MichaIng/DietPi
DietPi
DietPi is an ultra-lightweight Debian distribution and software platform purpose-built for single-board computers. It provides a minimal operating system that strips away unnecessary services to reduce CPU and RAM usage, and includes a curated software catalogue of pre-optimised applications that can be installed with a single command. The system reads a plain-text configuration file before first boot to perform unattended OS and software installation, and offers a web interface for remote system administration.
What distinguishes DietPi is its comprehensive, integrated approach to turning a single-board computer into a self-hosted service hub. It manages software as systemd services with unified control commands, resolves dependencies in parallel to speed up installation, and blocks incompatible software based on CPU architecture or hardware model. Beyond the core OS, DietPi provides tools for automated media acquisition from BitTorrent and Usenet, home automation platform setup, IoT device control via MQTT and GPIO, and network service hosting including file sync, password management, and DNS filtering.
The platform extends into cloud services, container management, and security, offering self-hosted alternatives for file synchronization, photo management, password management, and object storage. It supports Docker container orchestration with web-based management, Kubernetes deployment, and multi-container application coordination. On the security side, DietPi can deploy network-wide ad blocking via DNS sinkhole, encrypt DNS queries, route traffic through Tor, and automate SSL certificate management. It also covers media streaming, remote access, desktop environments, and system monitoring with real-time dashboards and metrics collection.
DietPi transforms an existing Debian installation into its optimised environment using a conversion script, and provides a centralised tool for adjusting hardware settings, managing services, and controlling power profiles on single-board computers.
Features
- Minimal Debian Distributions - Ships an ultra-lightweight Debian distribution optimized for single-board computers.
- Optimized Operating Systems - Provides an ultra-lightweight Debian distribution optimized for minimal resource usage on single-board computers.
- Resource-Optimized Distributions - Provides a purpose-built Debian distribution that minimizes CPU and RAM usage on single-board computers.
- Self-Hosted Photo Platforms - Installs Immich for self-hosted photo and video backup, browsing, and organization.
- Personal Media Servers - Transcodes and serves personal video, music, and photo libraries to phones, tablets, and smart TVs.
- Unattended First-Boot Setups - Provides unattended first-boot OS and software installation driven by a configuration file.
- Self-Hosted File Sync and Share Platforms - Installs and configures ownCloud or Nextcloud for self-hosted file synchronization and sharing.
- Self-Hosted Media Managers - Automates the download, organization, and streaming of media from BitTorrent and Usenet sources.
- Pre-Optimized Software Installers - Installs and configures pre-optimised software packages with a single tool, eliminating manual setup.
- Self-Hosted Git Repository Servers - Installs Gogs, Gitea, or Forgejo to host private Git repositories with a web interface.
- Shell-Script-Based Package Managers - Installs and removes software by executing shell scripts that handle dependencies and services.
- Automated Installers - Installs and configures pre-optimized software packages on a single-board computer with a single command.
- Unattended Installation Routines - Reads a configuration file before first power-on to perform a complete unattended OS and software installation.
- Package Installations - Downloads and installs DEB packages or archives, optionally installing APT dependencies in parallel.
- Application Deployment Platforms - Deploys and manages over 200 self-hosted applications including media servers, file sync, and home automation.
- Self-Hosted Services - Sets up self-hosted services including file sync, password management, DNS filtering, and VPN.
- Unified Service Lifecycle Wrappers - Manages all installed software as systemd services with unified lifecycle commands.
- Home Automation - Installs and configures home automation platforms like Home Assistant, Domoticz, or openHAB.
- IoT Device Management Platforms - Manages IoT devices, sensors, and microcontrollers through MQTT, GPIO control, and web interfaces.
- Pre-Optimised Software Catalogues - Provides a curated catalogue of pre-optimised software packages for single-board computers.
- Software Installers - Installs and configures pre-optimized applications for Raspberry Pi and similar ARM devices.
- DNS Sinkhole Ad Blockers - Installs Pi-hole or AdGuard Home to intercept DNS queries and block ads for every device on the local network.
- Debian Distribution Converters - Transforms an existing Debian-based installation into a DietPi system using a conversion script.
- Web-Based System Configuration Interfaces - Provides a browser-accessible graphical tool to configure hardware settings, control services, and view logs remotely.
- System Setting Configurations - Provides a central tool to adjust system and hardware settings for single-board computers.
- Single-Board Computer Configurators - Adjusts hardware settings, manages services, and controls power profiles on single-board computers.
- Self-Hosted Cloud Storage - Runs a private file sync and share server with a web interface for self-hosted cloud storage.
- Web Interface - Installs a lightweight web interface frontend for the MPD music daemon to browse and play a local music library.
- Usenet Clients - Installs an NZB download manager with a web interface for downloading from Usenet.
- Comic Book Libraries - Installs a self-hosted web server to browse, organise, and read comics, manga, and ebooks.
- DLNA Media Servers - Serves audio, video, and image files over the local network to any DLNA or UPnP compatible player.
- Media App Indexer Hubs - Centralizes management of torrent trackers and Usenet indexers for media automation applications.
- Time-Series Database Deployments - Scrapes metrics from configured targets, stores them in a time-series database, and supports alerting and querying.
- Git Hosting Platforms - Runs a self-hosted Git server with a web interface for managing code repositories.
- MinIO S3 Storage Management - Installs MinIO for high-performance, S3-compatible object storage with a web console.
- Installation Compatibility Guards - Blocks software installation based on CPU architecture, Debian version, or hardware model.
- Kubernetes Cluster Deployments - Installs and configures a lightweight Kubernetes distribution for edge or IoT environments.
- Multi-Container Orchestration - Defines and orchestrates multiple Docker containers from a single YAML configuration file.
- Self-Hosted Backup Platforms - Installs UrBackup Server for creating full system backups of network clients via a web interface.
- Software Uninstallation Routines - Removes a previously installed program, including its service, user account, group, and associated files.
- Web-Based Container Managers - Offers a browser-based tool to deploy, inspect, and control Docker containers and clusters.
- AirPlay Receivers - Receives and plays audio streamed from Apple devices and third-party AirPlay sources.
- Synchronized - Receives AirPlay audio streams and keeps playback synchronised across multiple devices for multi-room listening.
- Multi-Room Audio Casting - Distributes a single audio source to multiple networked players in sync.
- Web Interface Media Servers - Installs a media streaming server with a web interface to access and play audio and video from any browser.
- Media Centre Installers - Installs and configures Kodi as a full-featured media centre player, optionally starting at boot.
- Music Collection Organization - Scans, tags, and renames a music collection from the command line using automatic metadata correction.
- Self-Hosted Backends - Installs a self-hosted backend for controlling microcontrollers from mobile apps without cloud services.
- Power Button Controllers - Provides a hardware module that starts and shuts down the system by pressing a physical button.
- MQTT Message Brokers - Deploys a lightweight MQTT broker for publish/subscribe communication between IoT sensors and devices.
- BitTorrent Clients - Downloads files via the BitTorrent protocol and manages transfers through a web interface.
- DNS-over-TLS Clients - Configures Unbound to forward DNS requests over TLS, masking them from local network operators.
- BitTorrent - Installs and configures a lightweight BitTorrent server with a web interface for managing downloads.
- Local Server Tunnels - Creates a reverse proxy tunnel to make a server behind NAT or a firewall accessible from the public web.
- Internet-Wide Remote Access - Connects the device to a cloud relay service for remote access without a public IP or VPN.
- Remote Desktop Clients - Installs a client application that discovers and connects to remote desktop servers on the network.
- Linux Desktop RDP Servers - Starts a VNC or RDP server to provide remote graphical desktop access over the network.
- Spotify Connect Implementations - Installs a lightweight client that appears as a Spotify Connect device for streaming from a Spotify Premium account.
- WiFi Access Point Hosting - Converts the device into a wireless access point so other devices can share its internet connection.
- Wireless Access Point Routers - Creates a wireless access point so other devices can connect to the internet through the host.
- Lightweight Desktop Installations - Installs optimized desktop environments like LXDE, LXQt, MATE, Xfce for resource-constrained single-board computers.
- Self-Hosted Password Managers - Installs vaultwarden to host a Bitwarden-compatible password manager server with a web interface.
- Recursive DNS Resolvers - Runs Unbound to query root name servers directly, caching results and eliminating reliance on external DNS resolvers.
- SSL Certificate Automation - Automates creation and setup of free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt or supports manual self-signed certificates.
- Concurrent Dependency Resolution - Installs APT packages and software dependencies concurrently to reduce total installation time.
- Minecraft Server Orchestrators - Installs and configures a Minecraft server with a web interface for managing multiple instances.
- System Metrics Collection - Exposes hardware and OS metrics on a TCP endpoint for collection by a Prometheus server.
- Service Uptime Monitors - Checks service availability and displays status on a web dashboard with alerting capabilities.
- Real-Time Metric Visualization - Sets up a dashboard platform that connects to databases to display real-time analytics and monitoring graphs.
- Remote File Managers - Installs File Browser for lightweight web-based remote file management with user management.
- Self-Hosted Remote Management Servers - Runs an open-source relay and signal server to broker peer-to-peer remote desktop connections.
- Service Aggregation Dashboards - Builds a customizable homepage that links to and organizes self-hosted services with icons and descriptions.
- System Health Dashboards - Displays real-time hardware and OS metrics through a browser-based interface for quick system health checks.
- Full-Screen Browser Kiosks - Provides a tool to lock the device into a full-screen browser for dedicated display use.
- LAMP Stack Installers - Installs a complete LAMP, LEMP, or LLMP web stack with a single command.
- Web Server Configurations - Installs and configures web servers and databases individually for custom stacks.
