1. Philosophy & Foundation

Rolling Release Model

Unlike versioned distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora) that ship discrete releases, Arch is a rolling release — the system is always up-to-date. There’s no concept of “Ubuntu 22.04” or “Fedora 39”. You install once and continuously receive updates via pacman -Syu.

Advantages:

Always running latest software (kernel, gcc, python, etc.)
No planned dist-upgrades — no “do-release-upgrade” moments
Lower isolation between system and application layers

Disadvantages:

Updates can introduce breakage (mitigated by reading news archlinux.org/news)
Requires regular maintenance; can’t “set and forget”
Not suitable for systems requiring ABI stability (some production servers)

KISS Principle

Arch Linux adheres to the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid):

Ship minimal base system; users add what they need
Configuration files are hand-edited (no GUIs for core system)
No opinionated defaults — you build your system from the ground up
The Arch Way: users are expected to understand how their system works

The Arch Wiki

The Arch Wiki is considered the best Linux documentation on the internet. It covers:

Installation guides for every DE/WM
Hardware setup (NVIDIA, audio, printing, etc.)
Security hardening
Server configuration
Troubleshooting

It’s your first stop for any Arch/Manjaro problem. Even if you’re on Manjaro, the Arch Wiki applies ~90% because Manjaro is built on Arch.

Derivatives Comparison

Distribution	Base	Target User	Key Feature
Arch Linux	—	Intermediate/advanced	Pure rolling, DIY
Manjaro	Arch	Beginner-friendly	User-friendly installer, LTS kernels, out-of-the-box hardware detection
EndeavourOS	Arch	Intermediate	Cassini online installer, Arch without the CLI friction
Garuda Linux	Arch	Power users	Gaming/creative pre-configured, Chaotic-AUR default
ArcoLinux	Arch	Learners	Learning-oriented, provides ISO variants for different WM experiences

Manjaro Specifics

OBS (Open Build Service): Manjaro builds its own packages, holds updates for ~2 weeks to test
Pamac GUI package manager as default (also supports AUR)
MHI (Manjaro Hardware Detection) for driver installation
LTS kernel options via mhwd-kernel

pacman Deep-Dive

pacman is Arch’s package manager. All Arch-based distros use it.

Core Commands

# Sync, upgrade system
pacman -Syu                  # Full upgrade (sync + update)
 
# Install packages
pacman -S <pkg>              # Install from repos
pacman -Sy <pkg>             # Sync then install (less safe)
pacman -S --asdeps <pkg>     # Install as dependency
 
# Remove packages
pacman -R <pkg>              # Remove only
pacman -Rns <pkg>            # Remove + unneeded deps + config
pacman -Rdd <pkg>            # Force remove (skip dependency check)
 
# Query
pacman -Qs <text>            # Search installed packages
pacman -Qi <pkg>             # Show info about installed package
pacman -Ql <pkg>             # List files owned by package
pacman -Qe                   # List explicitly installed packages
pacman -Qdt                  # List orphans (no longer required)

Repositories

Repository	Content	Enabled by
core	Bootloader, kernel, core tools (pacman, glibc)	Default
extra	GUI apps, server software	Default
community	Packages from AUR that graduated	Default
multilib	32-bit libs for Wine/Steam	`[multilib]` enabled
testing	Untested updates	Disabled by default
community-testing	Community packages being tested	Disabled by default

# /etc/pacman.conf
[multilib]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
 
[testing]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

pacman Hooks (Automatic Actions on Install/Upgrade)

Hooks run automatically during pacman -S transactions. Located in /usr/share/libalpm/hooks/ (system) or /etc/pacman.d/hooks/ (user).

# /etc/pacman.d/hooks/update-grub.hook
[Trigger]
Type = Package
Operation = Install
Target = grub
 
[Action]
Description = Regenerating GRUB config...
When = PostTransaction
Exec = /usr/bin/grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Troubleshooting pacman

# Fix corrupted database
rm -rf /var/lib/pacman/sync/*
pacman -Sy
 
# Force sync a specific db
pacman -Sf <pkg>
 
# Ignore package from upgrade (e.g., broken driver)
# In /etc/pacman.conf:
IgnorePkg = nvidia
 
# View package changelog
pacman -Ch <pkg>

Pacnew & Pacsave Files

When pacman upgrades a config file (e.g., /etc/pacman.conf), it doesn’t overwrite the old one — it creates .pacnew or .pacsave:

.pacnew — new config file created; old config remains
.pacsave — old config backed up before removal
.pacorig — rare, original config before pacman modifications

# Find all .pacnew/.pacsave files
find /etc -name "*.pac*" 2>/dev/null
 
# Use pacdiff to merge
pacdiff
# Or manually
mv /etc/foo.conf.pacnew /etc/foo.conf

Mirror Management

# Rank mirrors by speed (install rankmirrors package)
rankmirrors -n 6 /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
 
# Enable specific country's mirrors
# In /etc/pacman.conf:
Server = https://mirror.example.com/$repo/os/$arch

Manjaro’s Mirrors

Manjaro uses its own mirrors plus Arch’s. Managed via:

# GUI
pamac preferences -> Mirrors
 
# CLI
sudo pacman-mirrors -c Germany,France --no-git

System News

Always read archlinux.org/news before a big upgrade. Key announcements:

Kernel ABI changes requiring initramfs rebuild
Package removals from repos
Security vulnerabilities requiring immediate action

# pacman can show news (if pacman-news-git installed)
pacnews

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Arch Linux Philosophy & Foundation