aarch64linux

Aarch64linux refers to Linux operating systems built for the AArch64 architecture, the 64-bit execution state introduced by ARMv8-A. In practice it denotes Linux kernel builds and accompanying user-space images that run on 64-bit ARM hardware, including servers, single-board computers, and embedded devices. The term is not a distinct OS but a family of ARM64 images.

AArch64 provides a 64-bit virtual address space, a wider set of general-purpose registers, and an enhanced instruction set, delivering improved performance and security features over 32-bit ARM. Systems can run in native 64-bit mode, while many also support AArch32 compatibility for legacy software.

Software and distributions: Major Linux distributions offer aarch64 builds, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux ARM, and Alpine Linux. These provide kernel binaries, 64-bit user-space libraries (such as glibc or musl), and package managers. Images are prepared for bootloaders such as U-Boot or GRUB and typically rely on device trees to describe hardware.

Hardware and boot process: Aarch64linux relies on a bootloader to initialize hardware and load the kernel. The boot process uses a device tree blob to describe platform hardware. On embedded systems U-Boot is common, while desktop and server platforms may use GRUB or other bootloaders.

Uses and ecosystem: Common deployments include servers, cloud instances, containers, and embedded devices. Ongoing development focuses on performance optimizations, virtualization support (KVM), security features such as memory tagging and pointer authentication, and broader driver support across ARM platforms.

See also: AArch64, ARMv8-A, Linux kernel, ARM architecture, Debian arm64, Ubuntu arm64.