StartOS v0.4.0

v0.4.0 is a complete rewrite of StartOS. After six years of building, we believe we have arrived at the correct architecture and foundation to deliver on the promise of sovereign computing.

⚠️ Before You Update

Everyone is welcome to participate in the public beta! However, the only way to update is by following the 0.4.0 Update Guide precisely. This is a sensitive update between two essentially distinct operating systems — skipping steps or improvising can result in data loss.

👉 Read the full update guide before proceeding

If anything goes wrong, stop and contact support — do not attempt to troubleshoot on your own.

Highlights

• Redesigned UI — faster, more intuitive, mobile-friendly, with a real-time system metrics dashboard
• Completely new networking stack — LAN port forwarding, Wireguard VPN gateways, private and public domains (clearnet), Let's Encrypt, built-in DNS, and Tor as an optional plugin
• StartTunnel — free, open-source reverse tunnel to expose services on a public domain without revealing your home IP
• LXC container runtime — replacing Docker/Podman with a reliable, nested container architecture supporting hardware acceleration and multi-container setups
• Improved backups — differential backups, cross-server restore, and a new FUSE module for cross-platform reliability
• Internationalization — multiple languages and keyboard layouts for StartOS and services
• TypeScript SDK — build and ship a StartOS package in minutes
• New S9PK format — signature verification, partial downloads, and multi-architecture support
• SMTP notifications — email alerts from StartOS and services via Gmail, SES, or any SMTP provider

Important

Previous backups are incompatible with v0.4.0. After updating, immediately update all services and create a fresh backup.

What's Changed

• fix(net): raise TCP listen backlog from mio's hardcoded 128 by @helix-nine in #3212
• fix(net): apply tuned TCP keepalive on every accepted listener socket by @dr-bonez in #3213
• fix(core/service, sdk): mirror ExtendedVersion uninit-target cascade for range data versions by @MattDHill in #3214
• fix(marketplace): respect dependency version range when navigating from a missing dep by @MattDHill in #3215
• fix(os-install): preserve picks rightmost free region before data partition by @helix-nine in #3219
• Improved error message for e.code === 0 (transport failures) by @mstrofnone in #3222
• fix(net/vhost): bound idle proxy tasks via per-target cap, active cancel, and hyper header_read_timeout by @helix-nine in #3216
• feat(lxc): manifest opt-in for nested OCI runtimes by @helix-nine in #3209
• fix(sdk/fileHelper): scope abort listener to one watch iteration by @helix-nine in #3220
• fix(web/ui): derive url plugin protocol label from address scheme by @MattDHill in #3223
• feat: required instructions.md per package + Instructions tab by @helix-nine in #3224
• chore: bump StartOS to 0.4.0-beta.9 by @helix-nine in #3225
• feat(sdk): sdk.notification.create() lets packages post notifications by @helix-nine in #3221
• fix(image-recipe): bump NVIDIA driver to 580.159.03 for kernel 7.0+ by @helix-nine in #3226
• fix(core/service): bound boot-time service init concurrency at 4 by @dr-bonez in #3227
• fix(marketplace): clear search query when leaving, add clear button to search field by @MattDHill in #3228

New Contributors

• @mstrofnone made their first contribution in #3222

Full Changelog: v0.4.0-beta.8...v0.4.0-beta.9

ISO Downloads

• x86_64/AMD64
• x86_64/AMD64 + NVIDIA
• x86_64/AMD64-slim (FOSS-only)
• aarch64/ARM64
• aarch64/ARM64 + NVIDIA
• aarch64/ARM64-slim (FOSS-Only)
• RISCV64 (RVA23) - RISCV64 (RVA23)-slim (FOSS-only)

StartOS Checksums

SHA-256

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BLAKE-3

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Start-Tunnel Checksums

SHA-256

04bc4f79f0b385d078994fe8b70ebc1b5454240b4dc8c9fa941846dec4e77a03  start-tunnel-0.4.0-beta.9-4bed118~dev_aarch64.deb
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BLAKE-3

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start-cli Checksums

SHA-256

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52fe053210f843ae7e7d72df48e62c4e02fdac301d7cff33edac85b2a6f0f13a  start-cli_aarch64-macos
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accba8044dd646a97b48aa39fd18de59ca58bc2b907a04ba55e13c843768a54f  start-cli_x86_64-macos

BLAKE-3

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