirrors
#### Add arch extra repository

1. Install packages
```
doas pacman -Syu artix-archlinux-support curl
doas pacman-key --populate archlinux
doas sh -c "curl https://archlinux.org/mirrorlist/all -o /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist-arch"
```

2. Edit `/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist-arch`
```
doas nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist-arch
```

3. Un-comment the first server entries under the worldwide section

4. Edit `/etc/pacman.conf`
```
doas nano /etc/pacman.conf
```

5. Add the following to the bottom of the file
```
##Arch
[extra]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist-arch

##[multilib]
##Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist-arch
```

#### Sort for fastest mirrors

```
doas pacman -Syu reflector pacman-contrib
doas reflector --verbose -p https -l 30 -f 5 --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist-arch
doas sh -c "curl https://gitea.artixlinux.org/packages/artix-mirrorlist/raw/branch/master/mirrorlist -o /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.bak"
doas sh -c "rankmirrors -v -n 5 /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.bak > /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist"
```

###  AUR
####  Install Paru

```
doas pacman -S --needed base-devel
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru.git
cd paru
makepkg -si
cd ..
rm -rf paru
```

#### Replace sudo with doas

```
doas pacman -Rdd sudo
doas ln -s /usr/bin/doas /usr/bin/sudo
```

### Laptop power profiles

Install and enable the powerprofiles daemon

```
doas pacman -S power-profiles-daemon power-profiles-daemon-openrc
doas rc-update add power-profiles-daemon
doas rc-service power-profiles-daemon start
```

### Add swap

```
doas fallocate -l 4G /swapfile
doas chmod 600 /swapfile
daos mkswap /swapfile
doas swapon /swapfile
doas cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | doas tee -a /etc/fstab
```

### Auto-mount an external LUKS encrypted drive

```
doas fdisk /dev/sdb
>g, n, w

doas cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb1
doas cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb1 hdd1
doas mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/hdd1
doas mkdir /mnt/hdd1
doas mount /dev/mapper/hdd1 /mnt/hdd1
doas chown vega:vega /mnt/hdd1
doas dd if=/dev/urandom of=/root/keyfile_hdd1 bs=512 count=4
doas chmod 0400 /root/keyfile_hdd1
doas cryptsetup luksAddKey /dev/sdb1 /root/keyfile_hdd1
UUID=$(doas blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sdb1)

doas sh -c "cat << EOF >> /etc/conf.d/dmcrypt
target=hdd1
source=UUID='$UUID'
key=/root/keyfile_hdd1
wait=2
EOF"

doas rc-update add dmcrypt boot
doas reboot
```