gummiboot

Gummiboot

Gummiboot is a simple UEFI boot manager designed to boot Linux operating systems. It is lightweight, easy to configure, and supports multiple boot entries for different kernels and operating systems.
gummiboot image
uefi bootloader linux

Gummiboot: Simple UEFI Boot Manager

A lightweight and easy-to-configure UEFI boot manager supporting multiple kernel and OS boot entries for Linux operating systems.

What is Gummiboot?

Gummiboot is a boot loader for Linux operating systems using UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). It is designed to be a simple, lightweight, and easy-to-use alternative to more complex boot managers like GRUB.

Some key features of gummiboot include:

  • Supports booting multiple Linux kernels and operating systems from the same EFI System Partition
  • Very fast boot times due to simplified design and minimizing scripts/modules
  • Easy configuration via simple text files, no need to regenerate config files on kernel updates
  • Supports graphical menus for selecting boot options
  • Open source with active development and maintenance

Gummiboot is therefore targeted towards Linux distributions and system administrators looking for a no-frills UEFI boot manager that can handle multi-boot setups without unnecessary complexity. Its small codebase also makes it portable across many environments. The simplified text-based configuration lowers the chance of misconfiguration and breakages.

Gummiboot Features

Features

  1. Simple and lightweight bootloader
  2. Supports multiple boot entries
  3. Easy configuration with simple text files
  4. Supports Linux kernels and operating systems

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Lightweight and fast boot times

Easy to setup and configure

Supports multiple OS installations

Open source and customizable

Cons

Limited features compared to GRUB

Less flexible or customizable than GRUB

Does not support Windows or macOS

Limited to UEFI systems only


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