Complete Linux Installer
Run Ubuntu, Debian, Arch & Alpine with XFCE desktop & tabbed terminal. No root!
New in version 1.7.2
• Security: Bind Web Terminal, VS Code, and VNC to loopback by default.
• Remote Access: Added opt-in LAN sharing and custom password controls.
• Integrity: Added SHA-256 verification for rootfs and binary downloads.
• Arch Linux: Switched mirrors to HTTPS and enabled pacman keyring.
• Privacy: Disabled Auto Backup and made update checks opt-in.
• Packaging: Optimized build reproducibility for F-Droid releases.
• Remote Access: Added opt-in LAN sharing and custom password controls.
• Integrity: Added SHA-256 verification for rootfs and binary downloads.
• Arch Linux: Switched mirrors to HTTPS and enabled pacman keyring.
• Privacy: Disabled Auto Backup and made update checks opt-in.
• Packaging: Optimized build reproducibility for F-Droid releases.
Run genuine, full-featured Linux distributions natively on your Android phone or tablet: 100% rootless!
Complete Linux Installer (Linux on Android) brings a multi-distribution Linux ecosystem, concurrent multi-tab terminal, graphical XFCE desktop, and 1-click developer stacks to your device without root access, unlocked bootloaders, or custom ROMs.
Powered by a native PRoot user-space virtualization engine and POSIX PTY terminal bridge, Complete Linux Installer transforms your device into a portable Linux workstation, server host, desktop computer, or learning environment.
🔒 100% ROOTLESS & COMPLETELY SAFE
• Runs entirely in Android user-space via PRoot ptrace system call virtualization.
• Zero root access, unlocked bootloaders, or system partition modifications required.
• Completely sandboxed: cannot brick your device and never touches Android system partitions or personal files.
• First-launch welcome guide explaining container architecture and security.
🐧 MULTI-DISTRIBUTION LINUX CATALOG
Install, run, and switch between multiple independent Linux distributions:
• Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: Official long-term support base for general computing and development.
• Debian 12: Rock-solid stability with vast package repositories.
• Alpine Linux 3.21: Minimalist musl/busybox environment (~10MB rootfs) with instant boot times and tiny memory footprint.
• Arch Linux ARM: Bleeding-edge rolling release with the pacman package manager.
• Kali Linux CLI Tools: Security auditing and network forensics environment.
• Void Linux: Independent general-purpose distribution with the fast XBPS package manager.
📑 CONCURRENT MULTI-TAB TERMINAL
• Run and manage multiple interactive terminal sessions simultaneously.
• Dynamic tab strip with live status indicators, session highlights, and custom tab renaming.
• Independent PTY subprocesses maintain full interactive state in the background.
• Pinned extra-keys toolbar with Ctrl, Alt, Esc, Tab, Paste, and directional arrows.
• Viewport resizing preserving cursor and prompt on software keyboard resize.
• Custom font families (JetBrains Mono, Ubuntu Mono) and 16-color ANSI themes.
🖥️ FULL GRAPHICAL DESKTOP (XFCE4 & VNC)
• Install a complete XFCE 4 Desktop Environment in one tap.
• Built-in TigerVNC server with 1-touch launch guidance.
• Connect via any Android VNC viewer app or external monitor for a windowed desktop PC experience on mobile.
🎛️ MULTI-CONTAINER DASHBOARD & SYSTEM MONITOR
• Manage multiple containers side-by-side with per-container storage tracking.
• Live animated RAM and storage gauge dials.
• Real-time child process inspector (ps aux) with 1-tap kill confirmation.
• Active TCP network port listener detecting SSH, VNC, NGINX, and web ports with 1-tap browser launcher.
• Dedicated container deletion screen with real-time progress feedback and back-gesture safety.
🛠️ 1-CLICK SOFTWARE & DEVELOPER STACKS
• Web Server & Database: NGINX HTTP server with unprivileged port 8080 binding + SQLite3.
• Remote Access: OpenSSH Server for remote logins from your PC or laptop over LAN/Wi-Fi.
• Python 3 Stack: Python 3, pip, virtualenv, and C/C++ GCC build-essential tools.
• Node.js Stack: Node.js, npm, Yarn, Git, build-essential GCC, and Neovim.
• Android Dev Tools: OpenJDK 17, Gradle, ADB, and Android platform-tools inside Linux.
• Native multi-package manager support across apt, apk, pacman, and xbps.
🌐 STORAGE & MULTI-ARCHITECTURE
• Native support for ARM64 (aarch64), x86_64 (amd64), and ARMv7 (armhf).
• Automatic external storage mounting for SD Card access (/sdcard).
• 1-tap container backup (.tar.gz) export and import.
• Custom DNS configuration (/etc/resolv.conf) with quick presets.
📜 15 YEARS OF OPEN-SOURCE HERITAGE
Evolved from the original Complete Linux Installer project launched on XDA Developers in 2011. Built with open-source Jetpack Compose Material 3 and modern C++ PRoot engine technology.
License: Released under GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPL-2.0).
Complete Linux Installer (Linux on Android) brings a multi-distribution Linux ecosystem, concurrent multi-tab terminal, graphical XFCE desktop, and 1-click developer stacks to your device without root access, unlocked bootloaders, or custom ROMs.
Powered by a native PRoot user-space virtualization engine and POSIX PTY terminal bridge, Complete Linux Installer transforms your device into a portable Linux workstation, server host, desktop computer, or learning environment.
🔒 100% ROOTLESS & COMPLETELY SAFE
• Runs entirely in Android user-space via PRoot ptrace system call virtualization.
• Zero root access, unlocked bootloaders, or system partition modifications required.
• Completely sandboxed: cannot brick your device and never touches Android system partitions or personal files.
• First-launch welcome guide explaining container architecture and security.
🐧 MULTI-DISTRIBUTION LINUX CATALOG
Install, run, and switch between multiple independent Linux distributions:
• Ubuntu 26.04 LTS: Official long-term support base for general computing and development.
• Debian 12: Rock-solid stability with vast package repositories.
• Alpine Linux 3.21: Minimalist musl/busybox environment (~10MB rootfs) with instant boot times and tiny memory footprint.
• Arch Linux ARM: Bleeding-edge rolling release with the pacman package manager.
• Kali Linux CLI Tools: Security auditing and network forensics environment.
• Void Linux: Independent general-purpose distribution with the fast XBPS package manager.
📑 CONCURRENT MULTI-TAB TERMINAL
• Run and manage multiple interactive terminal sessions simultaneously.
• Dynamic tab strip with live status indicators, session highlights, and custom tab renaming.
• Independent PTY subprocesses maintain full interactive state in the background.
• Pinned extra-keys toolbar with Ctrl, Alt, Esc, Tab, Paste, and directional arrows.
• Viewport resizing preserving cursor and prompt on software keyboard resize.
• Custom font families (JetBrains Mono, Ubuntu Mono) and 16-color ANSI themes.
🖥️ FULL GRAPHICAL DESKTOP (XFCE4 & VNC)
• Install a complete XFCE 4 Desktop Environment in one tap.
• Built-in TigerVNC server with 1-touch launch guidance.
• Connect via any Android VNC viewer app or external monitor for a windowed desktop PC experience on mobile.
🎛️ MULTI-CONTAINER DASHBOARD & SYSTEM MONITOR
• Manage multiple containers side-by-side with per-container storage tracking.
• Live animated RAM and storage gauge dials.
• Real-time child process inspector (ps aux) with 1-tap kill confirmation.
• Active TCP network port listener detecting SSH, VNC, NGINX, and web ports with 1-tap browser launcher.
• Dedicated container deletion screen with real-time progress feedback and back-gesture safety.
🛠️ 1-CLICK SOFTWARE & DEVELOPER STACKS
• Web Server & Database: NGINX HTTP server with unprivileged port 8080 binding + SQLite3.
• Remote Access: OpenSSH Server for remote logins from your PC or laptop over LAN/Wi-Fi.
• Python 3 Stack: Python 3, pip, virtualenv, and C/C++ GCC build-essential tools.
• Node.js Stack: Node.js, npm, Yarn, Git, build-essential GCC, and Neovim.
• Android Dev Tools: OpenJDK 17, Gradle, ADB, and Android platform-tools inside Linux.
• Native multi-package manager support across apt, apk, pacman, and xbps.
🌐 STORAGE & MULTI-ARCHITECTURE
• Native support for ARM64 (aarch64), x86_64 (amd64), and ARMv7 (armhf).
• Automatic external storage mounting for SD Card access (/sdcard).
• 1-tap container backup (.tar.gz) export and import.
• Custom DNS configuration (/etc/resolv.conf) with quick presets.
📜 15 YEARS OF OPEN-SOURCE HERITAGE
Evolved from the original Complete Linux Installer project launched on XDA Developers in 2011. Built with open-source Jetpack Compose Material 3 and modern C++ PRoot engine technology.
License: Released under GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPL-2.0).
- Author: Zachary Powell
- License: GNU General Public License v2.0 or later
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Versions
Although APK downloads are available below to give you the choice, you should be aware that by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download. We recommend that you install the F-Droid client and use that.
Download F-Droid-
arm64-v8aarmeabi-v7ax86_64This version requires Android 6.0 or newer.
It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.
Download APK 13 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log