Tiny Core Linux Explained

Tiny Core Linux
Logo Alt:	Logo of TCL
Screenshot Size:	250px
Family:	Linux (Unix-like)
Language:	English
Userland:	BusyBox
Ui:	FLWM
License:	GNU GPLv2
Source Model:	Open source
Kernel Type:	Monolithic
Working State:	Current
Supported Platforms:	x86 x86-64 armv7 Raspberry Pi
Package Manager:	appbrowser (GUI) / tce (CLI)

Tiny Core Linux (TCL) is a minimal Linux kernel based operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. It was developed by Robert Shingledecker, who was previously the lead developer of Damn Small Linux.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] The distribution is notable for its small size (11 to 16 MB) and minimalism; additional functions are provided by extensions. Tiny Core Linux is free and open-source software licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.^[4]

Types

Tiny Core (23 MB) is the recommended option for new users who have a wired network connection. It includes the base Core system and a dynamic FLTK/FLWM graphical user interface.^[5]
Core (17 MB) (also known as "Micro Core Linux") is a smaller variant of Tiny Core without a graphical desktop, though additional extensions can be added to create a system with a graphical desktop environment.
Core64 is a port to the x86_64 architecture with a 32-bit user land, i.e. it uses a 64-bit kernel and 64-bit modules, but it can use the same extensions as Core.^[6]
CorePure64 is a port of "Core" to the x86_64 architecture. 64-bit kernel and 64-bit extensions.
dCore (12 MB) is a core made from Debian or Ubuntu compatible files that uses import and the SCE package format,^[7] a self-contained package format for the Tiny Core distribution since 5.x series.
Core Plus (248 MB) is "an installation image and not the distribution". It is composed of Tiny Core with additional functionality, most notably wireless support and non-US keyboard support.
piCore is the Raspberry Pi port of "Core".

System requirements

Minimal configuration:Tiny Core needs at least 46 MB of RAM, and (micro) Core requires at least 28 MB of RAM. The minimum CPU is an i486DX.^[8]

Recommended configuration:A Pentium II CPU and 128 MB of RAM are recommended for Tiny Core.

Design philosophy

The developers describe TCL as "a nomadic ultra small graphical desktop operating system capable of booting from cdrom, pendrive, or frugally from a hard drive."^[9] As of version 2.8.1, the core is designed to run primarily in RAM but with three distinct modes of operation:

"Cloud" or Internet mode — A "testdrive" mode using a built-in appbrowser GUI to explore extensions from an online application extension repository loaded into RAM only for the current session.
TCE/Install — A mode for Tiny Core Extensions downloaded and run from a storage partition but kept as symbolic links in RAM.
TCE/CopyFS — A mode which installs applications onto a Linux partition like a more typical Linux installation.^[10]

Release history

Version	Stability	Release date
1.0^[11]	Older version	January 5, 2009
2.0^[12]		June 7, 2009
3.0		July 19, 2010
4.0^[13]		September 25, 2011
4.7.7		May 10, 2013
5.0^[14]		September 14, 2013
5.0.1		October 1, 2013
5.0.2		October 18, 2013
5.1		November 28, 2013
5.2		January 14, 2014
5.3		April 19, 2014
5.4		September 10, 2014
6.0		January 5, 2015
6.1		March 7, 2015
6.2		May 3, 2015
6.3		May 30, 2015
6.4		September 8, 2015
6.4.1		November 4, 2015
7.0^[15]		February 23, 2016
7.1		May 22, 2016
7.2		July 4, 2016
8.0		April 10, 2017
8.1		September 3, 2017
8.2		September 22, 2017
9.0		February 26, 2018
10.0		January 20, 2019
10.1		June 11, 2019
11.0		February 9, 2020
11.1		April 1, 2020
12.0		February 17, 2021
13.0		January 31, 2022
13.1		May 8, 2022
14.0		April 12, 2023
15.0	Supported version	February 22, 2024
16.0^[16]	Supported version	March 31, 2025
16.1^[17]	Latest version	June 16, 2025
17.0beta1^[18]	Preview / public beta testing	January 24, 2026

External links

- - Interview with Robert Shingledecker, creator of Tiny Core Linux. DistroWatch Weekly. March 23, 2009. 295. September 13, 2012. .
News: Ferrill. Paul. Tiny Core Linux -- A Minimal Distro with Big Possibilities. September 13, 2012. LinuxPlanet. March 19, 2009. June 4, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120604050021/http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/6702/1. dead.
Web site: Tiny Core Linux Wiki. July 5, 2023.
News: Bernard. Joey. Tiny Core Linux. September 13, 2012. Linux Journal. Sep 1, 2011.
Web site: Tiny Core 4.5.....Almost In Love With A Core.!!. 25 April 2012 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/-n70UVv1JVU . 2021-12-20 . live. YouTube. September 13, 2012.

Notes and References

Web site: Interview with Robert Shingledecker, creator of Tiny Core Linux . . March 30, 2009 . DistroWatch Weekly . April 3, 2021 .
Web site: Review of Tiny Core Linux 1.2 and 1.3 RC2 . . March 23, 2009 . DistroWatch Weekly . June 10, 2025 .
Web site: Robert Shingledecker's Projects . June 6, 2012 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20120716003842/http://www.shingledecker.org/ . July 16, 2012.
Web site: Frequently Asked Questions. Shingledecker. Christopher. Tiny Core Linux. 2013-07-07. 2013-01-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20130115173844/http://tinycorelinux.net/faq.html. live.
Web site: Downloads - Tiny Core Linux. September 13, 2012. Robert Shingledecker. 2012. January 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230108134212/https://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/downloads.html. live.
Web site: Forum Post - tinycore vs. tinycore64. 27 March 2024. Juanito. 2016. 27 March 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240327100000/https://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,20089.msg124920.html#msg124920. live.
Web site: dCore-5.0.alpha1 released. May 30, 2013. Juanito. June 19, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150619175328/http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/topic,15612.0.html. live.
Web site: Frequently Asked Questions: What are the minimum requirements?. September 13, 2012. Robert Shingledecker. October 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221023103212/http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/faq.html#req. live.
Web site: Welcome to The Core Project - Tiny Core Linux. June 6, 2012. Robert Shingledecker. December 1, 2008. July 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200730213825/http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html. live.
Web site: Tiny Core: Core Concepts. June 6, 2012. Robert Shingledecker. May 31, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120531170905/http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/concepts.html. live.
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php/board,31.0.html Final Releases
Web site: Smart. Christopher. 2009-08-06. Tiny Core: The Little Distro That Could Linux Magazine. usurped. https://web.archive.org/web/20190202135753/http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7457/. 2019-02-02. 2020-09-11. Linux Magazine.
Web site: DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 440, 23 January 2012 . 26 June 2018 . 27 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627005203/https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20120123#feature . live .
Web site: DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 527, 30 September 2013 . 26 June 2018 . 26 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626192352/https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20130930#feature . live .
Web site: Tiny Core Linux 7.0 [LWN.net] . 2018-06-26 . 2018-06-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626192629/https://lwn.net/Articles/673622/ . live .
Web site: Juanito . Tiny Core v16.0 . forum.tinycorelinux.net . 21 April 2025 . en-US . March 31, 2025.
Web site: Juanito . Tiny Core v16.1 . forum.tinycorelinux.net . 15 July 2025 . en-US . June 16, 2025.
Web site: Juanito . Tiny Core v17.0beta1 . forum.tinycorelinux.net . 12 February 2026 . en-US . January 24, 2026.