Distrochooser

Distrochooser.de is an interactive web quiz that guides Linux beginners in selecting the most suitable Linux distribution based on their experience level, use cases, hardware needs, and preferences.

🚀 Overview

Distrochooser.de is a helpful tool designed to assist newcomers to Linux in navigating the overwhelming variety of available distributions. By answering a series of straightforward questions, users receive personalized recommendations ranked by suitability.

This project solves the common problem faced by Linux beginners: the difficulty in choosing from hundreds of distros without prior knowledge. It is built specifically for Linux newbies, people switching from Windows or macOS, and anyone curious about Linux but unsure where to start.

Christian Malek created it as an orientation guide to provide helpful suggestions, acknowledging it's not infallible but a great starting point. The community contributes translations and mappings to keep it relevant.

✨ Key Features

Interactive quiz with ~13 questions across categories like software use case, computer knowledge, Linux experience, installation presets, hardware support, help sources, and user experience (users can skip, mark important, reorder)
Personalized ranking of numerous Linux distributions based on answers
Multi-language support through community translations (e.g., English, German, French)
Beta version in active development with improvements (beta.distrochooser.de)

🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend: Vue.js, TypeScript, SCSS
Backend: Python
Containerization: Docker
Other: Shell scripts for local runs

👥 Who Is This For?

This project is useful for:

Linux beginners who want to find a beginner-friendly distro
Users switching from other OSes looking for similar experience
Curious makers exploring Linux without trial-and-error

📸 Screenshots / Demo

Live demo: https://distrochooser.de
Beta: https://beta.distrochooser.de
GitHub: https://github.com/distrochooser/distrochooser

🔥 Project Status

🟢 Actively building

Last updated: 2026-03-24

❓ FAQ

Is this project free?

Yes — completely free to use.

Is the source code available?

Yes — https://github.com/distrochooser/distrochooser (mirror: https://codeberg.org/distrochooser/distrochooser)

Can I contribute?

Yes — contribute via GitHub issues, PRs for code/bugs, translations in /locale, new distro mappings (doc/HOW-TO-MAP.md), ideas/questions. Join the Discord for discussion: https://discord.gg/aDkCutfqak.