Loaderefi

Loaderefi is a term that lacks a single canonical definition in the computing literature. It may refer informally to any EFI-based boot loader, or to a specific project or file name encountered in particular deployments. In the context of UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware, a boot loader is a small program stored on the EFI System Partition that the firmware can execute at boot time to start an operating system or kernel.

EFI boot loaders typically present a selection interface, load the chosen kernel or chain-load another loader, and transfer control to the operating system. They run in the environment provided by UEFI Boot Services and may support features such as kernel parameter passing, initramfs loading, and chain loading from other loaders. On x86_64 and other architectures, a common fallback path is /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI, used when no other boot entry is configured.

Security considerations include Secure Boot, which requires the loader and unsigned binaries to be signed by recognized keys. Misconfiguration can prevent booting or reduce security.

Real-world examples of EFI boot loaders include GRUB2, rEFInd, and systemd-boot. These tools can be perceived as "loaderefi" in everyday language, though they are distinct projects with their own features and configuration models.

See also: UEFI, EFI System Partition, Boot loader, Secure Boot, GRUB2, rEFInd, systemd-boot.