nonsystemd

Nonsystemd refers to the ecosystem of init systems and Linux distributions that do not use systemd as the default init and service manager. It covers a range of alternative init systems such as SysVinit, OpenRC, runit, and s6, as well as the distributions that ship with them. The term is not the name of a single project, but a label for communities and initiatives that aim to provide a systemd-free base.

The movement arose in response to the rapid spread of systemd across major distributions during the 2010s. Proponents of nonsystemd argue that alternative init stacks offer benefits in terms of simplicity, transparency, smaller footprints, easier debugging, and closer compatibility with classic SysV init scripts. They also emphasize modularity and independence from systemd’s architecture. Critics contend that maintaining multiple init implementations increases maintenance overhead, can complicate interoperability, and may fragment software ecosystems.

Notable implementations and examples include Devuan, a Debian-based distribution that ships without systemd by default and offers alternatives such as sysvinit and OpenRC; Artix Linux, an Arch-based project that provides OpenRC, runit, or s6 as options instead of systemd; Void Linux, which uses runit as its init system; Alpine Linux, which uses OpenRC by default; and Gentoo, which can be configured to run OpenRC or runit. Slackware uses a traditional BSD-style init, and is often cited as a long-standing example of a non-systemd approach.

Today, systemd remains the dominant init system in many major distributions, but nonsystemd projects persist, offering users choices for init design, service management, and configuration philosophy.