Developer-Friendly KDE Operating System

KompassOS builds upon Aurora, specifically tailored for DevOps engineers, System Administrators and Network Engineers. Get a ready-to-use workstation with all the tools you need without extensive configuration.

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Northern Lights - KompassOS

Core Features

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KDE-Exclusive

Built exclusively on KDE Plasma desktop environment, optimized for the best development experience.

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Automatic Updates

Background system updates with rollback support for up to 3 previous versions.

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Enhanced Security

Pre-installed Keeper Password Manager, SSH privileged ports fix, and Tailscale VPN support.

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Three Builds Available

Choose between HWE for standard hardware, NVIDIA-optimized for RTX-Series/GTX 16xx, or Surface-optimized builds.

Development Tools

Network Tools

  • nmap for network discovery
  • net-snmp-utils for monitoring
  • telnet for connectivity
  • screen for terminal sessions

Virtualization

  • libvirt-devel for Vagrant
  • virt-manager for VM management
  • KVM and QEMU support
  • Podman Desktop included
  • Waydroid for Android compatibility

Development Environment

  • Visual Studio Code pre-installed
  • Tilix & WezTerm terminals
  • fish, zsh and powershell shells available
  • DevToolbox & DevPod included
  • Distrobox and Homebrew support

System Improvements

  • Custom Plymouth theme
  • SDDM Numlock enabled
  • Electron apps Wayland fix
  • rpm-ostree base system

Pre-installed Applications

Communication & Business

  • Google Chrome with UWP Support
  • Thunderbird
  • Zoom conferencing
  • Rambox messaging hub
  • Citrix Workspace

System Management

  • Flatseal permissions manager
  • DistroShelf
  • Warehouse
  • MissionCenter

Remote & Peripherals

  • Input Leap (KVM switch)
  • KTailctl (Tailscale)
  • Solaar (Logitech)

Utilities

  • DejaDup & Vorta backup
  • Fedora MediaWriter
  • Skanpage scanner
  • FontDownloader & Embellish

Specialized Hardware Support

While Universal Blue announced they're discontinuing HWE (Hardware Enablement) images for ASUS and Surface devices from Fedora 43 onwards, KompassOS continues providing dedicated support for these specialized hardware platforms.

Surface Devices

KompassOS uses the linux-surface kernel to provide optimal support for Microsoft Surface devices, including:

  • Surface Aggregator Module (SAM) for keyboard/touchpad
  • Touch and pen input processing
  • Camera support with Intel ISP processing
  • Complete device compatibility matrix

Supported: Surface Book (1-3), Surface Pro (1,3-10), Surface Laptop series, Surface Go (1-3), Surface Studio

Sources & References

Universal Blue HWE Deprecation Notice Aurora July Status Update Linux Surface Project Surface Feature Matrix

On-Demand Installation

KompassOS includes ready-to-use ujust commands that let you install additional software and configure your system with a single command. Use ujust --choose for an easy interactive menu to browse and select available commands.

Developer Tools

  • ujust install_claude_code
  • ujust install_copilot_cli
  • ujust install_vagrant

Networking & VPN

  • ujust install_netextender
  • ujust configure_bridge_networking
  • ujust remove_bridge_networking
  • ujust show_bridge_networking

Hardware & System

  • ujust install_cups_canon
  • ujust generate_iso

Get Started with KompassOS

Choose your build: HWE for standard hardware (including older NVIDIA cards), NVIDIA-optimized for RTX-Series/GTX 16xx graphics cards, or Surface-optimized for Microsoft Surface devices.

Download HWE Build For standard hardware or VMs
Checksum Updated: 11-02-2026
Download NVIDIA Build For RTX-Series/GTX 16xx only
Checksum Updated: 11-02-2026
Download Surface Build For Microsoft Surface devices
Checksum Updated: 11-02-2026

Internet Connection

For the best out-of-the-box experience, it's important to properly configure your internet connection during the installation.

Secure Boot Information

If your hardware has secure boot enabled then enroll Universal Blue's secure boot key during the installation process by selecting "Enroll MOK" when prompted.

The secure boot password is: universalblue

Installation note: "Root Account" should stay disabled.