title	Vanilla OS Documentation
description	Find out how to use Vanilla OS and all its tools and settings.

Vanilla OS

Taste the GNOME Vanilla experience on Ubuntu with some spice.

FAQ

Answers to the most frequently asked questions (even though the project is very young).

Why a new Distribution?
Vanilla OS arose out of the need for an Ubuntu-based Linux distribution that would provide vanilla GNOME without any changes to the user experience. Later, its scope was extended to experiment with some tools and technologies, such as Almost (on-demand immutability) and Apx (the Distrobox-based subsystem).
Does it use OSTree?
No. Vanilla OS achieves immutability through almost. We wrote this utility for On-Demand Immutability based on the immutability attribute of files. This approach works on any partition schema/file system. OSTree may still be considered in the future.
Rolling Release?
No. Vanilla OS is a point release and follows the Ubuntu release cycle.

Immutability (almost)
Almost is a utility for on-demand immutability based on the immutability attribute of files.
Package Manager (apx)
Apx is a package manager that allows you to install and manage packages in a managed container, without affecting the host system. Occasionally, it is possible to use apx to install packages on the host system as well.