http://riscv-distros.org/en/Which RISC-V distribution runs on which board, where to get images, and the pitfalls to expect.enSun, 01 Nov 2026 14:55:59 +0000Hugohttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/debian/distro:debianSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Debian is the only independent distro here that made riscv64 an official release architecture; separately there are Debian-based riscv64 systems such as deepin and RevyOS (not verified one by one). ｜ Based on IndependentDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/ubuntu/distro:ubuntuSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Ubuntu has the most detailed board support: it publishes preinstalled images per board, but 26.04 raised the bar to RVA23, leaving older boards stuck on 24.04 LTS. ｜ Based on DebianDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/fedora/distro:fedoraSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Fedora runs an official RISC-V SIG with continuous builds, but the project still labels riscv64 "not officially supported" and ships images through the alt channel. It works fine day to day; its support level is simply not the same as Debian or Ubuntu. ｜ Based on IndependentDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/fvf/distro:fvfSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800FVF is a RISC-V image rebuilt from Fedora sources by a separate team, not an official Fedora release. It covers more boards than the official SIG images, so it is the practical pick when you want a Fedora userland that boots out of the box. ｜ Based on FedoraDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/revyos/distro:revyosSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800The de facto standard on TH1520 boards: LicheePi 4A and Milk-V Meles ship with RevyOS, and the official tutorials flash it too. The best first pick for newcomers, but note that the mirror is newer than the docs — take the latest date from the mirror directory. ｜ Based on Debian 13 (trixie) rootfs + XuanTie-customized 6.6 kernel (TH1520/SG2042 BSP); the older 20240720 build is Debian 12 + 5.10 kernelDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/bianbu/distro:bianbuSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800The only system with an official desktop experience on K1/K3 boards (BPI-F3, Milk-V Jupiter, MUSE, Pico-ITX): GNOME/LXQt out of the box and complete documentation, making it the friendliest vendor distro for newcomers. ｜ Based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Bianbu 2.x, K1) / Ubuntu 25.04 (Bianbu 3.x, K1) / Ubuntu 26.04 (Bianbu 4.x, K3; per vendor forum, not stated per release in official docs) + vendor BSP kernel 6.6 LTS / 6.18Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/openeuler/distro:openeulerSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800An RISC-V base for server/enterprise use, moving fastest on RVA23 + Server Platform; unless you are validating server scenarios, RevyOS/Bianbu will save you trouble on a dev board. ｜ Based on openEuler 24.03 LTS (RPM/dnf, own repos) + RVCK 6.6 kernel; RISC-V ships as two separate builds, RVA20 and RVA23Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/openkylin/distro:openkylinSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800The RISC-V branch of a domestic desktop OS, with board coverage split across versions (3.0 only knows K3/V100). Good for evaluating a domestic desktop stack, not as a daily driver on older TH1520/K1 boards. ｜ Based on Independent build (deb/APT + own repos, UKUI desktop); 3.0 uses a Linux 7.0 kernel, 2.0 SP2 is the long-term stable releaseDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/deepin/distro:deepinSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800The best-looking domestic desktop distro, but its RISC-V branch is a community preview shipped as per-board tar.xz files — fine for evaluation, not recommended as your only daily system. ｜ Based on Debian-based + deepin's own repos (deepin 25 "crimson"); kernel 6.6/6.12/6.16 depending on board, mainline kernel on DP1000Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/armbian/distro:armbianSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800The main reason domestic RISC-V boards are usable out of the box; look here first for newer boards like K3/BPI-F3. ｜ Based on Debian/Ubuntu (Armbian build framework)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/alpine/distro:alpineSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Alpine's riscv64 is a real architecture, but board coverage is narrow — there are only those five u-boot packages, so anything outside them means porting it yourself. ｜ Based on IndependentDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/arch/distro:archSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Arch's "official" here is only the port's own tested list, not official Arch support — the page should mark it as a community port. ｜ Based on Arch LinuxDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/opensuse/distro:opensuseSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800MicroOS is a riscv64 variant of the same project (there is a kvm-and-xen qcow2 image), not a downstream derivative. ｜ Based on IndependentDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/gentoo/distro:gentooSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Friendly to veterans, discouraging for beginners: complete docs but a fully manual install, good for people who want deep customization or an embedded rootfs. ｜ Based on Independent (built from source, OpenRC/systemd optional)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/nixos/distro:nixosSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Declarative config is nice, but riscv64 is in a "it runs, don't expect an easy ride" state. ｜ Based on Independent (Nix/nixpkgs, systemd)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/freebsd/distro:freebsdSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800If you want a proper Unix-like system with official images, FreeBSD is the most solid non-Linux option on RISC-V. ｜ Based on Independent (BSD, FreeBSD kernel + pkg)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/netbsd/distro:netbsdSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Smooth under QEMU; on real hardware it depends on whether you already have a working U-Boot. ｜ Based on Independent (BSD, NetBSD kernel + pkgsrc)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/openbsd/distro:openbsdSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Security-focused and minimal; the experience is most orthodox on an Unmatched, otherwise not a beginner's pick. ｜ Based on Independent (BSD, OpenBSD kernel + ports/packages)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/alt/distro:altSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800The most complete RISC-V support among Russian distros, with images that work out of the box; suited to QEMU and Unmatched users. ｜ Based on Independent (RPM/apt-rpm, ALT's own toolchain)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/buildroot/distro:buildrootSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Make it clear to newcomers: this is not a distro but a toolbox for building your own. ｜ Based on Built from source (BusyBox/glibc/musl + optional packages)Build systemhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/yocto/distro:yoctoSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Aimed at industrial/production use; hobbyists should start with Armbian or Buildroot instead. ｜ Based on Built from source (BitBake + oe-core + meta-riscv)Build systemhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/openruyi/distro:openruyiSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Mostly for vendor/ecosystem testing: it is officially positioned as early validation — surfacing firmware, platform-semantics and kernel interop problems early so vendors fork less. Regular users normally don't need it; for daily use pick a vendor distro such as Bianbu / RevyOS / openKylin, and try its QEMU image if you just want a zero-cost look. ｜ Based on Independent, self-built (RPM + dnf, rolling release); kernel 7.2.6 / LTS 6.18.54, toolchain GCC 16.2 with its own glibcDistributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/void/distro:voidSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Not usable for any RISC-V scenario right now; listed only to show that "small and fast" does not mean "has RISC-V". ｜ Based on Independent (XBPS + runit + musl/glibc)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/pld/distro:pldSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Treat it as "no RISC-V support"; mark it as unsupported on the portal rather than misleading readers. ｜ Based on Independent (RPM + poldek, Polish community distro)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/slackware/distro:slackwareSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Long-time Slackware users can try slarm64 to keep the habit alive on RISC-V; beginners should stay away. ｜ Based on Independent (pkgtools + slackpkg, BSD-style init)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/distros/android/distro:androidSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Only for experiments that check whether the Android framework boots on RISC-V — don't treat it as a usable system. ｜ Based on AOSP (Linux kernel + Android framework)Distributionhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/qemu/board:qemuSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Pure virtual platform: up to 512 RV64GC cores, CLINT/PLIC, a PCIe host bridge, 8 virtio-mmio devices, NS16550 UART, optional AIA/IOMMU; memory, disks and networking are all virtualised through command-line options, with no real GPU/VPU/NPU.None (generic QEMU virtual platform, RV32/RV64 configurable, up to 512 cores)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/visionfive2/board:visionfive2Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08002/4/8GB LPDDR4, microSD + eMMC (some versions), M.2 M-Key NVMe, 2× GbE (v1.3 supports PoE), HDMI 2.0, 4× USB, 40-pin GPIO; there is also a cut-down VisionFive 2 Lite.StarFive JH7110: 4×SiFive U74 @1.5GHz + S7 monitor core + E24http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/licheepi-4a/board:licheepi-4aSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004/8/16GB LPDDR4X, 8/32/128GB eMMC, 2× GbE, WiFi5/BT5, HDMI 2.0 + 4-lane MIPI DSI, 2× MIPI CSI, 4× USB3, 40-pin GPIO.T-Head TH1520: 4×C910 @1.85GHz + C906 + E902, 4TOPS NPUhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/meles/board:melesSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004/8/16GB LPDDR4X 4266MT/s, eMMC socket (optional module) + microSD, 1× GbE (PoE capable), WiFi5/BT5.2 (AP6256), 4× USB3.0, HDMI 2.0 4K60, MIPI DSI/CSI, 40-pin, credit-card sized.T-Head TH1520: 4×C910 @1.85GHz + C906 + E902, 4TOPS NPUhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/k3/board:k3Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08008× X100 @2.4GHz + 8× A100 AI cores, RVA23/RVV1.0 (up to 1024-bit), 60 TOPS general AI compute, 130 KDMIPS. Pico-ITX: 16/32GB LPDDR5-6400, UFS2.2 128/256GB, 10GbE SFP+ + 1GbE, 2× M.2 (M-Key Gen3 x4 / B-Key), 2× USB3.2 Type-C (full-featured 65W PD + 4K DP) + 4× USB2.0, 100×86mm. CoM260: a 260-pin compute module plus a reference carrier board, the carrier being hardware-compatible with Jetson Orin Nano.SpacemiT K3 (Key Stone K3)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/a210/board:a210Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08008-core 64-bit RISC-V: 4× C920 @1.9GHz + 4× C908 @1.9GHz, all with RVV (128-bit); NPU 12 TOPS@INT8 supporting INT4/INT8/FP8/FP16/BF16 and Transformers; LPDDR4X up to 16GB; eMMC5.1; H.265 decode 4K@120fps; the board is a SODIMM compute module plus V1/V2/V3 open carrier boards, 8GB LPDDR4X + 32GB eMMC (figures from a third-party project page)ZHIHE A210 (4×C920 + 4×C908)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/k230/board:k230Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Dual-core 64-bit RISC-V C908: big core 1.6GHz with RVV1.0, little core 0.8GHz; KPU rated at 6 TOPS equivalent (INT8/INT16) (1 TOPS on the K230D); the CanMV-K230 board carries 512MB LPDDR4, microSD, HDMI, 3× MIPI-CSI and USB; typical chip power is about 2WKendryte K230 (2×C908)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/megrez/board:megrezSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004× SiFive P550 @1.8GHz (RV64GBCH, ships at 1.4GHz/800mV); 19.95 TOPS@INT8 NPU; IMG AXM-8-256 GPU (OpenGL ES3.2/Vulkan1.2/OpenCL); 8/16/32GB LPDDR5-6400; Mini-ITX 170×170mm; PCIe x8 slot (Gen3 x4), 2× GbE, 4× USB3, SATA/M.2 SATA, 8K H.265 encode/decodeESWIN EIC7700Xhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/titan/board:titanSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08008× UR-CP100 @2.0GHz, RV64GCBHX (full RVA22, no V extension); up to 64GB DDR4 UDIMM (ECC supported); PCIe Gen4 x16, NVMe Gen4 x4, 2× GbE, USB3; Mini-ITX; UEFI+ACPI+SMBIOS; optional BMC module; no onboard display outputUltraRISC UR-DP1000http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/unmatched/board:unmatchedSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +080016GB DDR4 onboard, PCIe x16 (for a GPU/NVMe), M.2 Key M, M.2 Key E (WiFi), GbE, 4× USB 3.0, microSD, SPI Flash; microATX form factor with 12V barrel power.SiFive Freedom U740 (FU740): 4×U74 @1.2GHz + 1×S71 monitor corehttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/bpi-f3/board:bpi-f3Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08008× X60 (RV64GCVB, RVA22, RVV1.0), 2.0 TOPS; IMG BXE-2-32 GPU @819MHz; 2/4/8/16GB LPDDR4; 8/16/32/128GB eMMC; 2× GbE, 4× USB3.0, HDMI1.4 (1080p), PCIe2.1 (M.2 M-Key + mini PCIe), WiFi6/BT5.2; 148×100mmSpacemiT K1 (8×X60)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/orangepi-rv2/board:orangepi-rv2Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08008-core 64-bit RISC-V (single-core performance about 1.3× a Cortex-A55), 2 TOPS fused CPU compute (no dedicated NPU); 2/4/8GB LPDDR4X; optional 16–128GB eMMC module; 2× M.2 M-Key (PCIe2.0 x2, NVMe capable), 2× GbE, WiFi5/BT5, 3× USB3 + 2× USB2, HDMI, 89×56mmKy X1 (8-core RISC-V AI CPU)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/p550/board:p550Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004× SiFive P550 @1.4GHz (out-of-order); 16/32GB LPDDR5-6400 + 128GB eMMC; 20 TOPS NPU; Imagination GPU; Mini-DTX; PCIe Gen3 x4 (x16 slot), 2× GbE, 5× USB3, SATA; Ubuntu 24.04 preinstalled (6.6 kernel, OTA supported)ESWIN EIC7700Xhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/visionfive2-lite/board:visionfive2-liteSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004× RV64GC @1.25GHz + IMG BXE-4-32 MC1 GPU; 2/4/8GB LPDDR4; WiFi6/BT5.4; M.2 (PCIe2.0 x1), GbE, USB2.0/3.0, HDMI 4K@60, 40-pin GPIO, MIPI-CSI/DSI; microSD/eMMCStarFive JH7110Shttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/beaglev-ahead/board:beaglev-aheadSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004GB LPDDR4, 16GB onboard eMMC, WiFi5/BT5 (AP6203BM), GbE, microHDMI, microSD, 2× CSI + 1× DSI, mikroBUS, BeagleBone Black cape headers.T-Head TH1520: 4×C910 @1.85GHz, 4TOPS NPU, BXM-4-64 GPUhttp://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/pioneer/board:pioneerSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +08004× DDR4 DIMM up to 128GB (ECC RDIMM/UDIMM), 3× PCIe x16 (Gen3 x8 signalling), 5× SATA, 2× 2.5GbE, 8× USB3, 2× M.2, an eMMC module connector, microSD; mATX 24.4×24.4cm with standard 24-pin ATX power, 120W typical.SOPHON SG2042: 64×XuanTie C920 @2GHz, RVV 0.71, 64MB L3http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/milkv-duo/board:milkv-duoSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Duo: 2× C906 (1GHz + 700MHz) + an 8051, 64MB SIP DRAM; Duo 256M: SG2002 plus 1× Cortex-A53, 256MB; Duo S: 512MB + eMMC pads (some kits ship 8GB) + WiFi6; all have a 100M Ethernet port and USB-C; Duo/256M are 26-pin GPIO pads at 21×51mm, Duo S has 2× 26-pin headers at 43×43mm.CV1800B (Duo) / SG2002 (Duo 256M) / SG2000 (Duo S)http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/mars/board:marsSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 1G/2G/4G/8G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)JH7110: SiFive U74 + SiFive S7 + SiFive E24http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/star64/board:star64Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 4G/8G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)JH7110: SiFive U74 + SiFive S7 + SiFive E24http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/visionfive/board:visionfiveSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 8G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)JH7100: SiFive U74 + SiFive E24http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/jupiter/board:jupiterSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 4G/8G/16G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)Key Stone K1/M1: SpacemiT X60http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/muse-pi-pro/board:muse-pi-proSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory LPDDR4X 8G/16G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)Key Stone M1: SpacemiT X60http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/k3-som260/board:k3-som260Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 16GB LPDDR5 + 128GB UFS (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)SpacemiT K3: SpacemiT X100 + A100http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/bit-brick-k1/board:bit-brick-k1Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 4G/8G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)Key Stone K1: SpacemiT X60http://riscv-distros.org/en/boards/lichee-cluster-4a/board:lichee-cluster-4aSun, 01 Nov 2026 00:00:00 +0800Memory 8G/16G (test configuration recorded by RuyiSDK)TH1520: XuanTie C910 + XuanTie C906 + XuanTie E902