> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/serenityOS/serenity/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction to SerenityOS

> A graphical Unix-like operating system for 64-bit x86, Arm, and RISC-V computers - a love letter to '90s user interfaces with a custom Unix-like core

## What is SerenityOS?

SerenityOS is a graphical Unix-like operating system for **64-bit x86, Arm, and RISC-V computers**. It's a love letter to '90s user interfaces with a custom Unix-like core that flatters with sincerity by stealing beautiful ideas from various other systems.

<Note>
  The goal is a marriage between the aesthetic of late-1990s productivity software and the power-user accessibility of late-2000s \*nix. This is a system by us, for us, based on the things we like.
</Note>

## Key Features

SerenityOS is a complete operating system built from scratch - everything from the kernel to the applications is right in the repository, with no extra dependencies:

### Core System

* **Modern 64-bit kernel** with pre-emptive multi-threading
* **Security features** including hardware protections, limited userland capabilities, W^X memory, `pledge` & `unveil`, (K)ASLR, OOM-resistance, and state-of-the-art TLS algorithms
* **System services** including WindowServer, LoginServer, AudioServer, WebServer, RequestServer, CrashServer, and modern IPC
* **Good POSIX compatibility** with LibC, Shell, syscalls, signals, pseudoterminals, filesystem notifications, and standard Unix utilities

### Web & Networking

* **Full-featured browser** with JavaScript, WebAssembly, and more (check the spec compliance for [JS](https://serenityos.github.io/libjs-website/test262/), [CSS](https://css.tobyase.de/), and [Wasm](https://serenityos.github.io/libjs-website/wasm/))
* **Network stack** with support for IPv4, TCP, UDP
* **Network protocols** including DNS, HTTP, Gemini, IMAP, NTP

### File Systems & Storage

* **POSIX-like virtual file systems** (/proc, /dev, /sys, /tmp)
* **ext2 file system** support
* **File format support** for PNG, JPEG, GIF, MP3, WAV, FLAC, ZIP, TAR, PDF, QOI, Gemini, and more

### Development Tools

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Profiling & Debugging" icon="bug">
    Kernel-supported profiling, CrashReporter, and interactive GUI playground
  </Card>

  <Card title="HackStudio IDE" icon="code">
    Full IDE for C++ development and more
  </Card>

  <Card title="Development Utilities" icon="wrench">
    HexEditor and comprehensive debugging tools
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rich Libraries" icon="book">
    Libraries for cryptography, OpenGL, audio, JavaScript, GUI, and more
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Applications & Games

* **Everyday applications** including Spreadsheet with JavaScript, TextEditor, Terminal, PixelPaint, multimedia viewers and players, Mail, Assistant, Calculator
* **Games** including Solitaire, Minesweeper, 2048, chess, Conway's Game of Life
* **Demos** including CatDog, Starfield, Eyes, mandelbrot set, WidgetGallery

### Design Philosophy

<Info>
  SerenityOS features a unified style and design philosophy with a flexible theming system and custom bitmap and vector fonts available at [fonts.serenityos.net](https://fonts.serenityos.net/font-family).
</Info>

## Ports Collection

In addition to the built-in software, there are **over three hundred ports** of popular open-source software, including:

* Games
* Compilers
* Unix tools
* Multimedia applications
* And much more

See the [available ports documentation](https://github.com/SerenityOS/serenity/blob/master/Ports/AvailablePorts.md) for the complete list.

## Built From Scratch

<Warning>
  Every component of SerenityOS - from the kernel to the browser to the games - is built from scratch by the community. This maximizes hackability, accountability, and fun!
</Warning>

All of the features listed above are right in the repository, with no extra dependencies, built from-scratch by the SerenityOS community.

## Platform Support

SerenityOS supports cross-compilation builds from:

* Linux
* macOS
* Windows (with WSL2)
* Many other \*Nixes

The build system will launch a QEMU instance running the OS with hardware or software virtualization enabled as supported.

## Community & Resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Join Discord" icon="discord" href="https://serenityos.org/discord">
    Join our active Discord community
  </Card>

  <Card title="Watch Development" icon="youtube" href="https://youtube.com/andreaskling">
    Andreas Kling's YouTube channel
  </Card>

  <Card title="Man Pages" icon="book" href="https://man.serenityos.org">
    Browse the online manual pages
  </Card>

  <Card title="GitHub" icon="github" href="https://github.com/SerenityOS/serenity">
    View the source code and contribute
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## License

SerenityOS is licensed under a **2-clause BSD license**, making it free and open source software.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Build and run SerenityOS
  </Card>

  <Card title="FAQ" icon="question" href="/faq">
    Common questions answered
  </Card>
</CardGroup>