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Butterbian RSS Feed DistroWatch.com: Butterbian

Butterbian


Last Update: 2026-05-16 23:19 UTC


Butterbian is a Debian-based Linux distribution with out-of-the-box support for the Btrfs filesystem and pre-configured Timeshift, an application that takes incremental snapshots of the installed filesystem at regular intervals. These snapshots can be restored, directly from the GRUB menu, to undo all changes to the system. Butterbian boots into a themed Xfce desktop and uses the Calamares system installer. Besides Butterbian, the project also develops Butterknife, a command-line only live image with a text-mode system installer that provides more choices in terms of filesystems and window managers.

Popularity (hits per day): 12 months: 387 (31), 6 months: 264 (62), 3 months: 138 (124), 4 weeks: 34 (378), 1 week: 46 (362)

Average visitor rating: 10.0/10 from 3 review(s).


Butterbian Summary
Distribution Butterbian
Home Page https://www.butterbian.org/
Mailing Lists --
User Forums https://lab.justaguylinux.com/
Alternative User Forums Mastodon
Documentation --
Screenshots DistroWatch Gallery
Screencasts
Download Mirrors https://www.butterbian.org/#downloadDistroWatch Torrent Archive
Bug Tracker https://codeberg.org/justaguylinux/Butterbian-XFCE/issues
Related Websites CodebergJustAGuyLinux
Reviews  
Where To Donate, Buy or Try Buy me a coffee

Table Notes and Explanations

(Please refer to the table below.)
  • Select view:
  • To compare the software in this project to the software available in other distributions, please see our Compare Packages page.
  • Notes: In case where multiple versions of a package are shipped with a distribution, only the default version appears in the table. For indication about the GNOME version, please check the "nautilus" and "gnome-shell" packages. The Apache web server is listed as "httpd" and the Linux kernel is listed as "linux". The KDE desktop is represented by the "plasma-desktop" package and the Xfce desktop by the "xfdesktop" package.
  • Colour scheme: green text = latest stable version, red text = development or beta version. The function determining beta versions is not 100% reliable due to a wide variety of versioning schemes.
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Feature 0.3.0
Release Date 2026-05-16
End Of Life  
Price (US$) Free
Image Size (MB) 2100-2200
Free Download ISO
Installation Calamares
Default Desktop Xfce
Default Browser Firefox ESR
Package Format deb
Package Management apt
Release Model Fixed
Office Suite --
Processor Architecture x86_64
Init Software systemd
Journaled File Systems Btrfs
Multilingual en
Full Package List 0.3.0
Package 0.3.0
alsa-lib (1.2.15.3) 1.2.14
amdgpu (25.0.0) 23.0.0
apparmor (5.0.0) --
apt (3.3.1) 3.0.3
bash (5.3) 5.2.37
bind (9.20.23) --
chromium (148.0.7778.167) --
cinnamon (6.6.8) --
cups (2.4.19) --
e2fsprogs (1.47.4) 1.47.2
ffmpeg (8.1.1) --
firefox (151.0) 140.10.2
flatpak (1.16.6) --
freetype (2.14.3) 2.13.3
gcc (16.1.0) 14.2.0
gimp (3.2.4) --
git (2.54.0) 2.47.3
glibc (2.43) 2.41
gnome-shell (50.1) --
grub (2.14) 2.12
gtk (4.22.4) 4.18.6
httpd (2.4.67) --
inkscape (1.4.4) --
kmod (34.2) 34.2
krita (6.0.1) --
LibreOffice (26.2.3) --
Package 0.3.0
libselinux (3.10) 3.8.1
linux (7.0.9) 6.12.88
mariadb (12.2.2) --
mate-desktop (1.28.2) --
mesa (26.1.1) 25.0.7
mysql (9.7.0) --
nautilus (50.1) --
NVIDIA (595.71.05) --
openjdk (26.0.1) --
openssh (10.3p1) 10.0p1
openssl (4.0.0) 3.5.6
perl (5.42.2) 5.40.1
php (8.5.6) --
plasma-desktop (6.6.5) --
postfix (3.11.3) --
postgresql (18.4) --
Python (3.14.5) 3.13.5
qt (6.11.1) 6.8.2
samba (4.24.2) --
systemd (260.1) 257.13
thunderbird (151.0) --
vim (9.2) 9.1
vlc (3.0.23) --
wayland (1.25.0) 1.23.1
xfdesktop (4.20.2) 4.20.1
xorg-server (21.1.22) 21.1.16

Reader Ratings
Reader supplied reviews for Butterbian

Average rating
10
from 3 review(s)



What are your thoughts on Butterbian?
Please include a few pros and a few cons, along with your overall impression of the operating system.
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Version:

Rating:    out of 10

Your review (minimum 250 words):




Past reviews - sort by:

Version: 0.2.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-05-14
Country: United States
Votes: 4


Butterbean is one of the most interesting new Linux projects to appear in recent years because it focuses on solving a problem many Linux users have experienced for decades: system breakage after updates or configuration mistakes. Built around Debian 13 and using BTRFS with automatic Timeshift snapshots, Butterbean aims to give users a safer and more reliable Linux experience from the very beginning. Instead of expecting users to manually configure advanced filesystem features, the distro handles the setup automatically, making rollback and recovery simple even for beginners.

One of the biggest strengths of Butterbean is its focus on practicality rather than unnecessary complexity. Many Linux distributions advertise endless customization and bleeding-edge packages, but Butterbean takes a more balanced approach. By using Debian as its base, it benefits from one of the most respected and stable foundations in the Linux world. Debian has a long history of reliability, and Butterbean builds on that by adding modern recovery tools and quality-of-life improvements. This creates a system that feels both stable and modern at the same time.

Another reason Butterbean stands out is its strong integration of BTRFS snapshots and grub-btrfs. If an update breaks the system, users can roll back directly from the GRUB boot menu. That level of built-in protection is something many Linux users wish had become standard years ago. While experienced users could manually set up these tools on other distributions, Butterbean saves time by providing a fully configured solution out of the box. Automatic snapshots before apt or dpkg operations also make the system feel safer for experimentation, encouraging users to learn Linux without fear of permanently breaking their installation.

The distro also offers multiple editions to fit different types of users. The XFCE version provides a polished desktop experience with themes, icons, and customization already configured, while the “butterknife” edition is aimed more at advanced users who want to build their own environment through a terminal-based installer. This flexibility helps Butterbean appeal to both Linux newcomers and longtime enthusiasts.

Community discussion around Butterbean has also been surprisingly positive. While some users point out that it is technically more of a Debian installer than a completely separate distribution, many others appreciate the project for making advanced Linux setups more accessible. Several users on Reddit described it as a simple way to experience Debian with BTRFS and Timeshift already configured correctly, especially for people who are newer to Linux.

Overall, Butterbean represents a refreshing direction for Linux. Instead of chasing flashy features or trying to reinvent everything, it improves the user experience in meaningful ways. By combining Debian’s stability with automatic snapshotting, rollback functionality, and thoughtful configuration, Butterbean makes Linux more approachable, safer, and easier to maintain. For users who want a dependable Linux system without spending hours manually configuring recovery tools, Butterbean is shaping up to be an excellent option.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 0.2.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-05-07
Country: Canada
Votes: 9


Perfect set-up right out of the box. The installation was easy and there are several options to install different applications. The availability of customized bash is also a nice touch. The BTRFS file system with instant snapshots works flawlessly. That is why I actually tried this distro. Even the XFCE desktop is set up nicely. I tried using spiral linux but something always went wrong with the Debian upgrade. For a first release it is working very well. Very lite on resources and I have not run into any hiccups.


Was this review helpful? Yes No
Version: 0.2.1
Rating: 10
Date: 2026-05-06
Country: United States
Votes: 3


Such a smooth and easy Distro to use even in it's early stages. The Distro is packed with so many features right out the box but simple to use even for new user. Simple install great clean look and most of all it doesn't use a whole lot of memory. Xfce is lite enough to even run on a old machine and still feel very snappy and keeping your old hardware feeling like new. I just feel this distro give me all I need for my everyday usage. After jumping from distro to distro for years I feel like I found my home for years to come.


Was this review helpful? Yes No




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