Distributions
While System Profiles define the size and capability level of a Nexus build, Distributions (also called Box Distributions) define the base operating system stack that gets grafted underneath.
Nexus is a sovereign OS, but it bootstraps by grafting existing ecosystems. Each distribution represents a different grafting strategy optimized for specific use cases.
Available Distributions
| Distribution | Base | Primary Use Case | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NexBox | Linux (musl) | Desktop, cloud, Kubernetes | First Boot Complete |
| OpenBox | OpenBSD 7.x | ARM64 appliances, satellites | RPi5 Prototype |
| DragonBox | DragonflyBSD | Enterprise storage, Proxmox replacement | Planned (Q3 2026) |
How Distributions Work
Each distribution defines:
- Base userland: Which OS provides the initial POSIX layer (musl/busybox, OpenBSD base, DragonflyBSD base)
- Init system: How services are started (Dinit, OpenBSD rc, DragonflyBSD init)
- Grafting source: Where packages are pulled from (Alpine, OpenBSD ports, pkgsrc)
- Sovereignty level: How much of the base is replaced by native Nexus components
Over time, as native Nexus components mature, the grafted base shrinks. The endgame is a distribution that uses zero foreign code — but that requires completing all layers of the sovereign stack first.
Distribution vs Profile
These are independent axes:
- Profile = hardware capability level (Tiny, Micro, Core, Fleet, Unikernel)
- Distribution = software base (NexBox, OpenBox, DragonBox)
A NexBox Core is a Linux-musl workstation. An OpenBox Micro is an OpenBSD-based satellite system. Not all combinations make sense (you wouldn't run DragonBox on a Tiny profile), but the build toolkit handles this through profile-distribution compatibility matrices.