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.

Install with Firn →Explore images ↓
01

Atomic by default

Update the whole operating system as a coherent image. Reboot into the new deployment; keep the previous one available.

02

Mutable where it counts

Your data, configuration, containers, and projects live in persistent writable storage. The operating system does not get in their way.

03

Tools without drift

Add capabilities as system extensions, containers, or user-space package environments instead of turning the base into a snowball.

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 →
Frostyard image compositionThe shared base image branches to the Floe server, Snow GNOME desktop, and Sundog KDE Plasma desktop. Snow leads to the Snowfield Surface desktop. System extensions add optional capabilities to all four products.SHARED FOUNDATIONshared basesystem · boot · toolsSERVER IMAGEfloeheadless · containersGNOME DESKTOPsnowGNOME · backports kernelKDE DESKTOPsundogPlasma · bootc onlySURFACE DESKTOPsnowfieldSnow · linux-surface kernelSYSEXT LAYERoptional capabilities for any image · Incus · Docker · Podman · dev tools · apps
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.

GNOMEBackports kernelAtomic updates
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.

GNOMElinux-surfaceTouch-ready
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.

KDE PlasmaWaylandbootc only
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.

HeadlessContainersVirtualization

System extensions

More capability.
No base-image sprawl.

Sysexts are versioned, removable overlays for the parts of your system that deserve their own lifecycle.

33

published extensions
in the catalog snapshot

View repository index ↗

Workstation

1Password desktopv8.12.44+r2Bitwardenv2026.10.4+r1Claude Desktopv5.1231.2+r1Microsoft Edgev157.0.4341.46-1+r2Visual Studio Codev1.146.0-1794340865+r1

Development

Development toolsv12.12+r3Debian developmentv1.0.141Nixv2.26.3+dfsg-1+r6Podman + Distroboxv5.4.2+ds1-2+b2+r1Docker CEv5+29.9.3-1~debian.13~trixie+r1

Infrastructure

Tailscalev1.104.6+r1Incusv1+7.6-debian13-202611091558+r6Coderv2.38.7-1+r4code-serverv4.145.2+r1Lemonadev2026.45.3~13+r1

Also published

1Password CLIv2.42.0-1ChatGPTv26.1106.51428+r2GitDesktopv0.14.0GitHub Copilotv1.2.0+r1Himmelblauv4.0.8-debian13+r1K3sv1.37.2+k3s1+r2LocalSendv1.18.2+64lodgev0.2.1Frostmail maildv0.5.0Moonlightv6.2.0-frostyard20261102170439Frostnotes notesdv0.4.0Obsidianv1.15.0paseov0.15.4+r1pilothousev0.9.1Porter porterdv0.2.0frostread readdv0.5.0Sunshinev2026.914.233613-1+debiantrixie+r1Voxtypev1.1.1-frostyard20261102170429+r2

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.

01

System extension

For a tool that belongs close to the OS: VPNs, IDEs, container runtimes, and services.

02

Container or Distrobox

For development stacks and workloads that should bring their own userspace.

03

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 ↗