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StartOS

Open-source Linux server OS for self-hosting, handling service discovery, installation, network configuration, backups, and health monitoring through a community-driven marketplace.

Alternative to: Windows Server and Proxmox
Self-Hosting OS Open Source MIT License Server OS Bitcoin Privacy Focused Container Runtime
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About StartOS

StartOS is the flagship product of Start9's monorepo, an open-source Linux distribution built for running a personal server that handles discovery, installation, network configuration, data backup, dependency management, and health monitoring of self-hosted services. It's built on a shared Rust backend (start-core, using Tokio/Axum) and an Angular frontend, with services running in isolated LXC containers packaged as signed, merkle-archived S9PKs that support partial downloads and cryptographic verification. Users can install self-hosted alternatives to third-party cloud services from the Start9 Marketplace, spanning Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure (full nodes, BTCPay Server), communication tools (Matrix, SimpleX), and productivity/cloud storage apps (Nextcloud, Vaultwarden) — all community-packaged, with documentation available for packaging additional services. The same repository also houses StartTunnel (a self-hosted VPN/reverse-proxy for giving a StartOS box a public address without third-party tunnels), StartWRT (an OpenWrt-based router OS for home networking, flashable to the SpaceMiT K1), start-cli (the command-line client and packaging/signing tool), the Start SDK for wrapping apps into installable services, a package registry server, and the public marketplace and documentation sites. StartOS can be purchased as preconfigured hardware from Start9, installed on existing hardware, or built entirely from source. The monorepo is released under the MIT License, with a short list of third-party files carrying their own separate terms.

Key Features

  • Full Linux distribution purpose-built for self-hosted personal servers
  • Automated service discovery, installation, and dependency management
  • Network configuration, data backup, and health monitoring built in
  • Isolated LXC container runtime per service
  • Signed, merkle-archived S9PK package format with partial downloads
  • Community marketplace of self-hostable services (Bitcoin, Matrix, Nextcloud, and more)
  • StartTunnel: self-hosted VPN/reverse-proxy for public access without third-party tunnels
  • StartWRT: OpenWrt-based router OS with per-profile subnets and VPN support
  • start-cli for managing servers, registries, and package signing
  • Start SDK for packaging any app as an installable StartOS service
  • Self-hostable package registry server for custom marketplaces
  • Available as preconfigured hardware or installable on your own
  • Fully buildable from source

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