Linux is generally less prone to malware than Windows, and so long as you’re careful about the commands you enter, Linux systems tend to age much more gracefully than Windows systems. However, no system is truly immune to malware, and blindly following instructions online can easily break something on your system if you’re not cautious. That is where immutable distros can save the day.
Ubuntu (and other distros) are convenient
One of the big appeals of the mainstream Linux distros over more niche options is the abundance of support for them. Whether you’re looking for an app, trying to troubleshoot an issue, or just looking to customize something, you’ll have more documentation than you could possibly ever read at your fingertips.
Their repos contain thousands upon thousands of apps, and support for Windows apps has only gotten better with time. However, all of these Linux distros have a glaring problem: They’re pretty easy to break.
The problem with popular distros
Most popular distros you can think of, like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch, all have one thing in common: their mutability.
When an operating system is mutable, it means that you can change it in some fundamental way. On Ubuntu, for example, you can just use apt to update the entire operating system—type in your sudo password, and you’re good.
If something goes wrong, and you run some commands to troubleshoot the issue, you can make low-level changes to almost anything related to the operating system. The only thing standing between you and an inoperable computer is your sudo password.
That makes it especially important to carefully evaluate any of your troubleshooting steps before you follow them blindly—you could really mess something up if you’re not careful.
And, even though it isn’t all that likely, you could inadvertently install malware as a malicious DEB or RPM file.
What if there were a way to prevent those risks entirely?
Immutable distros keep you secure
Unlike a regular distro, an immutable distro is extremely resistant to corruption, either as a result of a corrupted program, malware, or a command gone amiss.
The entire operating system is read-only, which makes it very difficult to break accidentally.
Updates on immutable distros are handled differently than on most Linux distros, too. They’re basically large, “atomic” updates that replace the entire operating system at once rather than releasing a bunch of tiny updates sequentially.
All of this creates an operating system that is theoretically more secure and less prone to user error than Linux usually is.
How do you install apps on an immutable distro?
The only real downside to an immutable distro is a slightly more limited number of apps. You can’t use the normal repos that come with Ubuntu or Fedora. Instead, you have to use some kind of containerized app, usually a flatpak.
Related
APT vs Snap vs Flatpak: Ubuntu Package Managers Explained (and When to Use Each)
If there’s one thing you get with Linux distros, it’s choice.
Flatpaks are fundamentally different from regular apps. Normally, apps modify and create all sorts of files when they get installed.
Flatpaks keep things nicely contained within a sandbox instead, which helps isolate it from the wider operating system. That isolation also necessarily makes them pretty self-contained, which makes them portable between distros, too.
Though there aren’t as many flatpaks as there are apps available through regular channels, there are still thousands of flatpaks available, including most popular apps you’ll want.
Switching to an immutable distro is painless
I tried out Fedora Silverblue just to see how weird it was to jump from a regular Linux distro to an immutable distro.
Despite how different it actually is under the hood from the mainstream Fedora, I adjusted pretty quickly. If you’ve used the app store on Windows or macOS, you’ll feel right at home installing and using flatpaks.
When I first tried an immutable distro, I actually expected more friction than I experienced. However, there was basically none. If you’re just using your PC for normal tasks day in and day out, I seriously doubt you’ll have any trouble with an immutable distro.
Which immutable distro should you use?
Like with anything related to Linux distros, that really depends on your preferences.
I had a pretty good experience with Fedora Silverblue, but I’m not normally a Fedora user.
If I were looking for a permanent immutable distro, I’d certainly try out NixOS, or Bazzite if gaming is a priority for you.
NixOS has its own repo of more than 120,000 containerized applications, which could make finding what you’re looking for even easier.
Related
Here’s Why There Are So Many Linux Distros
Because the more the merrier.
Whether you’re a Linux veteran looking to make their life easier or a beginner looking to prevent themselves from making a critical mistake, immutable Linux distros are an interesting option. Regardless of whether or not they become the norm, they’re certainly going to become more popular than they are today, especiallly in applications where security is the top priority.
