DietPi

An extremely lightweight Debian-based operating system optimized for single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, with ready-to-run software choices.

6.4k stars, 570 forks Shell On GitHub since March 2015

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is DietPi?

DietPi strips Debian down to a minimal footprint in memory, disk and CPU use, so small boards and virtual machines run faster and longer. The dietpi-software tool installs optimized versions of popular self-hosted software, such as media servers, cloud storage, home automation and web stacks, and dietpi-config handles device settings, networking and performance tuning from simple menus. Images are offered for many single-board computers, x86 PCs and VMs.

Good fit if

  • You want the most out of a Raspberry Pi or similar board for self-hosting.
  • You prefer guided menus over editing configuration files.

Look elsewhere if

Before you adopt it

DietPi is GPL-2.0 and free. Its lead maintainer, MichaIng, writes most of the code, and the project is funded by donations.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

DietPi health: is it still maintained?

82 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    272 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 1 November 2026.
    29 / 30
  • Contributors
    4 people wrote the latest 100 commits; the most active wrote 78% of them.
    9 / 20
  • Releases
    11 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v10.8, on 21 October 2026.
    18 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 91% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 2 hours.
    19 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 6.8 of 10.
    7 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

DietPi license: is it open source?

DietPi uses GPL-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. March 2015First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayGPL-2.0.

How to run DietPi yourself

Docker
No Docker files in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: dietpi.com or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to DietPi

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All 25 projects in Self-hosting & PaaS

Questions about DietPi

Is DietPi open source?

Yes. DietPi is published under GPL-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is DietPi still maintained?

Its health score is 82 of 100 (actively developed). It had 272 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 1 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 21 October 2026.

How do I run DietPi?

The repository has no Docker files or app builds, so you build it from source. The README on GitHub has the steps.

What are the alternatives to DietPi?

Close alternatives in the Self-hosting & PaaS category include openmediavault, Umbrel, 1Panel.