🚀 Getting Started with LavaOS

Welcome to the official documentation of LavaOS! A lightweight, developer-friendly, Unix-like operating system built from scratch. Whether you just want to try it out or dive deep into the source code, this guide will get you up and running fast ⚡

📦 Installation Options

You have two main ways to use LavaOS:

  • Option 1: Download Prebuilt Image

    • The easiest way to get started is by downloading the latest release:

    Visit the official GitHub repository:

    👉 LavaOS GitHub Repository

    Download the latest release

    Run it using an emulator like QEMU

  • Option 2: Build from Source (Recommended for Developers)

    • If you want the full experience (and control 😏), build LavaOS yourself

    🛠️ Requirements

    Before building, make sure you have:

    • A Linux distribution (recommended: Arch Linux)
    • gcc
    • git
    • qemu
    • Enough patience… and caffeine ☕💀

    💻 Hardware Requirements

    Resource Minimum Recommended
    RAM 4 GiB 8-16 GiB
    Swap 8 GiB 16 GiB
    Storage ~5 GiB SSD strongly recommended

    ⏱️ Build time: ~4–8 hours depending on your system

    📥 Clone the Source Code

    Open your terminal and run:

    bash

    git clone https://github.com/LavaOS/LavaOS.git
    cd LavaOS

    🔨 Build LavaOS

    Now let's build the system:

    bash

    cc nob.c -o nob
    ./nob bruh

    ⚙️ What happens here?

    • Compiles the build system (nob)
    • Builds the entire OS from source
    • Automatically launches it using QEMU

    🚀 First Boot

    If everything goes well, LavaOS should boot inside QEMU.

    From here, you can:

    • Explore the shell
    • Run basic commands like echo
    • Start hacking on the system 😈

    ⚠️ Notes & Tips

    • Build failures? Check dependencies first.
    • Low RAM = slow build (or pain 💀)
    • SSD makes a huge difference.
    • This OS is developer-first, so expect to build things yourself.

    🧠 What’s Next?

    Now that you're up and running:

    • Dive into the kernel
    • Explore the initramfs
    • Start writing your own programs
    • Break things… then fix them 😄