EFIbased

EFIbased refers to computer systems whose firmware implements the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) or its successor, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). This term is used to distinguish EFI/UEFI-based platforms from traditional, legacy BIOS-based systems. EFI-based firmware initializes hardware, provides a Boot Manager, and hands control to an operating system loader located on the EFI System Partition (ESP).

In an EFI-based setup, the ESP is a dedicated partition, typically formatted as FAT32, that stores bootloaders, drivers, and configuration files. During startup, the firmware offers a boot menu and can chain-load OS loaders placed on the ESP. Modern systems usually boot in UEFI mode and rely on the ESP to organize multiple boot options, including OS-specific loaders from Windows, Linux, or other operating systems.

Key features of EFI-based systems include support for GUID Partition Table (GPT), which allows large disks and more partitions; Secure Boot, which verifies the digital signatures of bootloaders to protect against tampering; and modular firmware drivers that can be updated independently from the OS. Some systems also offer fast boot, graphical boot menus, and network boot capabilities via the firmware.

Common tooling and components include Linux bootloaders such as GRUB2 EFI, systemd-boot, or rEFInd; the efibootmgr utility on Linux to manage boot entries; and the Windows Boot Manager in Windows environments. Compatibility considerations include the use of CSM (Compatibility Support Module) for BIOS-compatibility on some firmware, and the need to use 64-bit EFI on modern systems.

See also: UEFI, BIOS, GPT, EFI System Partition, Secure Boot.