Antergos NeXT ISO

Looking for the old Arch/systemd version? See the before-systemd-change branch.

A community revival of Antergos — built on Artix Linux with Dinit, KDE Plasma desktop, the Calamares installer (online mode), and a BYODE script for offline installs.

What changed

Before	After
Arch Linux (systemd)	Artix Linux (Dinit)
GNOME desktop	KDE Plasma desktop
archiso build system	artools (buildiso)
Custom Cnchi installer	Calamares (mature, upstream-supported)
Symlinked overlays	Resolved, self-contained profile overlays

Why Artix?

The Antergos NeXT project prefers init system flexibility over systemd lock-in. Artix Linux provides a clean Arch-like experience with your choice of Dinit (default), Runit, or S6 — see changing-init.md if you want something else.

Why Dinit? We shipped OpenRC. Then Calamares kidnapped pacman's resolver and every --noconfirm call picked elogind-dinit (alphabetically before elogind-openrc). Dinit works great and OpenRC's service enabling was broken on installed systems anyway. Dinit wins by alphabetical destiny.

Building

Requires an Artix-based system:

# Install build deps
pacman -S artools squashfs-tools
modprobe loop

# Clone and enter
git clone https://github.com/Antergos-NeXT/antergos-iso.git
cd antergos-iso

# Set workspace to repo root
export WORKSPACE_DIR="$PWD"

# Must use our pacman.conf (has antergos-pkgs repo)
mkdir -p ~/.config/artools/pacman.conf.d
cp pacman.conf.d/iso-x86_64.conf ~/.config/artools/pacman.conf.d/

# Build
sudo ./buildiso -p antergos

⚠️ VERY IMPORTANT: Use ./buildiso, not buildiso. The Artix system buildiso at /usr/bin/buildiso lacks the --overwrite='*' flag passed to basestrap, causing file conflicts (e.g. calamares vs calamares-branding-antergos-next both claiming /usr/share/calamares/branding/default/). Our repo's ./buildiso has it.

The .iso appears in /var/lib/artools/buildiso/iso/antergos/.

First build pulls ~5 GB from the internet. Subsequent builds use pacman cache.

Custom packages

The ISO pulls custom packages (branding, Calamares config, wallpapers) from our repo. Add it to your system:

[antergos-pkgs]
SigLevel = Optional TrustAll
Server = https://antergos-next.github.io/antergos-packages

Profile structure

iso-profiles/
├── antergos/
│   ├── profile.yaml          # Packages, services, build config
│   ├── root-overlay/         # Files merged into rootfs (os-release, pacman.conf, sddm)
│   └── live-overlay/         # Files for the live environment (Calamares configs, etc.)
├── common/
│   └── common.yaml           # Shared base packages
├── pacman.conf.d/
│   └── iso-x86_64.conf       # Pacman config used during ISO build
└── buildiso                  # Modified buildiso with Antergos branding

Overlays are self-contained (no symlinks to external directories) so the repo builds standalone.

Installer

Mode	Description
Online	Full Calamares netinstall with desktop selection (KDE Plasma, Xfce, Cinnamon, MATE, LXQt, i3, Sway, Hyprland)
BYODE	Bare system + btrfs + snapper — you pacman -Sy your own DE. Script available on the live desktop.

Download

GitHub Releases

Sources

• Artix Linux — base distribution
• artools — ISO build tools
• Calamares — installer framework
• antergos-packages — custom PKGBUILDs
• Antergos wallpapers — original wallpapers

License

GPL-3.0

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A Note to the "Branding Police"

If you came here to hate and you're about to type "why are you using Antergos's branding" — pack your bags and go to Manjaro. We have Dustin's blessing. We are respectful. We are not them. Move on.

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Antergos launched in 2012 as Cinnarch (Cinnamon + Arch), renamed in 2013, and ran until 2019. NeXT continues the spirit with a modernized, Artix-based foundation — KDE Plasma, Calamares, and the same multi-desktop ambition you remember.

Dustin Falgout, one of the original Antergos developers, has given his blessing for this community revival (see NOTICES). Antergos NeXT is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the original Antergos project.