**OpenRC** is the default init system in Antergos NeXT. It's used by Gentoo, Artix Linux, Devuan, Alpine Linux, and other non-systemd distros. It's proven, well-maintained, and about as simple as an init system can get while still being feature-rich.
OpenRC is used by Gentoo, Artix Linux, Devuan, Alpine Linux, and other non-systemd distros. It's not as mainstream as systemd, but it's proven and well-maintained.
Runlevels in OpenRC work like directories under `/etc/runlevels/`:
```
/etc/runlevels/
├── boot # Low-level system services (filesystems, udev, etc.)
├── sysinit # System initialization (hwclock, hostname, etc.)
├── default # Normal boot services (NetworkManager, sshd, etc.)
└── shutdown # Shutdown services
```
## Why did Antergos NeXT switch?
Three reasons:
1.**systemd grew beyond an init system** — it now owns logind, resolved, timedated, networkd, homed, and more. It's no longer just PID 1. It's a full OS management suite with a scope that keeps expanding.
2.**systemd dropped SysV compatibility** — version 260 (March 2026) removed `systemd-sysv-generator`, `rc-local.service`, and all legacy compatibility code. If your distro isn't 100% systemd-native, it breaks.
3.**systemd's age verification PR** — [#40954](https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954) (merged Mar 2026) added `birthDate` fields to userdb JSON for age verification compliance. Optional today, precedent tomorrow. We don't want our OS to ask for your age.
OpenRC doesn't do any of that. It starts services and gets out of the way.
## Will things break?
Probably not. Most desktop software doesn't care about the init system. Browsers, editors, games, media players — they all work the same.
Things that **do** care about systemd and won't work:
- Any `.service` file you try to run directly (they're systemd-native)
But everything you actually use day-to-day? Works fine. And if you need to check logs, they're in `/var/log/messages` — plain text, no `journalctl` required.
